Mercury
Mineral Hg
Also called Quicksilver and Native mercury
Take care.
- Contains mercury: Wash your hands after handling it, and never heat it: the fumes are poisonous.
About it
The only mineral that is liquid at room temperature: bright droplets on cinnabar or in its rock. Known from Almadén in Spain, Idrija in Slovenia, and New Almaden in California; its vapour is toxic.
- Type
- Mineral
- Group
- Native element
- Formula
- Hg
- Specific gravity
- 13.5–13.6
- Lustre
- metallic
- Colours
- tin white
- Transparency
- opaque
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.