Germanite

Germanite, probably from the Tsumeb Mine, Oshikoto Region, Namibia.

General
Category| Sulfide mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)| Cu26Ge4Fe4S32[1]
Strunz classification| 2.CB.30
Dana classification| 2.9.4.2
Crystal system| Isometric
Crystal class| Hextetrahedral (43m)
H-M symbol: (4 3m)
Space group| P43n
Identification
Color| Reddish grey tarnishing to dark brown
Crystal habit| Usually massive; rarely as minute cubic crystals
Cleavage| None
Tenacity| Brittle
Mohs scale hardness| 4
|re|er}}| Metallic
Streak| Dark grey to black
Diaphaneity| Opaque
Specific gravity| 4.4 to 4.6
Other characteristics| Cell data: a = 10.585 Å Z = 1[2]
References| [3][4]

Germanite is a rare copper iron germanium sulfide mineral, Cu26Fe4Ge4S32. It was first discovered in 1922, and named for its germanium content.[2] It is only a minor source of this important semiconductor element, which is mainly derived from the processing of the zinc sulfide mineral sphalerite.[6] Germanite contains gallium, zinc, molybdenum, arsenic, and vanadium as impurities.[2]

Its type locality is the Tsumeb Mine in Namibia where it occurs in a hydrothermal polymetallic ore deposit in dolomite in association with renierite, pyrite, tennantite, enargite, galena, sphalerite, digenite, bornite and chalcopyrite.[4] It has also been reported from Argentina, Armenia, Bulgaria, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Finland, France, Greece, Japan, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Russia and the United States.[2]

X-Ray Powder Diffraction[7]

d spacing  | 3.05  | 2.65  | 1.87  | 1.60  | 1.32  | 1.21  | 1.08  | 1.02
relative intensity  | 10  | 1  | 7  | 4  | 1  | 2  | 2  | 1

## References

1. ↑ American Mineralogist (1984) 69:943-947
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.mindat.org/min-1681.html Mindat.org
3. ↑ http://webmineral.com/data/Germanite.shtml Webmineral
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/germanite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy
5. ↑ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine 85 (3): 291–320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. Bibcode: 2021MinM...85..291W.
6. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey (2008), "Germanium—Statistics and Information", U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/germanium/
7. ↑ Dana's New Mineralogy, 8th edition, Gaines et al., Wiley

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