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Formula: AgTe
Telluride
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Specific gravity: 7.61 measured, 7.61 calculated
Hardness: 3 to 3½
Streak: Grey-black to black
Colour: light bronze
Solubility: Readily soluble in hot dilute nitric acid (AM 36.458-469)
Common impurities: Pb,Cu,Fe,S
Environments
Empressite occurs in low temperature gold-poor hydrothermal vein deposits, associated with
hessite, petzite,
pyrite and rickardite
(Mindat).
Localities
At Pitman, Canada, empressite is associated with gold,
tellurium, hessite,
petzite and rickardite
(HOM).
At Tombstone, Arizona, USA, empressite is associated with pyrite and
rodalquilarite
(HOM).
At the type locality, the Empress Josephine Mine, Bonanza, Saguache county, Colorado, USA, empressite occured as
euhedral prismatic grains to 400 microns containing no inclusions or intergrowths with other minerals (AM 89.1043-1047).
A second specimen from the type locality consists of a massive aggregate of empressite with a small amount of
galena, altaite, and
stutzite on one corner. Much of the surface is covered by a fine grained aggregate
of muscovite variety sericite containing small pyrite
crystals (AM 49.325-328). Other associated minerals here include tellurium,
sylvanite, petzite,
hessite and rickardite
(HOM).
Alteration
Empressite decomposes to Ag5Te3 plus Te at 210oC
(AM 49.325-328).
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