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Galena With Sphalerite & Gypsum

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GND60724

Galena With Sphalerite & Gypsum

Classic Locality

Description Tabs

Description
Locality: 
Broken Hill South Mine, Broken Hill, Yancowinna County, New South Wales, Australia
Size Range: 
Thumbnail (1-3cm)
Size: 
2.9 × 2.7 × 1.1 cm
Description

Galena crystals are unusually rare from the Broken Hill orebody. They occur here as sharp modified octahedra coated by cream coloured secondary sphalerite.

There then appears to be a second generation of galena crystals that have in turn been coated by an irridescent iron oxide perhaps, giving them the appearance of native copper. There are some very small perfectly clear crystals of gypsum scattered across the specimen.

Mineral Data
What's on the rock

Galena

Formula: 
PbS
Strunz: 
2.CD.10
Crystal System: 
Isometric
Hardness: 
2.5
Colour: 
Lead-grey
Streak: 
Lead-grey

Sphalerite

Formula: 
ZnS
Strunz: 
2.CB.05a
Crystal System: 
Isometric
Hardness: 
3.5 - 4.0

Gypsum

Formula: 
CaSO4·2H2O
Strunz: 
7.CD.40
Hardness: 
2.0
Streak: 
White.
Gondwana Minerals