RATHITE

    Class : Sulfides and sulfosalts
    Subclass : Sulfosalts
    Crystal system : Monoclinic
    Chemistry : (Ag,Pb,Tl)3As5S10
    Rarity : Very rare

Rathite is a very rare lead and silver sulfoarsenide of hydrothermal origin. It is associated with pyrite, sartorite, baumhauerite and realgar. It was named in honor of Gerhard vom Rath, Professor of Mineralogy at the University of Bonn (Germany). Rathite forms short prismatic crystals of up to 3 centimeters, commonly exhibiting polysynthetic twins. It is dark gray in color and tarnishes in air, it is a mineral difficult to distinguish from other sulfoarsenides without laboratory analysis.

Main photo : Rathite from Lengenbach, Binn, Valais, Switzerland © Christophe Boutry

2.8 cm rathite from Lengenbach, Binn, Valais, Switzerland © Rob Lavinsky
Rathite from Lengenbach, Binn, Valais, Switzerland © Edgar Müller
Rathite from Lengenbach, Binn, Valais, Switzerland © Edgar Müller
Rathite and realgar from Lengenbach, Binn, Valais, Switzerland © Jeff Weissman

Rathite in the World

Rathite is known from the hydrothermalized dolomites of Lengenbach near Binn (Switzerland) which produced the most beautiful crystals measuring up to 3 cm. Rathite is also recorded on the gold deposit of Maiskoe (Ukraine).

Rathite in France

Rathite is not present in the French underground.

Twinning

Twinning is common and polysynthetic on {100} producing pseudo-orthorhombic crystals. It is also known on {301}.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 3
Density : 5.33 to 5.41
Fracture : Conchoidal
Streak : Brown

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

Solubility : -

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None