Calamine

Calamine, an ore consisting essentially of carbonate of zinc. The name is said to be derived from the Greek and Latin calamus, 'a reed,' because when fused it adheres to the base of the furnace in a reed-like form. Its primary form is a rhomboid, and it occurs in small obtuse-edged crystals, also compact and massive. It is white, yellowish-white, brown, green, or gray; is sometimes opaque, sometimes translucent; is brittle, and has an uneven conchoidal fracture. It occurs in beds and veins in rocks of various kinds, but most commonly in limestone. Mendip, Matlock, Alston Moor, Leadhills, and Wanlockhead are British localities. Calamine is an important ore of zinc.