Calaverite
Mineral AuTe2
About it
Brassy to silver-white striated blades; heating drives off the tellurium and leaves beads of gold. Named for Calaveras County, California; mined at Cripple Creek, Colorado, and Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
- Type
- Mineral
- Group
- Telluride
- Formula
- AuTe2
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 2.5–3
- Specific gravity
- 9–9.4
- Streak
- yellowish to greenish grey
- Lustre
- metallic
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Colours
- brass yellow, silver white
- Transparency
- opaque
- Cleavage and fracture
- none; uneven to subconchoidal fracture, brittle
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.