WITTICHENITE

    Class : Sulfides and sulfosalts
    Subclass : Sulfosalts
    Crystal system : Orthorhombic
    Chemistry : Cu3BiS3
    Rarity : Rare to very rare

Wittichenite is a fairly rare sulfide from hydrothermal copper-bismuth veins. It is named after its discovery locality : Wittichen (Black Forest, Germany). Wittichenite rarely occurs as thick, sometimes acicular prismatic or tabular crystals, usually in microscopic patches of metallic luster and steel-gray to tin-white color. It tarnishes in air to lead-gray to brass-yellow.

Main photo : Wittichenite from Cattle Grid deposit, Oakden Hills, Australia © Rob Lavinsky

Wittichenite in the World

The best known crystals are up to 3.5 cm and come from Cattle Grid (Australia). Millimeter crystals are known in the veins of the Wittichen district (Germany), mainly associated with emplectite. It is a mineral known in small quantities in many American deposits (Butte, Bisbee), Peruvian (Colquijirca), Canadian (Cobalt), etc. It is also reported in the Mangualde pegmatite (Portugal).

Right photo : Wittichenite from Clara Mine, Germany © Stephan Wolfsried

Wittichenite in France

In France, wittichenite is reported at Ste-Marie-aux-Mines (Haut-Rhin), Bussang and Faymont (Vosges), at the Chizeuil mine (Saône-et-Loire) and in a few other deposits.

Twinning

No twinning known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 2 to 3
Density : 6.3 to 6.7
Fracture : Irregular to conchoidal
Streak : Black

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

Solubility : Hydrochloric acid

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None