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www.mineralgallery.co.za Minerals A-E |
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Chalcopyrite |
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Name
Chalcopyrite
Chemistry
CuFeS2 (sulphide)
Uses
Most important copper ore. In the electrical engineering and industries, sometimes as precious stone (cabochons, plates)
Color
Brass yellow (often with a green tint), honey yellow (often tarnished)
Hardness
3.5 - 4 (brittle)
Specific gravity
4.2 - 4.3
Crystal system
Tetragonal (crystal form - pseudotetrahedral, pseudo-octahedral. often twins and multiple twins.
Accompanied by:
Sphalerite, marcasite, pyrite and calcite.
Fracture
Conchoidal, uneven.
Luster
Metallic.
Cleavage
Poor cleavage: indistinct on (112)
Streak
Greenish-black.
Similar to:
Gold, pyrrhotine, pyrite and marcasite
Chalcopyrite derives its name from the Greek word "chalkos", copper, and "pyrites", strike fire.
Chalcopyrite is also known as copper pyrite. It is a major ore of Copper.
Chalcopyrite is one of the minerals known as "Fool's Gold" because of its bright golden color.
It is often associated with Sphalerite and Galena.
It is a widespread mineral that occurs in medium to high temperature hydrothermal ore veins and disseminated in igneous rocks.
Chalcopyrite is also polished for beads and pendants as affordable jewelry.
It usually is found as granular aggregates, sometimes as finely crystalline masses, in veins of ironstone concretions from black shales.
It typically occurs in ore veins deposited at medium and high temperatures, as in parts of Spain, Japan, Montana, and Missouri. Chalcopyrite is a member of a group of sulfide minerals, and it crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system. Its atomic structure is related to that of Sphalerite.
