Thalcusite

thalcusite

altaite

djerfisherite

idaite

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Formula: (Cu,Fe)4Tl2S4
Sulphide, bukovite group, thallium-bearing mineral
Crystal System: Tetragonal
Specific gravity: 6.15 measured, 6.54 calculated
Hardness: 2½ to 3
Colour: Grey, bronze-black
Common impurities: K,Pb,Cr,Sb,As
Environments

Pegmatites
Hydrothermal environments

Thalcusite occurs in base-metal sulphide deposits and hyperalkalic massifs (HOM).

Localities

At the Ilímaussaq complex, Kujalleq, Greenland, thalcusite is associated with gudmundite, cuprostibite, djerfisherite, galena and troilite (HOM).

At the Murunskii Massif, Chara and Tokko Rivers Confluence, Aldan Shield, Russia, thalcusite is associated with chalcopyrite, chalcocite, bornite and idaite (HOM).

At the type locality, the Mayak Mine, Talnakh Cu-Ni Deposit, Noril'sk, Putoran Plateau, Taimyr Peninsula, Taymyrskiy Autonomous Okrug, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, thalcusite occurs in platy deposits, rarely elongated, mostly as grains 10 to 15 microns in diameter. It occurs in pentlandite - cubanite - chalcopyrite ores, associated with platinum and palladium minerals, and also with altaite, galena, sphalerite, djerfisherite, pentlandite, cubanite and chalcopyrite (AM 62.396, HOM).

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