Stephanite is a
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
antimony sulfosalt mineral with formula:
Ag5 Sb S4. It is composed of 68.8%
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
, and sometimes is of importance as an ore of this metal.
History
Under the name Schwarzerz it was mentioned by
Georgius Agricola
Georgius Agricola (; born Georg Pawer or Georg Bauer; 24 March 1494 – 21 November 1555) was a German Humanist scholar, mineralogist and metallurgist. Born in the small town of Glauchau, in the Electorate of Saxony of the Holy Roman ...
in 1546, and it has been variously known as "black silver ore" (
German ''Schwarzgultigerz''), brittle silver-ore (''Sprödglanzerz''), etc. The name stephanite was proposed by
W Haidinger in 1845 in honour of the
Archduke of Austria Stephan Franz Victor of Habsburg-Lorena (1817-1867). French authors use
F. S. Beudant
F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet.
F may also refer to:
Science and technology Mathematics
* F or f, the number 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems
* ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function
* F-distribution, a cont ...
's name psaturose (from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''ψαθυρός'', fragile).
Properties
It frequently occurs as well-formed crystals, which are
orthorhombic and occasionally show indications of
hemimorphism: they have the form of six-sided
prisms or flat tables terminated by large
basal planes and often modified at the edges by numerous pyramid-planes.
Twinning on the prism-planes is of frequent occurrence, giving rise to pseudo-hexagonal groups like those of
aragonite. The colour is iron-black, and the lustre metallic and brilliant; on exposure to light, however, the crystals soon become dull. Stephanite is an important ore of silver in some mining camps.
Occurrence
Stephanite occurs as a late-stage mineral with other ores of silver in
hydrothermal veins. Associated minerals include
proustite,
acanthite, native silver,
tetrahedrite,
galena,
sphalerite and
pyrite
The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral.
Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue giv ...
.
[ Localities which have yielded good crystallized specimens are Freiberg and Gersdorf near Rosswein in ]Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
, Chañarcillo in Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
, and exceptionally Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...
. In the Comstock lode in Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
massive stephanite and argentite are important ores of silver.
See also
* List of minerals
This is a list of minerals for which there are articles on Wikipedia.
Minerals are distinguished by various chemical and physical properties. Differences in chemical composition and crystal structure distinguish the various ''species''. Within a m ...
* List of minerals named after people
This is a list of minerals named after people. The chemical composition follows name.
A
* Abelsonite: C31H32N4Ni – American physicist Philip Hauge Abelson (1913–2004)alfred
* Abswurmbachite: Cu2+Mn3+6O8SiO4 – German mineralogist ...
References
;Attribution
*{{1911, first=Leonard James , last=Spencer , wstitle=Stephanite , volume=15 , page=880
Silver minerals
Antimony minerals
Sulfosalt minerals
Orthorhombic minerals
Minerals in space group 36