a small cave near Calico, California, USA
Speleothems: encrustations
Other occurrence: coatings and stalactites (many US caves, e.g. Jornada del Muerto lava tubes, New Mexico) flour-like powder, cotton-like tufts (Wupatki fissure caves, Arizona) small flowers (Las Manos Caves, Argentina)
First description of cave occurrence: Bailey, G.E. 1902. The saline deposits of California. California State Mining Bureau Bulletin 24: 180 (mistakenly indentified as niter)
First description of non-cave occurrence: Haidinger, Wm. 1845. Handbuch der Bestimmenden Mineralogie, Braumüller and Seidel, Wien: 488
Other cave locations & References: Los Manos Caves, Argentina - Forti, P. & Buzios, A. 1985. La nitratite della Grota de Los Manos (Argentina). Rivista Italiana di Mineralogia e Paleontologia 63: 3-9 Wupatki fissure caves, AZ, USA: Hill, C.A. & Eller, P.G. 1977. Soda-niter in earth cracks of Wupatki National Monument. National Speleological Society Bulletin 39(4): 113-116 Jornada del Muerto lava tubes, NM, USA: Hill, C.A. 1977. Niter and soda-niter in a lava tube, Socorro County, New Mexico. Cave Research Foundation, Annual Report 20: 18
Group: Nitrates
Chemical formula: NaNO3
[According to the official IMA-CNMNC List of Mineral Names (http://nrmima.nrm.se/imalist.htm)]
Deposition and stability: It need a very dry and cold climate for crystalization At humidity >80% it deliquesces and dissapears
Color: colorless and transparent
Cleavage: perfect
Diagnostic features: The taste is bitter, pungent and cool.
Sometimes associated with niter
- Trigonal