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

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

No fakes listed for this mineral species.