Where it forms, where it's found
- Geological setting
Interaction of solutions derived from bird guano and weathering copper sulphides.
- Type locality
- Mooloo Downs Station
- Upper Gascoyne Shire
- Western Australia
- Australia
-25.0000°, 116.0000°
17recorded occurrences
Physical
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Colour
- Turquoise-green · blue to green
- Streak
- Turquoise-green
- Density
- 3.43 g/cm³
Optical
- Optical type
- Biaxial
- Refractive index
- 1.57 – 1.95
- Surface relief
- High
- Principal indices
- nα 1.57 · nβ 1.77 · nγ 1.95
- Dispersion
- r > v
Δ = 0Δmax
PPLpleochroism per grain
XPLindependent extinctions · rotate the stage
PPLpleochroism only · colour blends on rotation
XPLinterference colour · extinct every 90°
Retardation3800 nm
Order7th order
XPL colour
Crystallography
- Cell parameters
- a = 5.4 Å · b = 5.57 Å · c = 2.54 Å
- Ratio a:b:c
- 1 : 1.031 : 0.470
- Z
- 1
- Type-locality form
Micro-concretionary crusts and powder in cracks and solution cavities. Aggregates of generally sub-micrometer sized equidimensional crystallites.
- Comment
Point Group: n.d.; Space Group: n.d.; by analogy to synthetic Cu(C2O4) • 0.1H2O.
Synonyms
- IMA1980-082
- Moolooiet
In other languages
- German
- IMA 1980-082 · Moolooit
- Spanish
- Moolooíta
- Italian
- Moolooite
- Portuguese
- moolooíta
- Japanese
- ムールー石
Classification
Strunz
10th ed.10.AB.15
- 10Organic CompoundsClass
- 10.ASalts of organic acidsDivision
- 10.ABOxalatesGroup
- 10.AB.15MoolooiteSpecies
Dana
8th ed.50.01.06.01
- 50Organic CompoundsClass
- 50.01OxalatesType
- 50.01.06— unnamed intermediate level —Group
- 50.01.06.01MoolooiteSpecies
CIM
—31.1.2
- 31Oxalates, Citrates, Mellitates and AcetatesClass
- 31.1OxalatesGroup
- 31.1.2MoolooiteSpecies
Literature, links & citation
Citations
- 1968Schmittler, H. (1968) Structural principle of disordered copper(II) oxalate (CuC2O4.nH2O). Monatsberichte der Deutschen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Berlin: 10: 581-604. (in German)
- 1980Gleizes, A., Maury, F., Galy, J. (1980) Crystal structure and magnetism of sodium bis(oxalato)cuprate(II)dihydrate, Na2Cu(C2O4)2.2H2O. A deductive proposal for the structure of copper oxalate, CuC2O4.xH2O (O <= x <= 1). Inorganic Chemistry, 19 (7). 2074-2078 doi:10.1021/ic50209a048DOI: 10.1021/ic50209a048
- 1986Clarke, R. M., Williams, I. R. (1986) Moolooite, a naturally occurring hydrated copper oxalate from Western Australia. Mineralogical Magazine, 50 (356) 295-298 doi:10.1180/minmag.1986.050.356.15 DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1986.050.356.15
- 1987Hawthorne, Frank C., Jambor, John L., Bladh, Kenneth W., Burke, Ernst A. J., Grice, Joel D., Phillips, Don, Roberts, Andrew C., Schedler, Robert A., E., James (1987) New mineral names. American Mineralogist, 72 (9-10) 1023-1028
- 1987Chisholm, J. E., Jones, G. C., Purvis, O. W. (1987) Hydrated copper oxalate, moolooite, in lichens. Mineralogical Magazine, 51 (363) 715-718 doi:10.1180/minmag.1987.051.363.12 DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1987.051.363.12
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
author = {Mineral Index editorial board},
title = {Moolooite — Mineral Index},
year = {2026},
url = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/moolooite-2773},
note = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}