CALAMINE, the native carbonate and silicate of zinc,
which, though very generally found in the same deposits,
differ materially both in their mineralogical and chemical
characters. The most prevalent colour of Calamine is
white; occasionally, however, it is blue, green, yellow, or
brown. It varies also from transparent to opaque; has a
vitreous lustre; and occurs both crystallized, stalactitic,
mammillated, and massive. It is frequently found in veins,
associated with blende, and ores of iron and lead. Con-
siderable quantities occur at Bleiberg and Raibel in Ca-
rinthia, Tarnowitz in Silesia, Altenberg near Aix-la-Cha-
pelle, in the Mendip-hills of Somersetshire, at Wanlock-
head in Dumfriesshire, and at Alston Moor in Cumber-
land. It is a very useful ore of zinc, containing generally
from sixty to seventy per cent. of that metal. For further
particulars see MINERALOGY.