Polybasite
Mineral [(Ag,Cu)6(Sb,As)2S7][Ag9CuS4]
Take care.
- Toxic: Wash your hands after handling it, don't lick or taste it, and don't make dust.
About it
Iron-black six-sided plates whose thin edges show cherry-red light; a rich silver ore. Notable from the Las Chispas mine in Sonora, Mexico, and Freiberg, Germany.
- Type
- Mineral
- Group
- Sulfosalt, polybasite group
- Formula
- [(Ag,Cu)6(Sb,As)2S7][Ag9CuS4]
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 2–3
- Streak
- black
- Lustre
- metallic
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Colours
- iron black
- Transparency
- opaque, translucent
- Cleavage and fracture
- imperfect basal; uneven fracture
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.