Livingstonite

Livingstonite is a mercury antimony sulfosalt mineral. It occurs in low-temperature hydrothermal veins associated with cinnabar, stibnite, sulfur and gypsum.

Livingstonite
Bright, steel-metallic livingstonite laths to 1.2 cm. on rich antimony (stibnite) ore. From the type locality in Huitzuco de los Figueroa.
General
CategorySulfosalt mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
HgSb4S8
Strunz classification2.HA.15
Crystal systemMonoclinic
Crystal classPrismatic (2/m)
(same H-M symbol)
Space groupA2/a
Unit cella = 30.567(6), b = 4.015(1)
c = 21.465(3) [Å]; β = 103.39°; Z = 8
Identification
ColorBlackish gray; in polished section, white; red in transmitted light, with deep red internal reflections
Crystal habitAs needles elongated [010], to 12 cm; also fibrous, massive, columnar, and in globular masses and interlaced needles.
CleavagePerfect on {001}, poor on {010} and {100}
FractureUneven, flat surfaces
TenacityFlexible
Mohs scale hardness2
LusterAdamantine to metallic
StreakRed
DiaphaneityOpaque, translucent in thin fragments
Specific gravity4.8 - 4.88 meas. 4.98 calc.
Optical propertiesBiaxial (–)
Refractive index>= 2.72
PleochroismWeak; strongly anisotropic
References[1][2][3]

It was first described in 1874 for an occurrence in Huitzuco de los Figueroa, Guerrero, Mexico. It was named to honor Scottish explorer of Africa, David Livingstone.[4]

Its crystal structure was determined in 1957[5] and redetermined in 1975.[6]

References

  1. http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/livingstonite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy
  2. http://www.mindat.org/min-2424.html Mindat
  3. http://webmineral.com/data/Livingstonite.shtml Webmineral data
  4. Barcena, M (1874). "On livingstonite, a new mineral". American Journal of Science. 108: 145–146.
  5. Niizeki, N.; Buerger, M.J. (1957). "The crystal structure of livingstonite, HgSb4S8". Zeitschrift für Kristallographie. 109: 129–157.
  6. Srikrishnan, T.; Nowacki, W. (1975). "A redetermination of the crystal structure of livingstonite, HgSb4S8". Zeitschrift für Kristallographie. 141: 174–192.
  • Palache, C., H. Berman, and C. Frondel (1944) Dana’s system of mineralogy, (7th edition), v. I, 485–486
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