Sphalerite


Sphalerite is a mineral that is the chief ore of zinc. It consists largely of zinc sulfide in crystalline form but almost always contains variable iron. When iron content is high it is an opaque black variety, marmatite. It is usually found in association with galena, pyrite, and other sulfides along with calcite, dolomite, and fluorite. Miners have also been known to refer to sphalerite as zinc blende, black-jack and ruby jack.

Chemistry

The mineral crystallizes in the cubic crystal system. Like other minerals with a cubic crystal structure, sphalerite may show a tetrahedral crystal habit. In the crystal structure, zinc and sulfur atoms are tetrahedrally coordinated. The structure is closely related to the structure of diamond. The hexagonal analog is known as the wurtzite structure. The lattice constant for zinc sulfide in the zinc blende crystal structure is 0.541 nm.
All natural sphalerites contain concentrations of various impurity elements. These generally substitute for the zinc position in the lattice. The most common are Cd and Mn, but Gallium, Germanium and Indium may also be present in relatively high concentrations. The abundances of these elements are controlled by the conditions under which the sphalerite formed, most importantly formation temperature and fluid composition.

Varieties

Its color is usually yellow, brown, or gray to gray-black, and it may be shiny or dull. Its luster is adamantine, resinous to submetallic for high iron varieties. It has a yellow or light brown streak, a Mohs hardness of 3.5–4, and a specific gravity of 3.9–4.1. Some specimens have a red iridescence within the gray-black crystals; these are called "ruby sphalerite". The pale yellow and red varieties have very little iron and are translucent. The darker, more opaque varieties contain more iron. Some specimens are also fluorescent in ultraviolet light.
The refractive index of sphalerite is 2.37. Sphalerite crystallizes in the isometric crystal system and possesses perfect dodecahedral cleavage.
Gemmy, pale specimens from Franklin, New Jersey, are highly fluorescent orange and/or blue under longwave ultraviolet light and are known as cleiophane, an almost pure ZnS variety.

Occurrence

Sphalerite is the major ore of zinc and is found in thousands of locations worldwide.
Sources of high quality crystals include:
PlaceCountryType of crystal
Freiberg, Saxony,
Neudorf, Harz Mountains		Germany
Lengenbach Quarry, Binntal, ValaisSwitzerlandColorless
Horni Slavkov and PříbramCzech Republic
RodnaRomania
Madan, Smolyan Province, Rhodope MountainsBulgariaTransparent green
to opaque black
Aliva mine, Picos de Europa Mountains, Cantabria ProvinceSpainTransparent
Alston Moor, CumbriaEnglandblack
Dalnegorsk, Primorskiy KrayRussia
Watson Lake, Yukon TerritoryCanada
Flin Flon, ManitobaCanada
Tri-State district including deposits near
Baxter Springs, Cherokee County, Kansas;
Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri
and Picher, Ottawa County, Oklahoma		USA
Elmwood mine, near Carthage, Smith County, TennesseeUSA
Eagle mine, Gilman district, Eagle County, ColoradoUSA
Santa Eulalia, ChihuahuaMexico
Naica, ChihuahuaMexico
Cananea, SonoraMexico
HuaronPeru
CasapalcaPeru
HuancavelicaPeru
ZinkgruvanSweden

Economic importance

Sphalerite is the most important ore of zinc. Around 95% of all primary zinc is extracted from sphaleritic ores. However, due to its variable trace element content, sphalerite is also an important source of several other elements, such as cadmium,, gallium germanium, and indium.

Gemstone use

Crystals of suitable size and transparency have been fashioned into gemstones, usually featuring the brilliant cut to best display sphalerite's high dispersion of 0.156, over three times that of diamond. Freshly cut gems have an adamantine luster. Owing to their softness and fragility the gems are often left unset as collector's or museum pieces. Gem-quality material is usually a yellowish to honey brown, red to orange, or green.

Gallery