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Formula: NiTe2
Telluride, melonite group,
forms a series with merenskyite
Varieties
Palladian melonite is a palladium-rich variety of melonite
Properties
Crystal System: Trigonal
Specific gravity: 7.72 measured, 7.73 calculated
Hardness: 1 to 1½
Streak: Dark grey
Colour: White, reddish white
Common impurities: Pd,Pt,Ag,Bi
Environments
Melonite is found with other tellurium minerals in the late stages of hydrothermal veins
formed at moderate to low temperatures. Also in high temperature magmatic sulphide deposits
(Webmin).
Associated minerals include altaite, petzite,
hessite, calaverite,
coloradoite, krennerite,
tellurobismuthite, montbrayite,
gold, pyrite,
chalcopyrite, pentlandite and
pyrrhotite
(HOM).
Localities
At the Golden Mile mines, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire, Western Australia, melonite is fairly abundant as an
accessory mineral in telluride assemblages, as blebs in
calaverite and krennerite
(AJM 18.1.14)
At the Emperor Mine, Vatukoula, Vatukoula Gold Field, Viti Levu, Fiji, melonite has been found as rare particles to 20 microns associated
with chalcopyrite, sylvanite and
hessite, and as inclusions in sylvanite and
tellurium
(Min Rec 39-4.299)
In the Namakwa District Municipality, Northern Cape, South Africa, melonite occurs in
nickel-bearing high-temperature
copper deposits
(Ramdohr p421).
The type locality is the Stanislaus mine, Carson Hill Gold Mining Company Mines, Melones, Carson Hill Mining District, Mother Lode Belt,
Calaveras county, California, USA.
At the Cresson Mine, Eclipse Gulch, Cripple Creek Mining District, Teller county, Colorado, USA, melonite has been found as overgrowths
on calaverite, which is partly replaced by melonite and native
gold
(Min Rec 36-2.174).
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