Where it forms, where it's found
- Type locality
- Tombstone
- Tombstone Mining District
- Cochise County
- Arizona
- USA
31.7128°, -110.0669°
545recorded occurrences
Physical
Optical
- UV response
- Not fluorescent in ultraviolet
Crystallography
- Cell parameters
- a = 9.956 Å · b = 2.8705 Å · c = 9.706 Å
- Cell angles
- β = 90.95 °
- Ratio a:b:c
- 1 : 0.288 : 0.975
- Z
- 1
- Comment
Non-standard I2/m setting; pseudo-tetragonal
Crystal structure
Chemical composition
Synonyms
- Barium-Kalium-Psilomelan
- Cryptomelaan
- Ebelmenit
- Ebelmenita
- Ebelmenite
- IMA1982-s.p.
In other languages
- French
- Cryptomélane
- German
- Kryptomelan
- Spanish
- Criptomelano · ebelmenita
- Italian
- Criptomelano · Cryptomelane
- Japanese
- クリプトメレーン鉱
Classification
Strunz
10th ed.4.DK.05a
- 4OxidesClass
- 4.DMetal: Oxygen = 1:2 and similarDivision
- 4.DKWith large (+- medium-sized) cations; tunnel structuresGroup
- 4.DK.05aCryptomelaneSpecies
Dana
8th ed.07.09.01.02
- 07Multiple OxidesClass
- 07.09AB8X16Type
- 07.09.01Cryptomelane Group (Hard black, fine-grained)Group
- 07.09.01.02CryptomelaneSpecies
CIM
—7.2.4
- 7Oxides and HydroxidesClass
- 7.2Oxides of the alkali metalsGroup
- 7.2.4CryptomelaneSpecies
Group, growth & confusion
Literature, links & citation
Citations
- 1942Richmond, Wallace E., Fleischer, Michael (1942) Cryptomelane, a new name for the commonest of the "psilomelane" minerals. American Mineralogist, 27 (9) 607-610
- 1943Gruner, John W. (1943) The chemical relationship of cryptomelane (psilomelane), hollandite, and coronadite. American Mineralogist, 28 (9-10) 497-506
- 1959Mukherjee, Bibhuti (1959) X-ray study of psilomelane and cryptomelane. Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society, 32 (245) 166-171 doi:10.1180/minmag.1959.32.245.08 DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1959.32.245.08
- 1964Larson, Lawrence T. (1964) Geology and mineralogy of certain manganese oxide deposits. Economic Geology, 59 (1) 54-78 doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.59.1.54DOI: 10.2113/gsecongeo.59.1.54
- 1969Ramdohr, Paul (1969) The Ore Minerals and their Intergrowths. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 1174pp. doi:10.1016/c2013-0-10027-xDOI: 10.1016/c2013-0-10027-x
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
author = {Mineral Index editorial board},
title = {Cryptomelane — Mineral Index},
year = {2026},
url = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/cryptomelane-1164},
note = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}