What is "serpierite"

n. (context mineralogy English) A monoclinic-prismatic sky blue mineral containing calcium, copper, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and zinc.

Serpierite (Ca(Cu,Zn)(SO)2(OH)·3HO) is a rare, sky-blue coloured hydrated sulfate mineral, often found as a post-mining product. It is a member of the devilline group, which has members aldridgeite (Cd,Ca)(Cu,Zn)(SO)(OH)·3HO, campigliaite CuMn(SO)2(OH)·4HO, devilline CaCu(SO)2(OH)·3HO, kobyashevite Cu(SO)2(OH)·4HO, lautenthalite PbCu(SO)2(OH)·3HO and an unnamed dimorph of devilline. It is the calcium analogue of aldridgeite and it is dimorphous with orthoserpierite CaCu(SO)2(OH)·3HO.

It was discovered in 1881 and named by Alfred Des Cloizeaux in honour of . Serpieri was an Italian revolutionary, engineer and mining entrepreneur who developed mines in the Lavrion area of Greece and founded the Montecatini Company. He was born in Italy in 1832 and died in Greece in 1897.