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Name: |
chalcopyrite |
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Class: |
Sulfides |
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Chemistry: |
CuFeS2 copper iron sulfide |
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Color(s): |
brass yellow, sometimes a greenish cast, sometimes an iridescent tarnish |
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Hardness: |
3.5 - 4.0 |
SpecGrav: |
4.2 - 4.3 |
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Fracture: |
conchoidal |
Cleavage: |
incomplete |
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Crystal: |
tetragonal (pseudo tetrahedral crystals common, sometimes massive) The pseudo tetrahedral crystals are disphenoidal. |
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Envronment: |
High temperature hydrothermal veins, contact metamorphics |
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Association: |
pyrite, sphalerite, pyrrhotite, fluorite, tetrahedrite |
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Locals: |
|France | Chile | Zambia | Peru | Germany | Spain | Montana, Arizona, Utah /USA | |
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Misc: |
the word chalcopyrite means "copper pyrite", from the Greek "chalkos" meaning "copper" and the "pyrite" which had the general meaning of something that, when struck, would produce sparks. Easily distinguished from pyrite as chalcopyrite can be scratched with a steel blade and pyrite cannot. |
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Photos |
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1.) Huron, Peru |
4.) Zapata, Mexico (peacock ore) |
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