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www.mineralgallery.co.za Minerals A-E |
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Cuprite |
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Name
Cuprite
Chemistry
Cu2O
Uses
As an ore of copper and sometimes as a gemstone
Color
Color is red to a deep red that can appear almost black.
Hardness
3.5-4
Specific gravity
6 (Heavy for translucent minerals)
Streak
White
Crystals
Cube, octahedron, dodecahedron and they can be translucent. A variety known as Chalcotrichite forms long needle-like crystals or fuzzy crusts. It also forms in massive forms.
Accompanied by:
cerussite, malachite, limonite and galena.
Similar to:
Andradite garnets.
Cuprite, copper oxide is a common and widespread ore mineral formed by oxidation of sulfide minerals in the upper zones of copper veins.
It forms octahedral crystals (isometric system) and granular masses that are various shades of red; parallel, elongated ruby-red needles are called chalcotrichite, and brick-red earthy masses are called tile ore. It also forms a surface film with long exposure to strong light. Crystals of cuprite are sometimes altered or partially altered to malachite and rarely copper.
Cuprite has been a major ore of copper and is still mined in many places around the world. Of all the copper ores except for native copper, cuprite gives the greatest yield of copper per molecule since there is only one oxygen atom to every two copper atoms.
As a mineral specimen, cuprite shows fine examples of well-developed cubic crystal forms. Cuprite's dark crystals show internal reflections of the true deep red inside the almost black crystal. Luster is adamantine or submetallic to dull or earthy if massive.
Good crystals are rare. We at the mineralgallery has an interesting collection of metamorphosed crystals of cuprite.
