Aikinite
- Nadelerz
Aikinite, including mining under his name Nadelerz known, is a rarely occurring mineral from the mineral class of " sulfides and sulfosalts ". It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with the chemical composition Cu ( PbBi ) S3 and forms a metallic luster, prismatic to acicular and parallel striped crystals, but also radial- and moderate mineral aggregates of mostly lead- gray, reddish-brown or black color with gray black stroke color. Rarely, white to off-white Aikinite can be found.
Etymology and history
Was first discovered in aikinite " Beryozovsky gold mine" in Russia and described in 1843 by Edward John Chapman ( 1821-1904 ), of the mineral in honor of the author of the famous at the time and popular work, " A Manual of Mineralogy ," Arthur Aikin ( 1773-1854), and named after this, although in his first description first appears the name Aikenit.
However, the mineral immersed in different sources under different synonyms. It received the name Nadelerz mining due to its frequent needle- shaped crystal formation. This has been adopted into English acicular ore and derived from the term Aciculit.
In the above work of Gustav Adolf Kenngott " Mohs mineral system " from 1853 it is run by Haidinger as Patrinit (also prismatoidischer Wismuthglanz and Nadelerz ) with the formula 3Pb, Cu2S, Bi2S3.
Among other things, in "A Catalogue of Minerals and Synonyms " by T. Egleston (1892 ) emerged as a synonym for the aikinite addition to the recycled at Ernst Friedrich Glocker name Belonite.
Classification
In the now outdated but still in use 8th edition of the mineral classification by Strunz the aikinite belonged to the mineral class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " and there to the general ward of " thio ", where he, along with Emilit, Friedrichit, Gladit, hammarite, Krupkait Lindströmit, Paarit, Pekoit, Salzburgit and Soucekit formed a distinct group.
The 9th edition valid since 2001 and of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA ) used the Strunz'schen Mineral classification assigns the aikinite also in the class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " ( sulfides, selenides, tellurides, arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides, Sulfarsenite, Sulfantimonite, Sulfbismuthite ), but there in the fine already divided the department " sulfosalts with SnS as an example " a. However, this is further subdivided according to the involved cations, so that the mineral is found according to its composition in the subsection "With Cu, Ag, Fe, Sn and Pb", where it together with berryite, Emilit, Friedrichit, Gladit, hammarite, Jaskólskiit, Krupkait, Lindströmit, Meneghinit, Paarit, Pekoit and Salzburgit the " Meneghinit series" with the system no. 2.HB.05 forms.
The classification of minerals according to Dana assigns the aikinite in the class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " and there in the department of " thio " one. Here is the eponym " Aikinitgruppe ( Orthorhombic, Pb, Cu, Bi, and S ) " with the system no. 03:04:05 and the other members Krupkait, Gladit, hammarite, Friedrichit, Pekoit, Lindströmit and Salzburgit within the sub-division of " sulfosalts with the ratio 3 > z / y and the composition (A ) i ( A2 ) j [ Bycz ], A = metals, semimetals B =, C = non-metals to find. "
Education and Locations
Aikinite forms in hydrothermal ore outputs. Accompanying minerals are, among others, bismuthinite, chalcopyrite, enargite, galena, gold, pyrite, quartz, and tennantite.
Worldwide, aikinite so far (as of 2011) are detected at around 200 localities. Worth mentioning because of its special mineral finds are mainly Djida in the Russian republic Buryatia, where the biggest Aikinitkristalle with a length of up to one meter surfaced in and also lying in Russia type locality Beryozovsky ( Sverdlovsk ), where up to 3 cm long crystals found were. From the " Outlaw Mine" in Nye County ( Nevada) granular aggregates could be salvaged with a diameter of up to 5 cm.
In Germany, the mineral was in several areas of the Black Forest (Baden- Württemberg), Odenwald (Hessen ) in Bad Lauterberg ( Lower Saxony), in the pit brothers covenant in Siegen- Eiserfeld (North Rhine- Westphalia), in the " pit Grüneau " ( Green Au, Grunau ) are at Schutzenbach ( Rhineland -Palatinate ) and in the Erzgebirge ( Saxony) found.
In Austria, aikinite found among others at Großfragant (Carinthia ), in the Hohe Tauern (Salzburg) and in the Montafon (Vorarlberg). In Switzerland, the mineral previously could only be found in the Val Curnera (Graubünden) and in some valleys of the canton of Valais.
Other localities include Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, France, Greece, Greenland, Iran, Italy, Japan, Canada, Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Czech Republic, Turkey, the United Kingdom ( UK), the United States of America (USA).
Crystal structure
Aikinite crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pbnm ( Raumgruppen-Nr. 62) with the lattice parameters a = 11.32 Å; b = 11.64 Å and c = 4.04 Å and four formula units per unit cell.