Baumhauerite

Baumhauerite (Pb3As4S9) is a rare lead sulfosalt mineral. It crystallizes in the triclinic system, is gray-black to blue-gray and its lustre is metallic to dull. Baumhauerite has a hardness of 3.

Baumhauerite
Baumhauerite from Lengenbach Quarry, Im Feld, Binn Valley, Wallis, Switzerland
General
CategorySulfosalt mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
Pb3As4S9
Strunz classification2.HC.05b
Crystal systemTriclinic
Crystal classPedial (1)
(same H-M symbol)
Space groupP1
Identification
ColorGray-black to blue-gray
TwinningPolysynthetic, on [100]
CleavagePerfect on [100]
FractureConchoidal
Mohs scale hardness3
LusterMetallic to dull
Streakchocolate brown
Specific gravity5.33
References[1][2][3]

Baumhauerite occurs as small crystals embedded in dolomitic marble. It is found primarily in the Lengenbach Quarry, Binnental, in the Valais region of Switzerland, the mineral is named after German mineralogist Heinrich Adolph Baumhauer (1848–1926), who discovered it at Lengenbach, famous among mineralogists for its array of rare minerals, in 1902. Baumhauerite has also been reported at Sterling Hill, New Jersey, United States, typically in association with molybdenite, and in aggregates at Hemlo, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

References

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