Sphalerite

Sphalerite ((Zn, Fe)S) is a mineral that is the chief ore of zinc. It consists largely of zinc sulfide in crystalline form but almost always contains variable iron. When iron content is high it is an opaque black variety, marmatite. It is usually found in association with galena, pyrite, and other sulfides along with calcite, dolomite, and fluorite. Miners have also been known to refer to sphalerite as zinc blende, black-jack and ruby jack.

Sphalerite
General
Category	Sulfide mineral
Formula (repeating unit)	(Zn,Fe)S
Strunz classification	2.CB.05a
Dana classification	02.08.02.01
Crystal system	Cubic
Crystal class	Hextetrahedral (43m) H-M symbol: (4 3m)
Space group	F43m (No. 216)
Unit cell	a = 5.406 Å; Z = 4
Structure
Jmol (3D)	Interactive image
Identification
Color	Light to dark brown, red-brown, yellow, red, green, light blue, black and colourless.
Crystal habit	Euhedral crystals – occurs as well-formed crystals showing good external form. Granular – generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.
Twinning	Simple contact twins or complex lamellar forms, twin axis [111]
Cleavage	perfect
Fracture	Uneven to conchoidal
Mohs scale hardness	3.5-4
Luster	Adamantine, resinous, greasy
Streak	brownish white, pale yellow
Diaphaneity	Transparent to translucent, opaque when iron-rich
Specific gravity	3.9–4.2
Optical properties	Isotropic
Refractive index	nα = 2.369
Other characteristics	non-radioactive, non-magnetic, fluorescent and triboluminescent.
References	[1][2][3]

Chemistry

The crystal structure of sphalerite

The mineral crystallizes in the cubic crystal system. Like other minerals with a cubic crystal structure, sphalerite may show a tetrahedral crystal habit. In the crystal structure, zinc and sulfur atoms are tetrahedrally coordinated. The structure is closely related to the structure of diamond. The hexagonal analog is known as the wurtzite structure. The lattice constant for zinc sulfide in the zinc blende crystal structure is 0.541 nm.[4]

All natural sphalerites contain concentrations of various impurity elements. These generally substitute for the zinc position in the lattice. The most common are Cd and Mn, but Gallium, Germanium and Indium may also be present in relatively high concentrations (hundreds to thousands of ppm).[5] The abundances of these elements are controlled by the conditions under which the sphalerite formed, most importantly formation temperature and fluid composition.[5]

Varieties

Its color is usually yellow, brown, or gray to gray-black, and it may be shiny or dull. Its luster is adamantine, resinous to submetallic for high iron varieties. It has a yellow or light brown streak, a Mohs hardness of 3.5–4, and a specific gravity of 3.9–4.1. Some specimens have a red iridescence within the gray-black crystals; these are called "ruby sphalerite". The pale yellow and red varieties have very little iron and are translucent. The darker, more opaque varieties contain more iron. Some specimens are also fluorescent in ultraviolet light.

Bands of sphalerite

The refractive index of sphalerite (as measured via sodium light, average wavelength 589.3 nm) is 2.37. Sphalerite crystallizes in the isometric crystal system and possesses perfect dodecahedral cleavage.

Gemmy, pale specimens from Franklin, New Jersey (see Franklin Furnace), are highly fluorescent orange and/or blue under longwave ultraviolet light and are known as cleiophane, an almost pure ZnS variety.

Occurrence

Sphalerite is the major ore of zinc and is found in thousands of locations worldwide.[2]

Sources of high quality crystals include:[3]

Place	Country	Type of crystal
Freiberg, Saxony, Neudorf, Harz Mountains	Germany
Lengenbach Quarry, Binntal, Valais	Switzerland	Colorless
Horni Slavkov and Příbram	Czech Republic
Rodna	Romania
Madan, Smolyan Province, Rhodope Mountains	Bulgaria	Transparent green to opaque black
Aliva mine, Picos de Europa Mountains, Cantabria [Santander] Province	Spain	Transparent
Alston Moor, Cumbria	England	black
Dalnegorsk, Primorskiy Kray	Russia
Watson Lake, Yukon Territory	Canada
Flin Flon, Manitoba	Canada
Tri-State district including deposits near Baxter Springs, Cherokee County, Kansas; Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri and Picher, Ottawa County, Oklahoma	USA
Elmwood mine, near Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee	USA
Eagle mine, Gilman district, Eagle County, Colorado	USA
Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua	Mexico
Naica, Chihuahua	Mexico
Cananea, Sonora	Mexico
Huaron	Peru
Casapalca	Peru
Huancavelica	Peru
Zinkgruvan	Sweden

Economic importance

Sphalerite is the most important ore of zinc. Around 95% of all primary zinc is extracted from sphaleritic ores. However, due to its variable trace element content, sphalerite is also an important source of several other elements, such as cadmium,[6], gallium[7] germanium,[8] and indium.[9]

Gemstone use

Crystals of suitable size and transparency have been fashioned into gemstones, usually featuring the brilliant cut to best display sphalerite's high dispersion of 0.156 (B-G interval), over three times that of diamond. Freshly cut gems have an adamantine luster. Owing to their softness and fragility the gems are often left unset as collector's or museum pieces (although some have been set into pendants). Gem-quality material is usually a yellowish to honey brown, red to orange, or green.

Gallery

• 
  Tan crystal of calcite attached to a cluster of black sphalerite crystals
• 
  Sharp, tetrahedral sphalerite crystals with minor associated chalcopyrite from the Idarado Mine, Telluride, Ouray District, Colorado, USA
• 
  Elmwood calcite specimen sitting atop sphalerite
• 
  Gem quality twinned cherry-red sphalerite crystal (1.8 cm) from Hunan Province, China
• 
  Sphalerite crystals from Áliva, Camaleño, Cantabria (Spain)
• 
  Purple fluorite and sphalerite, from the Elmwood mine, Smith county, Tennessee, US
• 
  Shalerite crystal in geodized brachiopod

See also

• List of minerals

References

1. Sphalerite. Webmineral. Retrieved on 2011-06-20.
2. Sphalerite. Mindat.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-20.
3. "Handbook of Mineralogy" (PDF).
4. International Centre for Diffraction Data reference 04-004-3804, ICCD reference 04-004-3804.
5. Frenzel, Max; Hirsch, Tamino; Gutzmer, Jens (July 2016). "Gallium, germanium, indium, and other trace and minor elements in sphalerite as a function of deposit type — A meta-analysis". Ore Geology Reviews. 76: 52–78. doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2015.12.017.
6. Cadmium - In: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries. United States Geological Survey. 2017.
7. Frenzel, Max; Ketris, Marina P.; Seifert, Thomas; Gutzmer, Jens (March 2016). "On the current and future availability of gallium". Resources Policy. 47: 38–50. doi:10.1016/j.resourpol.2015.11.005.
8. Frenzel, Max; Ketris, Marina P.; Gutzmer, Jens (2014-04-01). "On the geological availability of germanium". Mineralium Deposita. 49 (4): 471–486. Bibcode:2014MinDe..49..471F. doi:10.1007/s00126-013-0506-z. ISSN 0026-4598.
9. Frenzel, Max; Mikolajczak, Claire; Reuter, Markus A.; Gutzmer, Jens (June 2017). "Quantifying the relative availability of high-tech by-product metals – The cases of gallium, germanium and indium". Resources Policy. 52: 327–335. doi:10.1016/j.resourpol.2017.04.008.

• Dana's Manual of Mineralogy ISBN 0-471-03288-3
• Webster, R., Read, P. G. (Ed.) (2000). Gems: Their sources, descriptions and identification (5th ed.), p. 386. Butterworth-Heinemann, Great Britain. ISBN 0-7506-1674-1
• Minerals.net
• Minerals of Franklin, NJ

External links

• The sphalerite structure
• Possible relation of Sphalerite to origins of life and precursor chemicals in 'Primordial Soup'