BAUMHAUERITE

    Class : Sulfides and sulfosalts
    Subclass : Sulfosalts
    Crystal System : Triclinic
    Chemistry : Pb3As4S9
    Rarity : Very rare

Bauhauerite is a very rare lead sulfoarsenide of hydrothermal origin, known from less than 10 deposits in the world. Its name was given to it in honor of Heinrich Adolph Baumhauer, professor of mineralogy at the University of Friborg (Switzerland). Its crystals are short prismatic or tabular, frequently striated and measure up to 2.5 mm. Baumhauerite also occurs in aggregates of rounded grains. A dark gray color that tarnishes on air, baumhauerite is very difficult to distinguish from other lead sulfoarsenides by simple means.

Main photo : Baumhauerite from Lengenbach, Binn, Valais, Switzerland © Enrico Bonacina

Baumhauerite from Lengenbach, Binn, Valais, Switzerland © Stephan Wolfsried
Baumhauerite & realgar from Lengenbach, Binn, Valais, Switzerland © Enrico Bonacina
Baumhauerite from Lengenbach, Binn, Valais, Switzerland © Stephan Wolfsried
Baumhauerite & pyrite from Lengenbach, Binn, Valais, Switzerland © Stephan Wolfsried

Baumhauerite in the World

The best crystallized specimens come from the Lengenbach quarry, near Binn (Switzerland), in which it forms frequently twinned polysynthetic crystals, within the hydrothermalized dolomite. It is associated with pyrite, realgar, sartorite and rathite. This sulfosalt is also present in the Canadian mines of Hemlo and Madoc (Ontario), at Quiruvilca (Peru) and in several American deposits.

Baumhauerite in France

This mineral is not present in the French underground.

Twinning and special crystallizations

Polysynthetic twins on {100} are known.

Fakes and treatments

No fake or treatment identified for this mineral species.


Hardness : 3
Density : 5.33 to 5.44
Fracture : Conchoidal
Trace : Brown

TP : Opaque
RI : -
Birefringence : -
Optical character : -
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : -

Magnetism : None
Radioactivity : None

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