This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(December 2023) |
Fangite | |
---|---|
General | |
Category | Sulfosalt |
Formula (repeating unit) | Tl 3 As S 4 |
IMA symbol | Fg |
Strunz classification | 2.Ka.15 |
Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
Crystal class | 2/m 2/m 2/m - Dipyramidal |
Space group | Pnma |
Unit cell | a = 8.894(8) Å, b = 10.855(9) Å c = 9.079(9) Å; Z = 4 |
Identification | |
Formula mass | 816.3315 |
Color | Deep red, maroon |
Mohs scale hardness | 2-2.5 |
Luster | Vitreous, metallic |
Streak | Orange |
Diaphaneity | Transparent |
Density | 6.185 g/cm3 |
Polish luster | Blue-gray |
Birefringence | Very low |
Dispersion | Relatively strong |
References | [1] |
Fangite is a sulfosalt first discovered in the Mercur gold deposit located in Tooele County Utah. The specimen was found in a boulder in the southern Oquirrh Mountains. The only available specimens of fangite are located in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. The International Mineralogical Association Commission approved the name Fangite after Dr. Jen-Ho Fang, a crystal chemist affiliated with the University of Alabama, in honor of his significant contributions to crystallography, crystal chemistry, and geostatistics. [1]
Fangite was detected in an isolated vug of sulfide ore stockpile within the Morrin Hill pit at the Mercur gold deposit. Fangite is associated with subhedral pyrite and fine-grained sulfide indicating partial replacement of pyrite, sphalerite, and other sulfide minerals. Based on surrounding materials, it can be concluded that Fangite forms as a result of alteration of thallium sulfates or by substituting fluids that are Ti-rich for realgar or orpiment. [1]
Fangite is a deep red to maroon, transparent mineral with a vitreous luster and a metallic luster when tarnished. The original sample of fangite was too small to determine hardness. Synthetic Tl 3 As S 4 exhibits a hardness of 2-2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and a density of 6.185 g/cm3. Synthetic Tl 3 As S 4 was also used for assessing streak, revealing an orange color. Fangite exhibits a blue-gray luster with low birefringence and red internal reflections when polished. Due to no well-formed crystals in the original specimen collected, cleavage could not be determined. However, synthetic fangite exhibits conchoidal fracture. [1]
Fangite has a vitreous luster that turns metallic when tarnished. When examining fangite in a polished section, only one grain could be used to test optical properties due to the abundant presence of internal red reflections. Due to the angles of fracture in synthetic material, grains are present that reflect away unwanted components. It is concluded that fangite has a very low birefringence with a difference of Y% of 0.4. The consistent decrease in reflectance from the blue to red end of the visible spectrum aligns with the blue-gray appearance of fangite in polished sections. This appearance corresponds to its red and translucent characteristics in hand specimen or thin section. Comparing these reflectance spectra with those in the Quantitative Data File for ore minerals reveals similarities between R1 and R2 of fangite and the R2 values of proustite (Ag3AsS3). However, proustite is distinctly bireflectant and appears more purplish-red due to its somewhat higher reflectance at the blue end of the spectrum. [1]
The ideal chemical formula for fangite is Tl3AsS4. When examining the crystal structure of fangite along the a-axis, it is apparent that fangite exhibits a polyhedral arrangement. Arsenic (As) atoms in this orientation display perfect tetrahedral coordination with Sulfur (S) featuring an average bond length of 2.172 Å. A distorted trigonal dipyramid with an average bond length of 3.17 Å is formed with the Thallium (Tl) atom, coordinated in a fivefold manner with S. The Thallium (Tl) atom is also coordinated sevenfold with Sulfur (S), creating a monocapped octahedron with an average bond length of 3.288 Å. Chains, comprising alternating Tl2 dipyramids and As tetrahedra, are linked through corner-sharing at S1 and S2. These chains align parallel to the c axis, and the structure repeats with each alternating chain undergoing a 180° rotation and shifting up and down the A axis. Fangite has an ideal chemical formula of Tl3AsS4. When examining an isolated chain from the b-axis, it is apparent that the previously described chain is a Tl2-As polyhedral layer. This layer consists of Tl2 trigonal dipyramids arranged in zigzag chains along the a-axis, connected in the c-direction by As tetrahedra. These tetrahedra share an edge and two vertices with the dipyramids, creating nearly planar Tl2-As polyhedral layers aligned with the (010) plane. The linkage between these layers is in the b-direction by interlayer Tl atoms. [1]
Oxide | wt% | Range |
---|---|---|
Th | 75.7 | 74.6-76.8 |
As | 9.16 | 9.10-9.20 |
S | 15.6 | 15.5-15.8 |
Total | 100.46 | 99.2-101.8 |
X-ray diffraction was collected from synthetic fangite using a Gondolfi pattern, using an automated powder diffractometer. Synthetic material was supplied by M. Gottlieb, associated with the Westinghouse Research Laboratories in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Through analysis, it is concluded that fangite is a part of the orthorhombic crystal system with a space group of Pnma. Unit cell, dimensions were also analyzed, revealing: a=8.894(8) Å, b=10.855(9) Å, c=9.079(9) Å, z=4. [1]
Rutile is an oxide mineral composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the most common natural form of TiO2. Rarer polymorphs of TiO2 are known, including anatase, akaogiite, and brookite.
Proustite is a sulfosalt mineral consisting of silver sulfarsenide, Ag3AsS3, known also as ruby blende, light red silver, arsenic-silver blende or ruby silver ore, and an important source of the metal. It is closely allied to the corresponding sulfantimonide, pyrargyrite, from which it was distinguished by the chemical analyses of Joseph L. Proust (1754–1826) in 1804, after whom the mineral received its name.
Dickite is a phyllosilicate clay mineral named after the metallurgical chemist Allan Brugh Dick, who first described it. It is chemically composed of 20.90% aluminium, 21.76% silicon, 1.56% hydrogen and 55.78% oxygen. It has the same composition as kaolinite, nacrite, and halloysite, but with a different crystal structure (polymorph). Dickite sometimes contains impurities such as titanium, iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium.
Leadhillite is a lead sulfate carbonate hydroxide mineral, often associated with anglesite. It has the formula Pb4SO4(CO3)2(OH)2. Leadhillite crystallises in the monoclinic system, but develops pseudo-hexagonal forms due to crystal twinning. It forms transparent to translucent variably coloured crystals with an adamantine lustre. It is quite soft with a Mohs hardness of 2.5 and a relatively high specific gravity of 6.26 to 6.55.
Sulfosalt minerals are sulfide minerals with the general formula AmBnXp, where
Afwillite is a calcium hydroxide nesosilicate mineral with formula Ca3(SiO3OH)2·2H2O. It occurs as glassy, colorless to white prismatic monoclinic crystals. Its Mohs scale hardness is between 3 and 4. It occurs as an alteration mineral in contact metamorphism of limestone. It occurs in association with apophyllite, natrolite, thaumasite, merwinite, spurrite, gehlenite, ettringite, portlandite, hillebrandite, foshagite, brucite and calcite.
Freieslebenite is a sulfosalt mineral composed of antimony, lead, and silver. Sulfosalt minerals are complex sulfide minerals with the formula: AmBnSp. The formula of freieslebenite is AgPbSbS3.
Lorándite is a thallium arsenic sulfosalt with the chemical formula: TlAsS2. Though rare, it is the most common thallium-bearing mineral. Lorandite occurs in low-temperature hydrothermal associations and in gold and mercury ore deposits. Associated minerals include stibnite, realgar, orpiment, cinnabar, vrbaite, greigite, marcasite, pyrite, tetrahedrite, antimonian sphalerite, arsenic and barite.
Bararite is a natural form of ammonium fluorosilicate (also known as hexafluorosilicate or fluosilicate). It has chemical formula (NH4)2SiF6 and trigonal crystal structure. This mineral was once classified as part of cryptohalite. Bararite is named after the place where it was first described, Barari, India. It is found at the fumaroles of volcanoes (Vesuvius, Italy), over burning coal seams (Barari, India), and in burning piles of anthracite (Pennsylvania, U.S.). It is a sublimation product that forms with cryptohalite, sal ammoniac, and native sulfur.
Coyoteite is a hydrated sodium iron sulfide mineral. The mineral was named coyoteite after Coyote Peak near Orick, California, where it was discovered.
Colimaite, the naturally occurring analog of synthetic K3VS4, is a sulfide mineral discovered in southwestern Mexico. The potassium-vanadium sulfide was collected from the crater of the Colima volcano. The mineral colimaite is named after the locality of this volcano and has been approved in 2007, along with its mineral name, by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC). It has been given the International Mineralogical Association number of IMA 2007–045.
Cesanite is the end member of the apatite-wilkeite-ellestadite series that substitutes all of apatite's phosphate ions with sulfate ions and balances the difference in charge by replacing several calcium ions with sodium ions. Currently very few sites bearing cesanite have been found and are limited to a geothermal field in Cesano, Italy from which its name is derived, Măgurici Cave in Romania, and in the San Salvador Island caves in the Bahamas.
Fluor-liddicoatite is a rare member of the tourmaline group of minerals, elbaite subgroup, and the theoretical calcium endmember of the elbaite-fluor-liddicoatite series; the pure end-member has not yet been found in nature. Fluor-liddicoatite is indistinguishable from elbaite by X-ray diffraction techniques. It forms a series with elbaite and probably also with olenite. Liddiocoatite is currently a non-approved mineral name, but Aurisicchio et al. (1999) and Breaks et al. (2008) found OH-dominant species. Formulae are
Magnesiohastingsite is a calcium-containing amphibole and a member of the hornblende group. It is an inosilicate (chain silicate) with the formula NaCa2(Mg4Fe3+)(Si6Al2)O22(OH)2 and molar mass 864.69 g. In synthetic magnesiohastingsite it appears that iron occurs both as ferrous iron Fe2+ and as ferric iron Fe3+, but the ideal formula features only ferric iron. It was named in 1928 by Marland P. Billings. The name is for its relationship to hastingsite and its magnesium content. Hastingsite was named for the locality in Dungannon Township, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada.
Bursaite is a sulfosalt of the lillianite family. It has the formula Pb5Bi4S11 and orthorhombic structure. Bursaite is named after Bursa Province, Turkey, where it was discovered. It is generally located in regions rich in sulfur and commonly occurs alongside other sulfosalts. Its areas of formation are usually those that were once volcanogenic because it is generally aggregated with other minerals under intense heating. It was officially delisted as a mineral in 2006, being cited as an intergrowth of two other sulfosalts.
Hidalgoite, PbAl3(AsO4)(SO4)(OH)4, is a rare member of the beudantite group and is usually classified as part of the alunite family. It was named after the place where it was first discovered, the Zimapán mining district, Hidalgo, Mexico. At Hidalgo where it was initially discovered, it was found as dense white masses in alternating dikes of quartz latite and quartz monzonite alongside other secondary minerals such as sphalerite, arsenopyrite, cerussite and trace amounts of angelsite and alamosite, it was then rediscovered at other locations such as Australia where it occurs on oxidized shear zones above greywacke shales especially on the anticline prospects of the area, and on fine grained quartz-spessartine rocks in Broken Hill, Australia. Hidalgoite specimens are usually associated with copper minerals, clay minerals, iron oxides and polymetallic sulfides in occurrence.
The mineral hubeite, Ca
2Mn2+
Fe3+
[Si
4O
12(OH)]·(H
2O)
2, is a sorosilicate of the Si
4O
13 group. Structurally it also belongs to the Akatoreite group. It was found and named after the province of Hubei, China. It is common to iron ores in a mine of that region. It occurs mainly as aggregates of fan like crystals. It is dark to pale brown, has orange-brown streak and is vitreous. Hubeite has a hardness of 5.5 in the Mohs scale, one good cleavage and conchoidal fracture. It is triclinic with a space group of P1*. The structure of hubeite is very uncommon, and in fact there is only one other mineral that fits the Si
4O
13 group, which is ruizite.
Sheldrickite is a sodium calcium carbonate fluoride mineral, named in honor of George M. Sheldrick, former Professor of Crystallography at the University of Göttingen in Germany. Sheldrick is the creator of SHELLX computer program widely used for the analysis of crystal structures. Determination of the structure of this mineral required the software's capability of handling twinned crystals.
Raygrantite is a mineral first discovered in Big Horn Mountains, Maricopa County, Arizona, US. More specifically, it is located in the evening star mine, which is a Cu, V, Pb, Ag, Au, and W mine. Raygrantite is a member of the iranite mineral group, which consists of hemihedrite, iranite, and raygrantite. This mineral received its name in honor of Raymond W. Grant, a retired professor who primarily focused on the minerals of Arizona. The typical crystal structure of raygrantite is bladed with parallel striations to the C axis. Its ideal chemical formula is Pb10Zn(SO4)6(SiO4)2(OH)2. The IMA (International Mineralogical Association) approved raygrantite in 2013, and the first publication regarding this mineral was put forth in 2017.
Rayite, a monoclinic mineral containing Lead-Silver-Thallium-Antimony, was found during microscopic and electron microprobe study of specimens from the complex, polymetallic sulphide-native metal sulpho-salt paragenesis of Rajpura-Dariba, Rajasthan, India. It is named after Dr. Santosh K. Ray of President College, Calcutta, India. It bears a striking resemblance to owyheeite in terms of its Lead/(Silver,Thallium)/Antimony ratio, yet its structural affinity lies with Semseyite. The average composition is Lead-47.06, Copper-0.03, Silver-4.54, Thallium-2.04, Antimony-27.42, Sulphur-19.59 by wt.% (total 100.68) suggesting an ideal formula of Pb8(Ag,Tl)2Sb8S21, where Ag > Tl. Meneghinite, Owyheeite, and Galena are related minerals.