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Guettardite

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Guettardite
General
CategorySulfosalt mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
Pb(Sb,As)2S4
Strunz classification2.HC.05a
Crystal systemMonoclinic
Crystal classPrismatic (2/m)
H-M symbol: (2/m)
Space groupMonoclinic
Space group: P21/a
Unit cella = 20.17, b = 7.94
c = 8.72 [Å]; β = 101.12°; Z = 8
Identification
ColorGrayish black; white with reddish internal reflections in polished section
Crystal habitAcicular crystals and anhedral grains
TwinningPolysynthetic twinning on {100}
CleavagePerfect on {001}
FractureConchoidal
TenacityVery brittle
Mohs scale hardness4
LusterMetallic
StreakBrown
DiaphaneityOpaque
Specific gravity5.2
PleochroismRelatively strong
References[1][2][3]

Guettardite is a rare arsenic-antimony lead sulfosalt mineral with formula Pb(Sb,As)2S4. It forms gray black metallic prismatic to acicular crystals with monoclinic symmetry. It is a dimorph of the triclinic twinnite.

Discovery and occurrence

It was first described in 1967 for an occurrence in the Taylor Pit, Madoc, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada. It was named for French naturalist Jean-Étienne Guettard (1715–1786).[1]

It occurs in hydrothermal veins within marble at the type locality in Modoc. It occurs associated with pyrite, sphalerite, wurtzite, galena, stibnite, orpiment, realgar, enargite, tetrahedrite, zinkenite, jordanite, bournonite, sterryite, boulangerite, jamesonite and sartorite at Madoc.[2]

In addition to the type locality, it has been reported from the Brobdingnag mine, near Silverton, Colorado; the Jas Roux deposit in Hautes-Alpes, France; from various marble quarries near Seravezza, Tuscany, Italy; a marble quarry in Valais, Switzerland and from Khaydarkan, Fergana Valley, Alai Mountains, Kyrgyzstan.[1][2]

References