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Formula: AuTe2
Telluride
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 9.1 to 9.4 measured, 9.31 calculated
Hardness: 2&$189; to 3
Streak: Greenish to yellowish grey
Colour: Brass yellow to silver white
Common impurities: Ag
Environments
Calaverite occurs typically in veins in low-temperature hydrothermal deposits, but also in medium- and
high-temperature deposits.
Associated minerals include altaite,
coloradoite,
krennerite, rickardite,
sylvanite, pyrite,
arsenopyrite,
tetrahedrite,
sphalerite, stibnite and
tennantite
(HOM).
Pseudomorphs of gold and very
rarely coloradoite
and melonite after calaverite have been reported
(R&M 85.5.426-431, R&M 85.5.426-431).
Localities
At Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, calaverite is locally accompanied by a variety of other species including
native gold, sylvanite,
petzite, coloradoite,
altaite, melonite,
pyrite, chalcopyrite,
tetrahedrite, quartz,
magnetite, ilmenite,
calcite, ankerite,
siderite, albite,
mica, roscoelite, and
chlorite. Excellent high-grade calaverite specimens associated with
coloradoite and gold have
been found here
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At the Golden Mile Mines, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire, Western Australia, Australia,
calaverite occurs in
calc schist associated with
secondary
magnetite and
native gold
(AJM 18.1.12).
At San Pedro Taviche, Oaxaca, Mexico; Laurani, La Paz Department, Bolivia, calaverite has been reported as a
very rare
mineral occurring
with jordanite,
chalcostibite,
matildite, rickardite,
and umangite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At Painkiller Lake, Beatty Township, Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada, calaverite occurs with
tetradymite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At the Dome mine, Tisdale Township, Porcupine mining district, Timmins area, Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada,
calaverite occurs
with sylvanite and altaite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At Bigstone Bay, Lake of the Woods, Kenora District, Ontario, Canada, calaverite occurs with
tetradymite, petzite,
pyrite, gold,
chalcopyrite, and hessite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At Kirkland Lake Area, Ontario, Canada, calaverite has been found as small compact masses or disseminations in
quartz, calcite, or altered
porphyry, in association with
altaite,
other tellurides, sulphides, and
native gold
(AM 34.347-349, R&M 85.5.426-431, R&M 96.3.204).
At the Macassa Mine, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada, calaverite occurs disseminated throughout
quartz, also with gold, filling
fractures in
quartz. Large areas of calaverite often have small particles of
gold attached. The calaverite appears to have replaced the fine grained
pyrite with which it is associated. It appears that the sulphides were
formed first
followed by tellurides and finally by
gold
(AM 34.347-349). Calaverite is also associated with altaite
here
(R&M 96.3.204).
At the Miller Independence mine, Pacaud Township, Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada, calaverite has been
found with
chalcopyrite, pyrite and
sphalerite
(AM 34.347-349).
At La Vallée-de-l'Or RCM, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada, calaverite occurs with
tellurobismuthite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At Louvicourt Goldfield Mine, Val d'Or, La Vallée-de-l'Or RCM, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada,
calaverite occurs
in tourmalinised
quartz with calcite,
tellurobismuthite and
native gold
(R&M "85.5.426-431).
At the Horne Mine, Rouyn-Noranda TE, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada, calaverite has been found in
several pieces of
greenstone withaltaite,
petzite, and calaverite in coarsely crystalline masses or intergrown with
tellurobismuthite
(AM 34.347-349).
At the Robb-Montbray deposit, Rouyn-Noranda TE, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada, calaverite occurs with
montbrayite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At the La-maque Mine, Bourlamaque Township, Quebec, Canada, calaverite has been found in a specimen of white
quartz with small plates of
tellurobismuthite
and massive calaverite
(AM 34.347-349).
At the Canadian Malartic Gold Mine, Fourniere Township, Quebec, Canada, calaverite has been found as
occasional grains in
massive tourmalinised milky
quartz together with
gold and bismuth
tellurides
(AM 34.347-349, R&M 96.3.204).
At the Louvicourt Goldfields Mine, Louvicourt Township, Quebec, Canada, calaverite has been found in several
specimens
of tourmalinised
quartz with much native gold and small
areas
of calaverite
and tarnished tellurobismuthite in close association with
calcite:
(AM 34.347-349).
At the Benguet Consolidated Mine, Antamok, Mountain Province, Philippine Islands, calaverite has been found
in a specimen of vuggy
quartz with disseminated
chalcopyrite,
gold, sphalerite,
tetrahedrite, galena,
calaverite, and
pyrite
(AM 34.347-349).
At the French and Wood Mine, Altaville, Angels Camp Mining District, Mother Lode Belt, Calaveras county, California,
USA, calaverite is found associated with altaite and
petzite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
The type locality is the Stanislaus Mine, Melones, Carson Hill Mining District, Mother Lode Belt, Calaveras county,
California, USA.
At the Cripple Creek Mining District, Teller county, Colorado, USA, calaverite is a major ore mineral; it
occurs as a late middle
stage vein mineral, in
disseminated deposits, and less commonly massive. It is sometimes intergrown with
chalcedony,
fluorite, celestine,
pyrite and stibnite.
Calaverite is sometimes replaced
by petzite, melonite and
altaite. In veins it is commonly coated and obscured by later vein
minerals, especially
chalcedony. In oxidised deposits it may be replaced by
native gold
(Minrec 36.2.164-166).
The calaverite contains small inclusions of pyrite and also replaces
it
(AM 34.347-349).
The calaverite was most often seen as individual crystals on quartz
crusts, and more
rarely on
fluorite and dolomite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At the Cresson mine, Cripple Creek Mining District, Teller county, Colorado, USA, calaverite is replaced by
petzite, melonite
and altaite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At the Last Dollar mine, Cripple Creek Mining District, Teller county, Colorado, USA, calaverite has been
reported on
chalcedony. It was most often seen as individual crystals on
quartz crusts and more rarely on
fluorite and
dolomite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At the WPH mine, Cripple Creek Mining District, Teller county, Colorado, USA, calaverite has been reported
partially altered to
emmonsite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
At the Star mine, Montgomery County, North Carolina, USA, calaverite occurs rarely in coarsely crystalline
aggregates
(R&M 85.5.426-431), intimateley intergrown with coloradoite,
altaite, sylvanite,
krennerite, gold and other
tellurides
(R&M 96.3.204).
At the Republic Mining District, Ferry county, Washington, USA, calaverite is associated with a
variety of other minerals including
native gold, stibnite,
realgar, sylvanite,
naumannite and
acanthite
(R&M 85.5.426-431).
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