Livingstonite

Bright, steel-metallic livingstonite laths to 1.2 cm. on rich antimony (stibnite) ore. From the type locality in Huitzuco de los Figueroa.

General
Category| Sulfosalt mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)| HgSb4S8
Strunz classification| 2.HA.15
Crystal system| Monoclinic
Crystal class| Prismatic (2/m)
(same H-M symbol)
Space group| A2/a
Unit cell| a = 30.567(6), b = 4.015(1)
c = 21.465(3) [Å]; β = 103.39°; Z = 8
Identification
Color| Blackish gray; in polished section, white; red in transmitted light, with deep red internal reflections
Crystal habit| As needles elongated [010], to 12 cm; also fibrous, massive, columnar, and in globular masses and interlaced needles.
Cleavage| Perfect on {001}, poor on {010} and {100}
Fracture| Uneven, flat surfaces
Tenacity| Flexible
Mohs scale hardness| 2
|re|er}}| Adamantine to metallic
Streak| Red
Diaphaneity| Opaque, translucent in thin fragments
Specific gravity| 4.8 – 4.88 meas. 4.98 calc.
Optical properties| Biaxial (–)
Refractive index| >= 2.72
Pleochroism| Weak; strongly anisotropic
References| [1][2][3]

Livingstonite is a mercury antimony sulfosalt mineral. It occurs in low-temperature hydrothermal veins associated with cinnabar, stibnite, sulfur and gypsum.

It was first described in 1874 for an occurrence in Huitzuco de los Figueroa, Guerrero, Mexico. It was named to honor Scottish explorer of Africa, David Livingstone.[5]

Its crystal structure was determined in 1957[6] and redetermined in 1975.[7]

## References

1. ↑ http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/livingstonite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy
2. ↑ http://www.mindat.org/min-2424.html Mindat
3. ↑ http://webmineral.com/data/Livingstonite.shtml Webmineral data
4. ↑ 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.
5. ↑ Barcena, M (1874). "On livingstonite, a new mineral". American Journal of Science 108: 145–146.
6. ↑ Niizeki, N.; Buerger, M.J. (1957). "The crystal structure of livingstonite, HgSb4S8". Zeitschrift für Kristallographie 109 (1–6): 129–157. doi:10.1524/zkri.1957.109.1-6.129. Bibcode: 1957ZK....109..129N.
7. ↑ Srikrishnan, T.; Nowacki, W. (1975). "A redetermination of the crystal structure of livingstonite, HgSb4S8". Zeitschrift für Kristallographie 141 (3–4): 174–192. doi:10.1524/zkri.1975.141.3-4.174. Bibcode: 1975ZK....141..174S.

* Palache, C., H. Berman, and C. Frondel (1944) Dana's system of mineralogy, (7th edition), v. I, 485–486

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