Galena

Galena
Chemical name	Lead sulfide
Chemical formula	PbS
Identification
Colors	Dark lead-gray; metallic when fresh
Crystal habit	Commonly in cubes and octahedrons; dodecahedrons less frequent; also massive and in cleavage fragments, coarse- or fine-grained, fibrous
Crystal system	Isometric
Cleavage	Cubic cleavage
Fracture	Subconchoidal, (rare); brittle
Hardness	2.5
Name origin	From the Latin galena, which was applied to lead ore or the dross from melted lead.
Specific gravity	7.4 to 7.6
Streak	Dark lead-gray

Galena is a mineral whose main component is lead sulfide. It is an important ore of lead. Some samples also contain silver.^[1]

Sources[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Chesterman, Charles W. pp. 361–362 The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf: New York (1987)