GALLITE

    Class : Sulfides and sulfosalts
    Subclass : Sulfides
    Crystal system : Tetragonal
    Chemistry : CuGaS2
    Rarity : Very rare

Gallite is a very rare sulfide, present in copper deposits rich in gallium, hence its name. It constitutes xenomorphic areas, exsolutions of 1 to 2 mm maximum in sphalerite, or opaque gray lamellar masses with a metallic luster. It is exceptionally a gallium ore.

Main photo : Exsolutions of gallite in sphalerite in polished section and reflected light from Tsumeb, Namibia © Günter Grundmann

Gallite in the World

Gallite is the main gallium mineral despite its rarity, gallite is best known in Tsumeb (Namibia), Chelopech and Radka (Bulgaria) and Pinar del Rio (Cuba), as an accompaniment to renierite, chalcocite, bornite, sphalerite and tennantite.

Galaxite in France

Gallite is not present in the French underground.

Twinning

A twin is known on {111} and parallel to {112}.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes recorded for this mineral species.


Hardness : 3 to 3.5
Density : 4.02
Fracture : Undetermined
Streak : Gray to black

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

Solubility : -


Magnetism : None
Radioactivity : None

ReCaptcha

This service is used to secure web forms of our website and required if you want to contact us. By accepting it you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a service used on our website that tracks, reports traffic and measures how users interact with our website content in order for us to improve it and provide better services.

Facebook

Our website allows you to like or share its content on Facebook social network. By activating and using it you agree to Facebook's privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy/cookies/

YouTube

Integrated videos provided by YouTube are used on our website. By accepting to watch them you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Twitter

Integrated tweets and share services of Twitter are used on our website. By accepting and using these you agree to Twitter's privacy policy: https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-cookies

PInterest

Our website allows you to share its content on PInterest social network. By activating and using it you agree to PInterest's privacy policy: https://policy.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy/