HETEROMORPHITE

    Class : Sulfides and sulfosalts
    Subclass : Sulfosalts
    Crystal system : Monoclinic
    Chemistry : Pb7Sb8S19
    Rarity : Very rare

Heteromorphite is probably the rarest of the lead and antimony sulfosalts found in hydrothermal veins. It is a mineral which accompanies sphalerite and more common sulfosalts (semseyite, plagionite) in an ordinarily quartz matrix. Its name comes from the Greek heteros (other) and morphê (form) in allusion to the morphological difference existing between this mineral and a supposed dimorph with a feathery texture. Heteromorphite occurs in small, sometimes elongated, pyramidal crystals, often rounded or twisted, gathered in subparallel, iron-black aggregates.

Main photo : Heteromorphite on pyrite from Mundo Nuevo Mine, Peru © Jean-François Carpentier

Heteromorphite in the World

The most beautiful specimens come from Germany, from the mines of Arnberg and Wolfsberg. It is also known in Pribram (Czech Republic), and in some places in Spain, Mexico and Tajikistan.

Heteromorphite in France

In France, heteromorphite is not present in the French underground.

Twinning

No twin known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes recorded for this mineral species.


Hardness : 2.5 to 3
Density : 5,73
Fracture : Irregular
Streak : Black

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

Solubility : -

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : 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/