Famatinite - Encyclopedia

Class : Sulfides and sulfosalts
Subclass : Sulphides
Crystal system : Tetragonal
Chemistry : Cu₃SbS₄
Rarity : Rare

Famatinite is a copper and antimony sulfide from hydrothermal copper deposits, where it systematically accompanies pyrite, enargite and tetrahedrite. Its name comes from its locality of discovery : Sierra de Famatina (Argentina). Famatinite is a dark brown, almost black mineral, usually massive and finely grained, constituting reniform aggregates or more rarely coatings of fine, fairly coarse crystals with curved faces. It constantly shows polysynthetic twins.

Main photo : Famatinite from Chinkuashih mine, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan © James K. C. Huang

Famatinite from Chinkuashih mine, New Taipei City, Taiwan © James K. C. Huang

Famatinite on covellite from the Clara Mine, Germany © Michael Förch

Famatinite on chalcopyrite from the Clara Mine, Germany © Ko Jansen

Famatinite in the World

Famatinite is common in the American deposits of Arizona (Bisbee, Magma, etc...), Montana (Butte), Colorado (Red Mountain), Nevada (Goldfield), etc... and in those of South America, particularly Peru (Morococha, Cerro de Pasco). The world's most beautiful specimens were extracted from the Chinkuashih epithermal gold mine (Taiwan).

Famatinite in France

In France, famatinitis is reported at the La Rodde and Marsanges mines (Haute-Loire), at Farges (Corrèze), at the Pic Martin mines (Var) and at the Merlier mine (Alpes-Maritimes).

Twinning

Polysynthetic twins are common.

Fakes and treatments

No fake listed for this mineral species.

Hardness : 3 to 4
Density : 4.63
Fracture : Irregular to conchoidal
Streak : Black

TP : Opaque
RI : -
Birefringence : -
Optical character : -
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : -

Magnetism : None
Radioactivity : None

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