Mawsonite

Mawsonite is a brownish orange sulfosalt mineral, containing copper, iron, tin, and sulfur: Cu6Fe2SnS8.[2]

Mawsonite
General
CategorySulfosalt minerals
Formula
(repeating unit)		Cu6Fe2SnS8
IMA symbolMaw[1]
Strunz classification2.CB.20
Crystal systemTetragonal
Crystal classScalenohedral (42m)
H-M symbol: (4 2m)
Space groupP4m2
Unit cella = 7.603 Å, c = 5.358 Å, Z = 1; V = 309.72 Å3
Identification
ColorBrownish orange
Crystal habitExsolution grains within bornite
Mohs scale hardness3.5-4
LusterMetallic
DiaphaneityOpaque
Specific gravity4.65 (calculated)
PleochroismStrong
Common impuritiesZn, Se
Other characteristicsMagnetic
References[2][3][4]

Discovery and occurrence

It was first described in 1965 for occurrences in the Royal George mine, Swinton, Tingha, Hardinge County, New South Wales; and the North Lyell mine, Mount Lyell Mine, Queenstown, Tasmania.[5]

It was named after Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson (1882–1958).[2] It occurs within hydrothermal copper deposits in altered volcanic rocks. It also occurs in skarn deposits and as disseminations in altered granites. It occurs in association with bornite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite, digenite, idaite, stannite, stannoidite, pyrrhotite, pentlandite, tennantite, enargite, luzonite–famatinite, kiddcreekite, mohite, native bismuth, galena and sphalerite.[3]

References
  1. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  2. Mawsonite on Mindat.org
  3. Mawsonite in the Handbook of Mineralogy
  4. Mawsonite data on Webmineral
  5. page 66 of Tasmania. Department of Mines; Petterd, W. F. (William Frederick). Catalogue of mineral of Tasmania; Geological Survey of Tasmania (1972), "Catalogue of the minerals of Tasmania", Mineralogical Magazine (Rev. and amended 1969 ed.), Hobart (published 1970), 38 (299): 901, Bibcode:1972MinM...38..901E, doi:10.1180/minmag.1972.038.299.19, S2CID 129794143, retrieved 18 April 2017


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.