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Formula: Pt2CuFe
Alloy, platinum-bearing mineral, forms a series with
ferronickelplatinum
Crystal System: Tetragonal
Specific gravity: 14.9 measured, 15.6 calculated
Hardness: 5
Colour: White
Magnetism: Ferromagnetic
Common impurities: Ir,Ni,Sb
Environments
Localities
There are two co-type localities, Placer deposits, Similkameen River, Princeton, and Placer Deposits, Tulameen River,
both in the Similkameen Mining Division, British Columbia, Canada. The main constituent of the placers in the Tulameen
area is quartz with variable quantities of rock fragments and boulders.
Magnetite and chromite are common
heavy minerals; minor heavy minerals are garnets, (ferroan
spessartine and manganoan
almandine), hematite,
zircon, sulphides (principally
pyrite), ilmenite,
gold and hydrated iron oxides.
Platinum-group minerals, as discrete mono-minerallic grains and as complex
multi-mineral nuggets and flakes, occur as minor constituents of these placer deposits.
Tulameenite occurs associated with cubic iron-bearing platinum as
rounded to irregular areas up to about 400 microns across, as free grains, or as grains with complex inclusions
(CM 12.21-25).
Minerals associated with tulameenite include magnetite,
geversite, chromite and
chalcopyrite
(Mindat).
At the Noril'sk orefield, Putoran Plateau, Taimyr Peninsula, Taymyrskiy Autonomous Okrug, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, a
mineral that has the formula Pt2CuFe and is possibly tulameenite occurs as acicular and prismatic
exsolved crystals in altaite, against which it displays a slight pink tint
(CM 40.2.329-340).
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