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Formula: Ag3AuTe2
Telluride
Crystal System: Isometric
Specific gravity: 8.7 to 9.4 measured, 8.74 calculated
Hardness: 2½ to 3
Streak: Greyish black
Colour: Lead-gray to black
Common impurities: Hg,Cu
Environments
Petzite is a rare silver-gold telluride which occurs as minute inclusions within
gold (MW),
occuring with other tellurides in vein-controlled gold deposits (Webmin, HOM). Associated
minerals include gold, hessite,
sylvanite, krennerite,
calaverite, altaite,
montbrayite, melonite,
frohbergite, tetradymite,
rickardite, vulcanite and
pyrite
(HOM, Mindat).
At Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, petzite has been identified as several small chips associated with
coloradoite and krennerite
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Boulder Perseverence mine, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, petzite has been found intergrown with
calaverite and coloradoite
(AJM 18.1.13-14).
At the Hidden Secret mine, at the northern end of the Golden Mile, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, petzite has been found intergrown
with hessite, coloradoite and
chalcopyrite
(AJM 18.1.13-14).
At the Hedley Monarch Mine, Olalla, Osoyoos Mining Division, British Columbia, Canada, petzite has been found associated with
altaite and hessite
(AM 34.350-353).
At the San Antonio Mine, Bissett, Rice Lake Gold District, Manitoba, Canada, petzite has been found in a specimen of
quartz with small areas of calcite containing abundant
gold and small grains of petzite
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Hollinger Mine, Tisdale Township, Porcupine mining district, Timmins area, Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada, petzite has
been found in several specimens as compact masses, small streaks, or disseminated throughout
quartz or along cleavage planes of ankerite
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Ardeen Mine, Moss Township, Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada, petzite has been found together with
hessite, as a massive crust on a surface of vein quartz
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Upper Canada mine, Gauthier Township, Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada, petzite has been found as small areas in contact
with calaverite in sheared porphyry,
associated with altaite, chalcopyrite,
pyrite, and gold
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Lake Shore Mine, Kirkland Lake Township, Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada, petzite has been found as disseminations in
quartz porphyry and associated with
chalcopyrite and gold
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Toburn Mine, Kirkland Lake Township, Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada, petzite has been found in a specimen of brecciated
quartz and country rock as small areas of petzite and
coloradoite associated with pyrite and
molybdenite as a film on the surface
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Canadian Malartic Mine, Malartic, La Vallée-de-l'Or RCM, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada, petzite has been found as
minute grains in milky quartz, associated with gold and
pyrite
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Bevcourt mine, Val d'Or, La Vallée-de-l'Or RCM, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada, petzite has been found disseminated
with altaite and gold in massive
quartz
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Lamaque Mine, Val d'Or, La Vallée-de-l'Or RCM, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada, petzite has been found as an intimate
intergrowth with gold
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Sullivan Consolidated mines, Val d'Or, La Vallée-de-l'Or RCM, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada, petzite has been found
disseminated with tellurobismuthite in massive
quartz
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Robb-Montbray Mine, Rouyn-Noranda TE, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada, petzite has been found associated with
montbrayite, melonite,
frohbergite, altaite and
tellurobismuthite
(AM 34.350-353).
At the Horne Mine, Rouyn-Noranda TE, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada, petzite has been found in several specimens as a
coating or
as compact masses associated with calaverite and
altaite
(AM 34.350-353).
At Botești, Zlatna, Alba, Romania small single crystals of petzite have been found intimately intergrown with
hessite
(AM 44.693).
The type locality is Săcărâmb, Deva, Hunedoara, Romania.
Petzite from Săcărâmb - Image
At Deepford Brook, Clarbeston, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK, a sample taken from just above the confluence of the Deepford Brook with
the Afon Syfni was found to contain gold with inclusions of petzite and
coloradoite, together with pyrite and
pyrrhotite
(MW).
At the Red Cloud Mine, Goldhill mining district, Boulder County, Colorado, USA, petzite has been found as a compact mass associated with
tetradymite and pyrite
(AM 34.350-353). Other associated minerals include gold,
hessite, sphalerite and
galena
(R&M 96.3.206).
At the Golden Age, Jamestown District, Boulder county, Colorado, USA, good petzite with wire
gold has been collected
(R&M 96.3.206).
At the Gold King Mine, Gladstone, Eureka Mining District, San Juan county, Colorado, USA, very rich
gold specimens containing massive petzite occurred
(R&M 96.3.206).
At the Brooklyn Mine, Brown's Gulch, Red Mountain Mining District, San Juan county, Colorado, USA, well formed petzite crystals
occurred on wire and leaf gold associated with black
sphalerite
(R&M 96.3.206).
At the Last Chance vein, Cornucopia Mine, Cornucopia, Cornucopia Mining District, Baker county, Oregon, USA, very rich masses of
petzite accompanied by hessite, gold
and calaverite in quartz were once collected
(R&M 96.3.206).
At the Tintic Mining District, Utah, USA, petzite has been reported only from mines in the East Tintic
District, the Eureka Lily, Eureka Standard, North Lily, Tintic Standard and Trixie mines. In most of these mines
small amounts of sub-millimeter crystals have been found, usually occurring as rounded, black, metallic aggregates.
At the Trixie mine, however, petzite occurs associated mainly with gold and
chlorargyrite, usually in a matrix of
quartz. A specimen measuring about 3 x 9 cm shows a nearly solid mass of
petzite with minor gold.
(MinRec 55.2.217).
Petzite from Tintic - Image
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