Wittichenite

wittichenite

stromeyerite

djurleite

emplectite

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Formula: Cu3BiS3
Sulphosalt, bismuth-bearing mineral
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Specific gravity: 6.3 to 6.7 measured, 6.23 calculated
Hardness: 2 to 3
Streak: Black
Colour: Lead grey, bronze, tin-white, steel grey, yellow
Common impurities: Ag
Environments:

Hydrothermal environments

Wittichenite occurs in hydrothermal veins (Webmin), associated with bornite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, djurleite, digenite, tennantite, pyrite, stromeyerite, bismuth, emplectite, rammelsbergite, calcite, aragonite, fluorite and baryte (HOM).

Localities

At the Cattle Grid deposit, Mount Gunson Copper mines, Pernatty Lagoon, Stuart Shelf, South Australia, wittichenite occurs as crystals loosely attached to crusts of earlier generations of small supergene sulphide crystals such as digenite, djurleite, bornite and chalcocite. The crystals, which may reach a few cm in length, lined breccia cavity walls, or occurred as floaters in these kaolinite-filled cavities (AJM 16.2.65-67).

At the type locality, Wittichen, Schenkenzell, Rottweil, Freiburg Region, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, wittichenite occurs in hydrothermal veins with other bismuth minerals (HOM).

At Kletno, Gmina Stronie Śląskie, Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, wittichenite occurs with secondary uranium minerals and selenides of copper, lead and bismuth (HOM).

At Seathwaite Mine, Dunnerdale-with-Seathwaite, South Lakeland, Cumbria, England, UK, wittichenite occurs with copper-iron sulphides (HOM).

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