Geol 2101: Mineralogy and Crystallography

Native Elements and Sulfides

Reading: Nesse, Chapters 19 and 20
Native Elements
Native elements are generally uncommon in the Earths crust. Only carbon (i.e., graphite) is a
significant rock-forming mineral. Others like gold, silver, copper, and diamond are rare and
valuable. Native elements are grouped based on chemical classification of metals, semimetals,
and nonmetals.
Metals: divided into the gold group, platinum group, and iron group based on chemistry and
structure.
Gold group
Copper (Cu)
Gold (Au)
Silver (Ag)

Platinum Group
Palladium (Pd)*
Platinum (Pt)
Platiniridium (Pt, Ir)*

Iron Group
Iron (Fe)*
Kamacite (Fe, Ni)*
Taenite (Ni, Fd)*

Other metallic native elements: Mercury (Hg)*, occurs as a liquid (so is it really a mineral??)
Semimetals: Arsenic (As)*, Antimony (Sb), Bismuth (Bi)
All are rare and are typically found associated with hydrothermal sulfide deposits
Nonmetals: Sulfur (S), Graphite (C), Diamond (C)

* not in our collection

in our collection, but the crystals are synthetic. The crystals were grown in a bismuth smelter
(called hopper growth) and then tarnished to produce the iridescence on the surface.
Note the perfectly formed crystals and the regular geometry and growth patterns

native iron in terrestrial rocks is extremely rare. To preserve native iron at the Earths surface,
conditions have to be highly reducing and/or very dry to prevent oxidation (i.e.,
formation of iron oxides and hydroxides, or rust). Most all iron ore is either in the form
of the mineral hematite (high-grade) or magnetite (low-grade). Hematite ore is rich
enough to be added directly to steel-making blast furnaces. Magnetite ore (typical of
Minnesotas Iron Ranges) must be processed first and turned into taconite pellets,
mixtures of refined magnetite, bentonite clay, and limestone.

Mineralogy Lab 4 F06

Sulfides
The sulfide and related minerals form a large group that includes nearly 600 different minerals,
but only a few are abundant. These minerals have great economic value because they are
typically repositories for important metals like copper, zinc, lead, antimony, molybdenum, cobalt,
nickel, and silver.
A general formula for these minerals can be given as MpXr where M is a metal or semimetal (e.g.,
Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb, Sb, As) and X may be sulfides (S), arsenides (As), sulfarsenides (S+As), or
tellurides (Te). Sulfide classification is complicated because some semimetal elements,
particularly As and Sb, can serve as either metals or nonmetals. The groupings shown below
(from Nesse, Table 19.1) are based on the identity of the nonmetal element(s) in the structure.
Sulfides X = S
Acanthite
Sphalerite
Covellite
Stibnite
Molydenite
Enargite
*Bismuthinite
*Pentlandite
*Pyrargyrite
*Proustite
*Tennanite

Ag2S
Chalcocite
ZnS
Pyrrhotite
CuS
Realgar
Sb2S3
Pyrite
MoS2
Chalcopyrite
Cu3AsS4
Tetrahedrite
Bi2S3
(Fe,Ni)9S8
Ag3SbS3
Ag3AsS3
(Cu,Fe)12As4S13

Cu2S
Galena
Fe1-xS
Cinnabar
AsS
Orpiment
FeS2
Marcasite
CuFeS2
Bornite
(Cu,Fe)12Sb4S13

PbS
HgS
As2S3
FeS2
Cu5FeS4

Sulfarsenides X = AsS
Arsenopyrite FeAsS
Cobaltite
(Co,Fe)AsS
Arsenides X = As
*Nickeline
NiAs
Skutterudite
(Co,Ni)As3
Tellurides X = Te
*Calaverite
AuTe2
*Sylvanite
(Au,Ag)Te2

* not in our collection

Mineralogy Lab 4 F06