Balkanite
| Balkanite | |
|---|---|
| General and classification | |
| other names |
IMA 1971-009 |
| chemical formula | Cu 9 Ag 5 HgS 8 |
|
Mineral class (and possibly department) |
Sulfides and sulfosalts - sulfides with Me: S, Se, Te> 1: 1 |
|
System no. to Strunz and to Dana |
2.BD.15 ( 8th edition : II / B.09) 02.16.07.01 |
| Crystallographic Data | |
| Crystal system | orthorhombic |
| Crystal class ; symbol | 222, mm 2 or 2 / m 2 / m 2 / m |
| Space group | P 222, Pmm 2 or Pmmm |
| Lattice parameters | a = 10.62 Å ; b = 9.42 Å; c = 3.92 Å Please complete the source as an individual reference |
| Formula units | Z = 1 Please complete the source as an individual reference |
| Twinning | striped, often |
| Physical Properties | |
| Mohs hardness | 3.5 |
| Density (g / cm 3 ) | 6.32 g / cm |
| Cleavage | is missing |
| colour | steel gray, polished light gray |
| Line color | Please complete |
| transparency | opaque |
| shine | metallic |
Balkanite is a rare mineral from the mineral class of sulfides and sulfosalts , more precisely the sulfides with a ratio of metal to sulfur of less than 1: 1. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with the chemical composition Cu 9 Ag 5 HgS 8 and develops gray grains up to 3 mm in size. Rod-shaped prismatic crystals up to 0.2 mm in length have also been found on other minerals such as barite , bornite or chalcosine .
Etymology and history
Balkanite was first found 1961–1962 in the type locality , the Sedmochislenitsi mine in Wraza ( Bulgaria ). After initially mistaking it for an unknown silver mineral, Vasil Atanassov was able to determine the correct chemical composition in 1971. He named the new mineral after the Balkan mountains in which the type locality is located.
classification
Balkanit is in the classification according to Strunz to the sulphides and thio-salts having a ratio of metal to sulfur of greater than 1: counted own. 1 In the 9th edition of the system , a distinction is also made according to the cations , here balkanite is classified as a sulfide with a ratio of metal to sulfur of 1: 1 and the mercury or thallium it contains . It forms a group with Danielsit . In the 8th edition , the Balkanite group includes Danielsite, Furutobeit and Schlemait in addition to this mineral .
According to the Dana system , Hessite is one of the sulphides with different ratio formulas and forms a subgroup with Danielsite.
Education and Locations
Balkanite forms in hydrothermally at not too high temperatures. In copper deposits , it can form through displacement of bornite or tennantite . Minerals that are formed in a similar way and with which Balkanite is also associated are chalcosine and chalcopyrite . Other associated minerals include Djurleit , Digenite , Stromeyerite , Rammelsbergite , bismuth and cinnabarite .
So far, only a few sources are known. In addition to the type locality in Bulgaria, Balkanite has been found in the US state Nevada , near Leogang in Austria and on Sardinia ( Italy ).
Crystal structure
Balkanite crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system in the space group P222, Pmm2 or Pmmm with the lattice parameters a = 10.62 Å, b = 9.42 Å and c = 3.92 Å as well as one formula unit per unit cell .
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ New Dana Classification of Sulfide Minerals
- ↑ Mineral data sheet Balkanite (English, pdf; 63 kB)
- ↑ Balkanite at mindat.org
literature
- WA Atanassow, GN Kirow: Balkanite, Cu 9 Ag 5 , HgS 8 , A New Mineral from the Sedmochislenitsi Mine, Bulgaria. In: American Mineralogist. 1973, 58, pp. 11-15 pdf .
- Balkanit in: Anthony et al .: Handbook of Mineralogy , 1990, 1, 101 ( pdf ).
Web links
- Mineral Atlas: Balkanite (wiki)
- Balkanit at mindat.org (Engl.)