It is a rare secondary mineral which forms in arid climates by alteration of other zinc minerals. It was named for its zinc content and it relationship to botryogen. It has been reported from the Xitieshan Mine, Qinghai, Northwest Region, China; Rammelsberg mine, near Goslar, Harz Mountains, Germany; the Bisbee district of Arizona and various mines in Colorado.
↑Süsse, P. (15 June 1968). "Die Kristallstruktur des Botryogens". Acta Crystallographica Section B: Structural Crystallography and Crystal Chemistry. 24 (6): 760–767. Bibcode:1968AcCrB..24..760S. doi:10.1107/S0567740868003171.
