sphalerite
Sign in to saveSphalerite is a sulfide mineral with the chemical formula . It is the most important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in a variety of deposit types, but it is primarily in sedimentary exhalative, Mississippi-Valley type, and volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits. It is found in association with galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite (and other sulfides), calcite, dolomite, quartz, rhodochrosite, and fluorite.
AI overview
Sphalerite is a sulfide mineral that serves as the primary source ore for mining zinc. It typically forms in specific geological environments and is often found alongside other minerals like galena, pyrite, and quartz.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Mineral.name
- Sphalerite
- Mineral.category
- Sulfide mineral
- Mineral.image
- Sphalerite - Creede, Mineral County, Colorado, USA.jpg
- Mineral.imagesize
- 275px
- Mineral.caption
- Black crystals of sphalerite with minor chalcopyrite and calcite
- Mineral.IMAsymbol
- Sp
- Mineral.strunz
- 2.CB.05a
- Mineral.dana
- 02.08.02.01
- Mineral.system
- Cubic
- Mineral.class
- Hextetrahedral (3m) H-M symbol: ( 3m)
- Mineral.symmetry
- F3m (No. 216)
- Mineral.unit cell
- a = 5.406 Å; Z = 4
Article
19 sectionsContents
- Crystal habit and structure
- Properties
- Physical properties
- Optical properties
- Varieties
- Deposit types
- Sedimentary exhalitive
- Mississippi-Valley type
- Volcanogenic massive sulfide
- Localities
- Uses
- Metal ore
- Brass and bronze
- Other
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Sphalerite is a sulfide mineral with the chemical formula . It is the most important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in a variety of deposit types, but it is primarily in sedimentary exhalative, Mississippi-Valley type, and volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits. It is found in association with galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite (and other sulfides), calcite, dolomite, quartz, rhodochrosite, and fluorite.
German geologist Ernst Friedrich Glocker discovered sphalerite in 1847, naming it based on the Greek word sphaleros, meaning "deceiving", due to the difficulty of identifying the mineral.