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Formula: Bi2O3
Simple oxide, paramorph of
sphaerobismoite,
bismuth-bearing mineral
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 8.64 to 9.22 measured, 10.4 calculated
Hardness: 4½
Streak: Grey to yellow
Colour: Greyish green, greenish yellow to bright yellow
Environments:
Bismite is an oxidation product of various bismuth-bearing minerals. Associated minerals include
native bismuth, bismutite and
cassiterite
(Webmin, HOM)
Localities
At Kingsgate, Gough county, New South Wales, Australia, bismite is fairly common, occurring as a mixture with
bismutite or koechlinite. It is occasionally
found as pseudomorphs after bismuthinite
(AJM 10.1.8).
At Blue Hill quarry, Westmoreland county, New South Wales, Australia, bismite and bismutite
are fairly common as small crystals within vein quartz, associated with
molybdenite and ferrimolybdite. They also occur
as small pseudomorphs after bismuthinite
(AJM 10.2.48).
At the type locality, the Colavi mine, Machacamarca mining district, Cornelio Saavedra Province, Potosí, Bolivia, bismite is an
oxidation product of bismuth, associated with cassiterite
and bismuth
(Mindat).
At Meymac, Correze, France, bismite is associated with bismutite
(Dana).
At Rincon, San Diego county, California, USA, bismite occurs in a pegmatite as microcrystals associated with
bismutite and pucherite
(Dana).
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