Mawsonite
Mawsonite is a brownish orange sulfosalt mineral, containing copper, iron, tin, and sulfur: Cu6Fe2SnS8.[1]
| Mawsonite | |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Category | Sulfosalt minerals |
| Formula (repeating unit) | Cu6Fe2SnS8 |
| Strunz classification | 2.CB.20 |
| Crystal system | Tetragonal |
| Crystal class | Scalenohedral (42m) H-M symbol: (4 2m) |
| Space group | P4m2 |
| Unit cell | a = 7.603 Å, c = 5.358 Å, Z = 1; V = 309.72 Å3 |
| Identification | |
| Color | Brownish orange |
| Crystal habit | Exsolution grains within bornite |
| Mohs scale hardness | 3.5-4 |
| Luster | Metallic |
| Diaphaneity | Opaque |
| Specific gravity | 4.65 (calculated) |
| Pleochroism | Strong |
| Common impurities | Zn, Se |
| Other characteristics | Magnetic |
| References | [1][2][3] |
Discovery and occurrence
It was first described in 1965 for occurrences in the Royal George mine, Swinton, Tingha, Hardinge County, New South Wales; and the North Lyell mine, Mount Lyell Mine, Queenstown, Tasmania.[4]
It was named after Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson (1882–1958).[1] It occurs within hydrothermal copper deposits in altered volcanic rocks. It also occurs in skarn deposits and as disseminations in altered granites. It occurs in association with bornite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite, digenite, idaite, stannite, stannoidite, pyrrhotite, pentlandite, tennantite, enargite, luzonite–famatinite, kiddcreekite, mohite, native bismuth, galena and sphalerite.[2]
References
- Mawsonite on Mindat.org
- Mawsonite in the Handbook of Mineralogy
- Mawsonite data on Webmineral
- page 66 of Tasmania. Department of Mines; Petterd, W. F. (William Frederick). Catalogue of mineral of Tasmania; Geological Survey of Tasmania (1970), Catalogue of the minerals of Tasmania (Rev. and amended 1969 ed.), Hobart, retrieved 18 April 2017