Entry № 156
Gaspeite
Nickel Carbonate
A rare green carbonate from oxidised nickel ore.
Chakra
Heart
Element
Earth
Zodiac
Virgo
I. The Metaphysical Reading
How the stone has been held.
Gaspeite is worked with as a stone of emotional first aid, kept nearby after difficult conversations and any practice that repairs a relationship. Practitioners hold it as a reminder that a rare colour often marks a rare quality of care.
- Chakra
- Heart
- Element
- Earth
- Zodiac
- Virgo
- Keynote
- A rare green carbonate from oxidised nickel ore.
II. The Scientific Reading
What the lattice actually does.
Gaspeite is a rare nickel-bearing carbonate that is isostructural with calcite, magnesite and siderite. It forms in the oxidised zones of nickel sulfide deposits and in altered ultramafic rocks. Its intense yellow-green colour comes from essential Ni²⁺ in the carbonate lattice.
- Formula
- (Ni,Mg,Fe)CO₃
- System
- Trigonal
- Hardness
- 4.5 – 5 (Mohs)
- Provenance
- Canada (Québec — Gaspé Peninsula, type locality), Australia (Western Australia — Widgiemooltha)
References & Sources
Independent mineralogical references used to verify the scientific details above.
Mineral Profile
Fact Sheet
- Chemical Formula
- (Ni,Mg,Fe)CO₃
- Crystal System
- Trigonal
- Mohs Hardness
- 4.5 – 5 (Mohs)
- Density
- 3.71 g/cm³
- Refractive Index
- 1.61 – 1.83
- Provenance
- Canada (Québec — Gaspé Peninsula, type locality), Australia (Western Australia — Widgiemooltha)
- Color Origin
- Bright yellow-green to apple-green masses coloured by essential nickel
Related Crystals
Stones that share this lattice
Next in the Atlas
Girasol Quartz
A milky quartz that turns on a soft blue glow.
