Boleite
Current inventory:  1 gem
 

  
Boleite is named after the type locality, Boleo, near Santa Rosalina, Baja California, Mexico.

Discovered in 1891;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered)

Chemistry

Chemical Formula:

KPb₂₆Ag₉Cu₂₄Cl₆₂(OH)₄₈

Potassium Lead Silver Chloride Hydroxide

Molecular Weight:

10,936.64 gm

Composition:

Potassium

0.36 %

K

0.43 %

K₂O

Copper

13.94 %

Cu

15.70 %

Cu₂O

Silver

8.88 %

Ag

9.54 %

Ag₂O

Hydrogen

0.44 %

H

3.95 %

H₂O

Lead

49.26 %

Pb

53.06 %

PbO

Chlorine

20.10 %

Cl

20.10 %

Cl

-

- %

Cl

-4.54 %

-O=Cl₂

Oxygen

7.02 %

O

100.00 %

100.00 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Halides

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

3/D.12-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

3.DB.15

3 : HALIDES
D : Oxyhalides, hydroxyhalides and related double halides
B : With Pb, Cu, etc.

Related to:

Closely related to Pseudoboleite.

Varieties:

None

Synonyms:

Argentopercylite

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Isometric - Hexoctahedral

Crystal Habit:

Crystals Crystals cubic, to 2 cm, commonly surficially layered with or overgrown by pseudoboleite

Twinning:

Pseudocubically interpenetrant common

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

Perfect on {001}, Good on {101}

Fracture:

Irregular/Uneven

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

3.0 - 3.5

Density:

5.054 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Barely Detectable; GRapi = 4.47 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Other:

Inert in water. Soluble in HNO3.

Optical Properties

Color:

Deep Blue, Indigo Blue

Transparency:

Transparent to Translucent

Luster:

Weakly Vitreous, Pearly

Refractive Index:

Isotropic, n=2.05,  Uniaxial ( - )

Birefringence:

0.00  (Isotropic)

Dispersion:

n/a

Pleochroism:

None

Occurances

Geological Setting:

A secondary mineral formed through reaction of chloride with primary sulfides in the oxidized zone of Pb–Cu deposits; in smelter slag immersed in and leached by sea water.

Common Associations:

Pseudoboleite, cumengeite, atacamite, anglesite, cerussite, phosgenite, gypsum (Boleo, Mexico); pseudoboleite, anglesite, cerussite, atacamite, paratacamite, leadhillite, paralaurionite, caledonite, phosgenite, matlockite, bideauxite (Mammoth-St. Anthony mine, Arizona, USA).

Common Impurities:

None

Type Locality:

Santa Rosalía (El Boleó), Boleó District, Mun. de Mulegé, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Year Discovered:

1891

View mineral photos:

Boleite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Boleite is an very rare gem because crystals are very small and usually opaque. Transparent, facetable crystals are rarely found. Boleite's intense blue color is very attractive. Boleite is a silver bearing Halide mineral that also contains lead and copper. Boleite is closely related to Diaboleite ("distinct from" Boleite), Psuedoboleite ("false" Boleite) and Cumengeite. All four minerals are secondary copper minerals. They are also Halide minerals. The Halides are a group of minerals whose principle anions are halogens. Halogens are a special group of elements that usually have a charge of negative one when chemically combined. The halogens that are commonly found in nature include Fluorine, Chlorine, Iodine and Bromine. Halides tend to have fairly simply ordered structures and therefore a high degree of symmetry.

Sources are the type locality, Boleo, Baja California, Mexico; Chile; and Broken Hill, N.S.W., Australia.
 

  
Boleite gems for sale: