Formula: Cu29(As,Sb)12S33
Sulphosalt, copper-, arsenic- and
antimony- bearing mineral
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Specific gravity: 4.925 calculated
Hardness: 4 to 4½
Colour: Grey
Environments
Zhonghongite is a new mineral, approved in 2023 and to date (February 2025) reported only from the type
locality.
Localities
At the type locality, the Cordilleran veins, Jiama Cu-polymetallic deposit, Maizhokunggar county, Lhasa, Tibet,
China, zhonghongite was discovered in the high-sulphidation vein of the deposit. It forms complex
intergrowths with watanabeite and
tennantite-tetrahedrite,
creating veined or massive aggregates ranging from millimetres to centimetres in size. Single crystals of
zhonghongite are anhedral, and their sizes range from several microns to ∼100 microns. The mineral is grey
with a black streak and metallic lustre; it was formed under high-temperature conditions, with the paragenetic
sequence enargite → arsenic-rich
watanabeite → zhonghongite →
tennantite-tetrahedrite
(AM 110.2.312-318).
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