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Formula: CuTe
Telluride of copper
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Specific gravity: 7.1 calculated
Hardness: 1 to 2
Colour: Bronze-yellow
Environments
Metamorphic environments
Hydrothmal environments
Localities
At the Byngovsky Deposit, Nevyansky District, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, vulcanite is associated with
rickardite, petzite and
sylvanite
(HOM).
At the type locality, the Good Hope Mine, Vulcan, Vulcan Mining District, Gunnison county, Colorado, USA, vulcanite has
been found in fragments of mineralised rock cemented by rickardite,
vulcanite, and native tellurium. Intergrown
rickardite and vulcanite form a layer 0.5 to 3 mm thick encrusting each
rock fragment. In general, rickardite predominates in the outer part of the
layer, next to the rock fragments, whereas vulcanite predominates in the inner part.
Tellurium fills the remainder of the spaces between fragments and forms scattered
minute grains and small patches in the rickardite-vulcanite crusts as well
(AM 46.258-268).
The Mammoth Good Hope/Vulcan deposit is a quartz vein enclosed by
quartz-chlorite and
quartz-sericite
schist
(Mindat).
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