Zhonghongite

zhonghongite

watanabeite

enargite

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

Hydrothermal 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 enargitearsenic-rich watanabeitezhonghongitetennantite-tetrahedrite (AM 110.2.312-318).

Back to Minerals