PLAGIONITE

    Class : Sulfides and sulfosalts
    Subclass : Sulfosalts
    Crystal system : Monoclinic
    Chemistry : Pb5Sb8S17
    Rarity : Rare to very rare

Plagionite is a rare sulfosalt of medium-temperature lead-antimony hydrothermal veins. It is found just like boulangerite, semseyite, zinkenite or jamesonite in dominantly stibnite veins invaded by lead-bearing fluids, or in galena-sphalerite veins infiltrated by antimony fluids. It commonly accompanies stibnite, bournonite and other sulfosalts of lead and antimony; however, it is clearly rarer than the latter. Its name comes from the Greek plagios (oblique) in allusion to its monoclinic crystals. Plagionite occurs in tabular crystals up to 1 cm thick, flattened according to {001}, sometimes in short prisms, and commonly remains massive, grainy to compact. The color is lead gray, the luster is metallic. Plagionite alters easily in outcrops giving mixtures of antimony oxides and various lead oxides.


Main photo : Plagionite from Graf Jost-Christian Mine, Wolfsberg, Germany © Uwe Haubenreisser

Plagionite on twinned galena from Herja Mine, Romania © Nicu Pascanu
Centimeter plagionite from Graf Jost-Christian Mine, Wolfsberg, Germany © Jesus Villar
Plagionite from Mina Casualidad, Almeria, Spain © Christian Rewitzer
Plagionite from Peyrebrune, Tarn, France © Pierre Le Roch

Plagionite in the World

The only quality crystals seem to have been supplied by the German deposit of Wolfsberg, in the Harz.

Plagionite in France

In France, plagionite is known in millimeter ranges in several veins and antimoniferous deposits such as Bournac (Hérault), Les Borderies (Puy-de-Dôme), Les Cougnasses (Hautes-Alpes). It is also reported in Leyvaux (Cantal), in the Brioude sector (Haute-Loire) as in Langeac or Lubilhac, in Peyrebrune (Tarn), St-Pons (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), etc...

Twinning

No twin known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 2.5
Density : 5.54 to 5.58
Fracture : Irregular to conchoidal
Streak : Grey-black to red-brown

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

Solubility : Hydrochloric acid

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None

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