Mineralogy and Petrology (1995) 53:115-124

Mineralogy
Rn(1

Petrology
Springer-Verlag 1995
Printed in Austria

Tellurantimony in Romania: first occurrences

in Europe
G. Simon 1'*, D. H. M. Alderton 2, E. F. Stumpfl 3, and T. Bleser 4
1Department of Mineralogy, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
2 Department of Geology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey,
United Kingdom
3 Institute of Geological Sciences, Mining University, Leoben, Austria
4 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge,
United Kingdom
With 5 Figures
Received October 5, 1993;
accepted April 6, 1994

Summary
Tellurantimony, Sb2T % has been recorded for the first time in Europe. It occurs in the
epithermal precious metal deposits of western Romania: Nagyag (now Sacaramb),
Stanija, and Magura-Hondol. The optical properties, chemical composition, and mineral associations of the tellurantimony are described. Significant contents of Pb, Au, Ag,
and As have been noted, and these seem to be related to the specific occurrence and
association. The teUurantimony-bearing assemblages probably formed under conditions
of high fTe2 and mean to low fs2.

Zusammenfassung
Tellurantimon in Rumdnien: Das erste Vorkommen in Europa

Zum ersten Mal wurde in Europa Tellurantimon (Sb2Tea) gefunden. Es tritt in epithermalen Lagerst~itten yon Edelmetallen in W-Rum/inien auf: Nagyag (jetzt Sacaramb),
Stanija und Magura-Hondol. Hier werden die optischen Eigenschaften, die chemische
Zusammensetzung und die Mineralvergesellschaftungen von Tellurantimon beschrieben.
Deutliche Gehalte an Pb, Au, Ag und As scheinen in Zusammenhang mit der Besonderheit dieser Vorkommen und dieser Vergesellschaftung zu stehen. Die Tellurantimonfiihrenden Zusammensetzungen wurden wahrscheinlich unter hoher fTe2 und niedriger
bis mittlerer fs2 gebildet.
* Present address: Institute of Geological Sciences, Mining University, Leoben, Austria

116

G. Simon et al.

Introduction

Tellurantimony (Sb2Te3) was first discovered by Thorpe and Harris (1973) at

Mattagami Lake mine, Matagami Area, Quebec, in an Archean zinc-rich volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit. The name was given for the composition, in analogy
with tellurobismuthite, Bi2Te 3 with which it is isostructural. So far, it seems that
only one additional occurrence oftellurantimony has been recorded, at the Kobetsuzawa mine, Sapporo, Japan (Nakata et al., 1985).
We have recently identified tellurantimony at several localities in Romania, and
here we describe these occurrences, and the characteristics of this mineral.

Occurrences

In Romania, tellurantimony has been identified for the first time at the Nagyag (now
Sacaramb) gold-telluride deposit in the Metaliferi Mountains by means of qualitative electron microprobe analysis and quantitative reflectance measurements at four
wavelengths (486, 551, 589 and 656 nm) (Popescu and Simon, 1993). Subsequently,
two other new occurrences in the Metaliferi Mountains have been recorded, at
Magura-Hondol and Stanija (Fig. 1).
Sacaramb is a classic epithermal, gold-telluride deposit, situated in the south
eastern part of the Metaliferi Mountains (western Romania). Here more than
230 veins are located in a volcanic structure consisting of hornblende--and/or
pyroxene-bearing quartz--andesites of Miocene (Neogene) age. The veins have an
average thickness of 0.3 m, and their vertical extent is about 600 m. The andesitic
rocks show a pervasive propylitic alteration, whilst argillic alteration is found at
the contact with the vein. More than 100 mineral species (including 13 tellurides)
have been identified in this deposit (Udubasa et al., 1992); the deposit is also the
topotype for nagyagite, petzite, krennerite, stiitzite, muthmannite and krautite.
Ghitulescu and Socolescu (1941) summarised the main assemblages in the different vein groups:
quartz, rhodochrosite, nagyagite and abundant base metal sulphides, in the
Magdalena vein group (SE part of the mine).
- quartz, barite, rhodochrosite, sylvanite, krennerite, gold and subordinate common sulphides, in the Longin vein group (NE part of the mine).
calcite, petzite and alabandite, in the Nepomuc vein group (SW part of the mine).

In the Stanija area, (Zlatna district, eastern part of the Metaliferi Mountains),
the telluride bearing veins occur in the Ungurului and Fericelii Hills. At Ungurului
Hill the veins are located within a Pannonian (Neogen) andesitic crater. Here, altaite,
petzite, and tetradymite have been recorded, notably in the Vilanela vein (Helke,
1933; Giusca, 1936). At Fericelii Hill the veins occur in Cretaceous sedimentary
rocks, but the mineralization is related to a Pannonian subvolcanic andesitic body
which occurs at depth (Ianovici et al., 1969). According to Cioflica et al. (1962) some
of these telluride-bearing veins seem to constitute the upper part of base metal
ore veins. Tellurium-bearing minerals include sylvanite, calaverite, hessite, petzite,
stiitzite, tetradymite and native tellurium, especially in the Iolanda, Rosia, Spoiala,
Haber, Scara and Robotin veins (Helke, 1933; Giusca, 1936; Ghitulescu and

Tellurantimony in Romania: first occurrences in Europe

117

Fig. 1. Geological sketch map of the eastern part of the Metaliferi Mountains (after Udubasa
et al., 1993)

Socolescu, 1941). A mineral with a composition SbTe 2 has been also described by
Cioflica et al. (1992) in this mineralization, but we have not been able to confirm its
occurrence.

Magura-Hondol is a hydrothermal base-metal and gold deposit which represents

the newest telluride occurrence discovered in Romania. The telluride minerals
tellurantimony, montbrayite, krennerite, petzite, sylvanite and altaite, occur in open
vugs in the base-metal veins, and represent a late mineralization stage.
Methods of investigation
More than 20 tellurantimony-bearing samples from different Romanian occurrences
have been utilised in this study. Some of the samples are from the collection of the
late Prof. Dr. D. Giusca, and the others have been collected by one of us (GS) from
the Magura-Hondol and Sacaramb ore deposits. Tellurantimony has so far only
been recorded under the microscope.

l 18

G. Simon et al.

Reflectance measurements were made on four grains from each occurrence using
a Reichert Zetopan Microphotometer with a continuous band monochromator, and
a Zeiss calibrated WTiC standard (ref. no. 400).
Chemical analyses of tellurantimony were obtained by wavelength dispersive
methods, using a Cameca SX50 electron microprobe in the Department of Mineralogy, University of Cambridge. For this study an accelerating voltage of 20 KV and
a specimen current of 60 nA were used; the standards consisted of pure elements for
Au, Ag, As, Sb, Fe, Zn and Te, and PbS for Pb and S. Secondary electron (SE) and
backscattered electron (BSE) images were initially used to confirm that there was
no contamination from other admixed minerals during the analysis. The SE and
BSE images also proved the homogeneity of this mineral in all the analysed crystals.

Ore microscopy
Mineral associations and textural features
At Sacaramb, tellurantimony is widespread in nearly all the vein groups and occurs
in three different associations:
1) In the Longin vein group tellurantimony usually occurs as blebs up to 300 #m
in size, replacing early formed gold-tellurides (calaverite, krennerite and sylvanite).
It also commonly occurs as lamellar exsolutions in krennerite and sylvanite, usually
following one, two, or three, specific orientations. Sometimes tellurantimony, together with petzite, stiitzite, gold, or altaite, replaces or mantles the gold tellurides
(calaverite, krennerite and sylvanite).
2) In the Nepomuc vein group, tellurantimony often occurs in petzite and/or stiitzite
as needle-shaped crystals up to 100 x 500 ~m in dimension.
This assemblage is usually replaced by hessite, with or without myrmekitic
intergrowths of sylvanite (Fig. 2). All above mentioned assemblages are rimmed by
zones consisting of arsenian nagyagite (Simon et al., 1994) and nagyagite. Coloradoite, stibnite, and sometimes semseyite and boulangerite may also occur in the
same assemblage.
3) In the Magdalena vein group, tellurantimony is very rare and occurs with altaite,
krennerite, sylvanite, and sometimes coloradoite, petzite and bournonite, as rims
around, or replacing, the early-formed nagyagite. Minor amounts of pyrite have
also been recorded in the above mentioned vein groups.
Tellurantimony has been found at Stanija as blebs and needle-shaped crystals
up to 200 #m in size, in association with frohbergite, altaite, sylvanite, stiitzite,
tellurium, arsenopyrite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite (Fig. 3). The needle-shaped crystals
of tellurantimony often occur as inclusions in altaite, and the blebs usually replace
altaite. Native tellurium seems to be the latest mineral formed in these veins,
replacing both the lamellar crystals and the blebs of tellurantimony.
At Magura-Hondol tellurantimony occurs both as needle-shaped crystals and
blebs 200 #m in size, usually included in petzite and/or surrounding krennerite (Fig.
4). The mutual relationship between telluride minerals suggests a single main phase
of mineralization with tellurium-bearing minerals, with short time intervals between
the depositional stage containing krennerite and sylvanite, and that containing
montbrayite, petzite, altaite and tellurantimony. The telluride minerals have been

"Fellurantimony in Romania: first occurrences in Europe

119

Fig. 2. Lamellar crystals of tellurantimony (white) in stiitzite (slightly dark grey), replaced
by a myrmekitic intergrowth of hessite and sylvanite (light grey, upper side) in the ores of
Sacaramb (Reflected light, oil immersion, polarizers not crossed)
Fig. 3. Secondary electron image of a lamellar crystal of tellurantimony (light grey) from
Stanija in the same assemblage with frohbergite (right, grey), altaite (left, white), arsenopyrite
(thin lamellar crystals, dark grey) and chalcopyrite (black)
Fig. 4. Lamellar crystals of tellurantimony (white) included in petzite (light grey), bordered
by bournonite (dark grey, lower right and upper left corners), in the ores of Magura-Hondol
(Reflected light, oil immersion, polarizers not crossed)
deposited in central portions of veins carrying base metal sulphides; they are, thus,
later than the pyrite-chalcopyrite-sphalerite-galena association.

Optical properties
In plane polarized, reflected light, tellurantimony has a high reflectance (higher than
krennerite and sylvanite, and slightly lower than altaite), a moderate to weak
bireflectance, and is very weakly pleochroic. In air, its colour is creamy white with
a pinkish tint (particularly obvious when it is included in altaite). The pleochroism
is difficult to discern when the mineral is in association with krennerite and other
gold-silver tellurides, but it is distinctly pinkish to creamish when included in altaite.
Under crossed polars, the mineral has a moderate anisotropy, with brown to dark
grey colours.
Twinning perpendicular to the axis of elongation of the lamellar crystals was
noted, as also reported by Thorpe and Harris (1973).

120

G. Simon et al.

Table 1. Reflectance and colour values for tellurantimony from Romania

Wavelength
(nm)

Stanija
R1

Stanija
R2

470
546
589
650

58.3
60.6
60.9
60.7

62.3
64.9
65.2
65.2

61.6
63.0
63.0
62.6

63.1
65.6
65.8
65.3

61.2
63.1
63.5
63.5

64.5
66.7
67.3
67.6

400
420
440
460
480
500
520
540
560
580
600
620
640
660
680
700

54.9
55.9
56.9
57.8
58.7
59.5
60.1
60.5
60.7
60.8
60.9
60.9
60.8
60.6
60.5
60.2

56.5
58.6
60.3
61.7
62.8
63.7
64.3
64.8
65.0
65.2
65.3
65.3
65.3
65.2
65.2
65.0

58.5
59.5
60.5
61.3
61.9
62.4
62.8
63.0
63.1
63.1
62.9
62.8
62.6
62.5
62.5
62.4

58.8
60.1
61.4
62.6
63.6
64.4
65.1
65.5
65.7
65.8
65.7
65.5
65.3
65.2
65.2
65.0

57.5
58.9
60.0
60.9
61.6
62.2
62.6
63.0
63.3
63.5
63.6
63.6
63.5
63.4
63.0
62.5

60.6
62.0
63.1
64.1
64.9
65.6
66.1
66.6
66.9
67.2
67.4
67.5
67.6
67.5
67.4
67.2

0.315
0.324
64.70
573
3.3

0.312
0.320
62.90
570
1.7

0.314
0.323
65.30
571
2.9

0.314
0.321
63.10
574
2.4

0.315
0.322
66.70
575
2.7

Quantitative colour
Illuminant C
x
0.315
y
0.323
Y~o
60.40
~-d
575
Pe~
2.9

Magura
R1

Magura
R2

Sacaramb
R1

Sacaramb
R2

Reflectance and quantitative colour

Table 1 and Fig. 5 give an average of four measurements for each occurrence. The
R1 measurements correspond to a direction perpendicular to the elongation axis of
the lamellar crystals, while R2 measurements correspond to a direction along the
elongation axis of the lamellae crystals. The measurements were obtained from the
lamellar crystals with the strongest bireflectance from each occurrence. The data
shown in Fig. 5 are consistent with the visual impression of a mineral with weak
pleochroism and a distinct bireflection. N o significant differences were noted for the
reflectance curves of tellurantimony from the three occurrences, but for all samples there is an increase of R with wavelength. The small reflectance variation of
tellurantimony from the three occurrences (Fig. 5) might be due to the different
orientation of the measured crystals.
The intersection point of R1 and R2 mentioned by Picot and Johan (1982), and
Anthony et al. (1990) has not been recorded. The reflectance measurements presented
here are in agreement with those of Criddle and Stanley (1993) for tellurantimony

Tellurantimony in Romania: first occurrences in Europe

FP/o

70

. . . .

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

65

60

55

50

. . . .

400

450

. . . .

. . . .

500

. . . .

550

600

650

121

"

Stanija

Stanija

Magura

[]

Magura

Sacarimb

Sacarimb

700

L a m b d a nm

Fig. 5. Reflectance curves of tellurantimony from Romanian occurrences. Data taken from
Table 1

from the type locality, but differ significantly from those presented by Thorpe and
Harris (1973).
Because of the size and the shape of the tellurantimony crystals, VHN measurements have not been performed.

Chemistry
The chemical analyses are given in Table 2 and compared with analyses of tellurantimony from the Mattagami Lake mine and the Kobetsuzawa mine. The variation
in Sb content is generally small (36.2 to 37.4 wt%) except for some of the samples
from Sacaramb in which Sb contents are lower (34.9 to 35.4wt%) because of the
presence of significant trace amounts of Pb, As, Ag, and Au.
The concentration of minor elements seems to be specific for each occurrence.
Tellurantimony from Stanija constantly carries Pb (1.24 wt%) and low contents of
the other minor elements (Ag, As, and Au) (no. 2), while that one from MaguraHondol has a constantly high amount of As (0.5 to 0.6 wt%) and low contents of
Pb (no. 1). At Sacaramb the minor element content of tellurantimony varies in
different vein groups suggesting that it was deposited from hydrothermal solutions
with a specific geochemical signature for each vein group. This is obvious for
tellurantimony from the Nepomuc vein group, which is quite different when compared with the Longin and Magdalena vein groups. This is also supported by
differences in mineral association observed in these vein groups. All this suggests
that ore deposition at Sacaramb was polyphase. Sometimes, even in the same vein
group the minor element contents of tellurantimony vary in different paragenesis.
For instance, tellurantimony from the Longin vein group which occurs as lamellar
exsolutions in krennerite and sylvanite (no. 5) is rich in Au (1.2 wt%) and in Ag (1.7
wt%). In contrast, when tellurantimony occurs in association with altaite, free gold,
and nagyagite, substituting the early formed gold-tellurides, it contains only
amounts of Au and Ag (no. 4). In some samples from the Nepomuc vein group, up
to 1.5 wt% of As have been recorded in tellurantimony crystals included in stutzite
(no. 3).

122

G. Simon et al.
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Tellurantimony in Romania: first occurrences in Europe

123

Discussion and conclusions

The calculated chemical formulae for tellurantimony in Romanian occurrences,
shown in Table 2, are remarkably consistent; they range between those of tellurantimony from Mattagami Lake mine (Sbx.91Te3; Thorpe and Harris, 1973) and
Kobetsuzawa mine [(Sba.96Pbo.o4)~=2. o = Te3; Nakata et al., 1985] and close to
the ideal chemical formula, SbzTe 3.
The mineral associations, the mutual relationship between tellurantimony and
other minerals in the same assemblage, and the differences in the content of the
minor elements, combine to provide an estimation of the fugacity of Te and S during
this mineralization.
Between 100 and 300C, the relative stability of telluride minerals with respect
to corresponding sulphides and oxides, seems to be a function of fve:, fsz and fo2
(Afifi et al., 1988a, b). Tellurantimony is stable at relatively high fugacities of Tez
and mean to low fugacities of $2.
The mutual relationships of incorporation and substitution between minerals
which constitute the assemblages at Stanija, suggest the following order of deposition for this mineralization: pyrite + chalcopyrite--altaite + frohbergite +
arsenopyrrite + stiitzite + tellurantimony + sylvanite--native tellurium _+
tellurantimony. The association of tellurantimony with native tellurium and sttitzite
suggests a very high value of fa'e: during the mineralization process. The presence
of frohbergite FeTe2 in the same paragenesis as tellurantimony also suggests high
fw2 and low fs2.
At Sacaramb, the common mineral assemblage is made up of: stiJtzite, tellurantimony, stibnite, petzite, and "hessite + sylvanite II" (a decomposition product
of the Au-rich 7-phase; Cabri, 1965; Kelly and Goddard, 1969) and a minor amount
of pyrite. This is indicative of high fro2 (the presence of stfitzite) and relatively low
fs2. The presence of pyrite and stibnite in the same paragenesis suggests that fs2 at
Sacaramb was higher than at Stanija.
At Magura-Hondol the main mineral assemblage consists of krennerite, sylvanite, montbrayite, tellurantimony, petzite, and altaite, and is more difficult to
interpret. Using the association of altaite, gold tellurides and the absence of native
gold, we suggest relatively high fa'e2 and moderate to low fs2-

Acknowledgements
GS acknowledges the support of the European Community by providing a fellowship
to work at Royal Holloway. We would like to thank Prof. D. Raduleseu (University of
Bucharest) who kindly provided some samples from the Giusca collection. Discussions with
Profs. G. Cioflica, R. Jude, and Gh. Popescu (University of Bucharest) considerably assisted
in the preparation of this manuscript.
Two Mineralogy and Petrology reviewers are acknowledged for their constructive comments which were particularly helpful in improving the manuscript. Dr. H. Huemer (Institute
of Geological Sciences, Leoben) is acknowledged for the German translation of the abstract.
We also thank Mr. D. Danei (University of Bucharest) for his assistance in the preparation
of many polished sections from Sacaramb.

124

G. Simon et al.: Tellurantimony in Romania: first occurrences in Europe

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Authors' addresses: G. Simon, Department of Mineralogy, University of Bucharest, 1. N.

Balcescu Av., 70111 Bucharest, Romania; Dr. D. H. M. Alderton, Department of Geology,
Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 OEX, United Kingdom;
Prof. E. F. Stumpfl, Institute of Geological Sciences, Mining University, A-8700 Leoben,
Austria; Dr. T. Bleser, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing
Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, United Kingdom