Niter
Image: <bdi><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:ComputerHotline" title="User:ComputerHotline">Thomas Bresson</a></bdi> (CC BY 3.0)
Mineral NameNiter
Chemical FormulaKNO₃
Mohs Hardness2
Crystal Systemorthorhombic
Lustervitreous
Streak Colorwhite
Cleavageperfect on {011}, distinct on {110}
Fractureconchoidal
Specific Gravity2.11
Colorswhite, colorless, gray, yellowish
Transparencytransparent
Type LocalityChile, Spain, Italy, India, USA (Kentucky, Tennessee caves)
Mineral GroupNitrates
Usesfertilizer, gunpowder, food preservation, pyrotechnics
Associated Mineralsgypsum, halite, other nitrates
Rarityuncommon
Description
The image displays a delicate, fibrous to acicular aggregate of pale yellowish-white Niter crystals, forming a tangled mass on a greenish-blue matrix.
Geological Context
Niter typically forms as an efflorescence in arid environments, often found in caves or sheltered areas where bat guano or other organic matter provides the nitrogen source. It crystallizes from evaporating nitrate-rich solutions.
