Madocite

Madocite is a mineral with a general formula of Pb17(Sb,As)16S41. Madocite was named for the locality of discovery, Madoc, Ontario, Canada. It is found in the marbles of the Precambrian Grenville Limestone.[5] It is orthorhombic (rectangular prism with a rectangular base) and in the point group mm2. Its crystals are elongated and striated along [001] to a size of 1.5 mm.

Madocite
General
CategorySulfosalt mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)		Pb17(Sb,As)16S41
Strunz classification2.LB.30
Crystal systemOrthorhombic
Crystal classPyramidal (mm2)
(same H-M symbol)
Space groupPb2a
Unit cella = 27.2  Å, b = 34.1 Å,
c = 8.12 Å; Z = 4
Identification
ColorGrayish black
Crystal habitElongated and striated crystals; massive
Cleavage{010} Perfect
FractureConchoidal
Mohs scale hardness3.25
LusterMetallic
StreakGrayish black, shining
DiaphaneityOpaque
Specific gravity5.98
PleochroismStrong, from white to gray
References[1][2][3][4][5]

Madocite is anisotropic and classified as having high relief. It also displays strong pleochroism.[4]

Madocite is found in small clusters in marble pits (near Madoc, Ontario), and was originally categorized in the 1920s as an unidentified sulfosalt mineral in an assemblage of pyrite, sphalerite, and jamesonite in marble. Later research was done by John L. Jambor in the 1960s who went to the site and collected samples of the assemblages.[6]

References
  1. Mineralienatlas
  2. Mindat.org
  3. (1968) American Mineralogist, 53, 1421
  4. Webmineral data
  5. Anthony, J. W., Bideaux, R. A., Bladh, K. W., and Nichols, M. C. (1990) Handbook of Mineralogy: Volume 1: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts. 306 p. http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/madocite.pdf
  6. History of discovery


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