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Galena
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  PbS  [Lead Sulfide]

Discovered in Prehistory;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
The Roman naturalist, Pliny, used the Latin word Galena to describe lead ore.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Sulfides

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

2/C.15-40

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

2.CD.10

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
C : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)
D : With Sn, Pb, Hg, etc.

Related to:

Galenite Group. Galena - Clausthalite Series.

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Isometric - Hexoctahedral

Crystal Habit:

Most commonly cubic, crystals to a meter on an edge are known; more rarely cubo-octahedral or octahedral. May be tabular on [001]; also forms reticulated masses and skeletal crystals. As cleavable masses, coarse to very fine granular; fibrous, plumose.

Twinning:

Twin plane [111], as both contact and penetration twins; twin plane [114], lamellar.

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[001] Perfect; Parting on [111]

Fracture:

Sub-Chonchoidal to Uneven; fracture rarely seen because of the perfect cleavage

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

2.5 - 2.75

Density:

7.2 - 7.6 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Health Warning:

CAUTION: Contains Lead - always wash hands after handling. Avoid inhaling dust when handling or breaking. Do not lick or ingest.

Optical Properties

Color:

Light to dark Lead Gray, Silver Gray; sometimes with a bluish tint

Transparency:

Opaque

Luster:

Metallic, Dull

Refractive Index:

None; Opaque

Birefringence:

None; Opaque

Dispersion:

n/a

Pleochroism:

n/a

Occurances

Geological Setting:

In many different types of environments. In hydrothermal veins, formed under a wide range of temperatures; in contact metamorphic deposits, in pegmatites, rarely; limestones and dolostones are common host rocks.

Common Associations:

Barite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Dolomite, Marcasite, Pyrite, Siderite, Silver minerals, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite, Quartz, many other hydrothermal minerals.

Common Impurities:

Ag, Cu, Fe, Bi

Type Locality:

None. Prehistoric

Year Discovered:

Prehistoric

View mineral photos:

Galena Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Galena is the principal ore of lead and silver. It is a very common metal sulfide mineral found at many localities worldwide. Galena is typically found as bright, metallic, cube shaped crystals.
 

  
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