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Formula: Ag3Pb7Bi7S19
Sulphosalt, lillianite homologous series group,
silver- lead- and
bismuth- bearing mineral
Crystal system: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 7.180 calculated
Hardness: 3½ to 4
Colour: Grey
Environments
Tarutiuite is a new mineral, approved in 2023 and pending publication as of May 2025.
Localities
At the type locality, the Tarutinskoe deposit, Chesmensky District, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia,
skarn zones formed after the remnants of
marbles and host granitoids. The
majority of magnetite-sulphidic and sulphide orebodies are confined to
skarns while only a few are located in the zones of moderately to strongly
sericitised granitoids.
Main gangue minerals of the skarns include
garnets (andradite,
grossular), epidote,
chlorites (clinochlore,
chamosite), pyroxenes
(diopside, hedenbergite),
amphiboles (actinolite,
tremolite) and calcite. Main ore minerals
comprise magnetite, hematite and sulphides
(pyrite, chalcopyrite,
galena, sphalerite).
Tarutinoite was found in a fragment of a drill core extracted at the 178.5 m level of borehole #4604 as anhedral grains up
to 0.10 x 0.05 mm in size in
magnetite-calcite matrix. Otherwise the drill
core is composed of major pyrite, chalcopyrite
and andradite. Other associated minerals include
aikinite, baryte,
berryite, bismuthinite,
clinochlore, galena,
hessite, quartz,
scheelite and tetradymite.
Tarutinoite most probably crystallised from hydrothermal fluids during the ore-forming stage
(MM published online
link
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