Chanabayaite is the first recognized triazolate mineral, having the formula .
Minor iron admixture is also present. It is also one of a few currently known minerals containing ammine groups, including also ammineite, joanneumite and shilovite. All the minerals are rare and were found in a single guano deposit in Chile, called Pabellón de Pica. A similar natural phase, formula , likely a precursor of chanabayaite, is described by Zubkova et al. 2016.Zubkova, N.V., Chukanov, N.V., Pekov, I., and Pushcharovsky, D., 2016. The crystal structure of the natural 1,2,4-triazolate compound . Zeitschrift für Kristallographie - Crystalline Materials 231(1), 47–53.
Crystal structure The main features of the crystal structure of chanabayaite are: copper forms octahedra, part of which share corners 1,2,4-triazolate anions link the octahedra
Association Chanabayaite coexists with halite, joanneumite, nitratine, salammoniac and paragenetically-unrelated chalcopyrite. Chalcopyrite is present in an amphibole- and plagioclase-bearing gabbro, that contacts the guano deposit.
Formation Three suggested processes account for the formation of chanabayaite: leaching of sodium from the precursor phase leaching of chlorine from the precursor phase partial dehydratation of the precursor phase
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