Livingstonite

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
Category Sulfosalt mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)		 HgSb4S8
Strunz classification 2.HA.15
Crystal system Monoclinic
Crystal class Prismatic (2/m)
(same H-M symbol)
Space group A2/a
Unit cell a = 30.567(6), b = 4.015(1)
c = 21.465(3) [Å]; β = 103.39°; Z = 8
Identification
Color Blackish gray; in polished section, white; red in transmitted light, with deep red internal reflections
Crystal habit As needles elongated [010], to 12 cm; also fibrous, massive, columnar, and in globular masses and interlaced needles.
Cleavage Perfect on {001}, poor on {010} and {100}
Fracture Uneven, flat surfaces
Tenacity Flexible
Mohs scale hardness 2
Luster Adamantine to metallic
Streak Red
Diaphaneity Opaque, translucent in thin fragments
Specific gravity 4.8 - 4.88 meas. 4.98 calc.
Optical properties Biaxial (–)
Refractive index >= 2.72
Pleochroism Weak; strongly anisotropic
References [1][2][3]

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

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.

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
  • Palache, C., H. Berman, and C. Frondel (1944) Dana’s system of mineralogy, (7th edition), v. I, 485–486
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