Hutchinsonite - Encyclopedia
Class : Sulfides and sulfosalts
Subclass : Sulfosalts
Crystal system : Orthorhombic
Chemistry : (Pb,Tl)2As5S9
Rarity : Very rare
Hutchinsonite is a very rare mineral, present in hydrothermal veins and in hydrothermalized dolomites. It was named in honor of Arthur Hutchinson, Professor of Mineralogy at the University of Cambridge. Hutchinsonite rarely forms crystals, these are prismatic to acicular pseudo-orthorhombic, rarely reaching a centimeter, it also forms aggregates with a radiated texture, but most often occurs in foliated or fibrous masses with micaceous cleavage. The color is scarlet to cherry red, turning brown on large crystals.
Main photo : Hutchinsonite and orpiment from Quiruvilca Mine, La Libertad, Peru © Stephan Wolfsried
Hutchinsonite in the World
Twinning
No twin known for this mineral species.
Fakes and treatments
No fakes recorded for this mineral species.
Hardness : 1.5 to 2
Density : 4.6
Fracture : Conchoidal
Streak : Red
TP : Translucent to opaque
RI : 3.078 to 3.118
Birefringence : 0.110
Optical character : Biaxial -
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None
Solubility : -
Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None