minerals

sphalerite

selenium

clausthalite

Tiemannite

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Formula: HgSe
Selenide, sphalerite group, forms a series with metacinnabar, selenium- and mercury- bearing mineral
Crystal System: Isometric
Specific gravity: 8.19 to 8.47 measured, 8.239 calculated
Hardness: 2½
Streak: Greyish black
Colour: Steel-grey to black
Common impurities: Cd,S,Pb
Environments

Hydrothermal environments

Tiemannite is found in hydrothermal veins associated with the selenides clausthalite, eucairite, naumannite, klockmannite and umangite, and also metacinnabar, galena, sphalerite, baryte, manganese oxides and calcite (HOM).

Localities

At the Tumiñico Mine, Sierra de Cacho, Villa Castelli, General Lamadrid department, La Rioja Province, Argentina, a selenide vein-type assemblage contains a variety of minerals, including berzelianite, brodtkorbite, cadmoselite, chaméanite, crookesite, eskebornite, eucairite, ferroselite, hakite, klockmannite, trogtalite-krut'aite, tiemannite, tyrrellite, umangite and uraninite. The selenides occur as veinlets, as impregnations and as massive ores in calcite veins, and are hosted by altered amphibolites (CM 40.225-237)

At the type locality, St Lorenz Mine, Burgstatt veins, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Goslar, Lower Saxony, Germany, massive tiemannite is separated from chalcopyrite by a calcite vein (AM 35.337-364).

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