GALENA SPHALERITE SPECIMEN
Check out this amazing Galena Sphalerite specimen. Definitely one for the hard core metallers! A solid matrix of cubic Galena with beautifully terminated Sphalerite throughout. This is my idea of a mineral specimen. These two minerals have been main players throughout history, Galena for its Lead and Sphalerite for Zinc. Both have all sorts of interesting associations, especially from this locale. Zinc is often associated with fluorescent minerals too. Amazing stuff. This specimen will delight some lucky collector and be an interesting piece for any collection. RocknCrystals have a supreme selection of metal specimens to choose from, so you’ve come to the right place.
Location:
Madan, Bulgaria.
Dimensions:
13.3cm x 11cm x 4.5cm, 941g.
Galena: PbS.
Galena is the primary ore mineral of lead. Worked for its lead content as early as 3000 BC, it is found in ore veins with sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, tennantite-tetrahedrite, etc. and in skarns, as well as in sedimentary rocks where it may replace carbonate beds or be deposited in pore spaces. The crystals are bright when fresh but often tarnish after exposure to air.
Sphalerite: ZnS.
Sphalerite, also known as Blende or Zinc Blende, is the major ore of zinc. When pure (with little or no iron) it forms clear crystals with colours ranging from pale yellow (known as Cleiophane) to orange and red shades (known as Ruby Blende), but as iron content increases it forms dark, opaque metallic crystals (known as Marmatite).
