Table of Contents
Galena, Cubic, Approximately 2.5″-3″ Length, 1 1/4lbs., Single Piece
Galena is most abundant and widely found sulfide mineral and other name is lead glance .It is most important minerals of lead and silver. Crystal system is cubic, isometric system and xpl features not observed. It is often associated with the minerals sphalerite, calcite and fluorite.
Name: The name is derived from the Latin galena, a name originally given to lead ore.
Crystallography. Isometric; hexoctahedral. The most common form is the cube. The octahedron sometimes is present as truncations to the cube.. Dodecahedron and trisoctahedron rare.
Composition. Lead sulfide, PbS. Pb = 8 6 . 6 per cent, S = 13.4 per cent. Analyses almost always show the presence of silver. It may also contain small amounts of selenium, zinc , cadmium, antimony, bismuth , and copper.
Diagnostic Features: It can be easily recognized b y its good cleavage, high specific gravity , softness, and black streak
Alteration: By oxidation galena is converted into the sulfate anglesite, and the carbo nate cerussite
Chemical Properties
Chemical Classification | Sulfide mineral, octahedral subgroup |
Chemical Composition | PbS |
Galena Physical Properties
Color | Lead gray and silvery |
Streak | Lead gray |
Luster | Metallic on cleavage planes |
Diaphaneity | Opaque |
Mohs Hardness | 2.5–2.75 |
Specific Gravity | 7.2–7.6 |
Diagnostic Properties | High specific gravity |
Crystal System | Cubic |
Galena Optical Properties
Crystal Habit | Cubes and octahedra, blocky, tabular and sometimes skeletal crystals |
Cleavage | Cubic perfect, parting on |
Color/Pleochroism | Isotropic and opaque |
Optical Extinction | Isotropic and opaque |
Twinning | Contact, penetration and lamellar |
Optic Sign | Isotropic and opaque |
Birefringence | Isotropic and opaque |
Relief | Isotropic and opaque |
Occurrence
Galena occurs in a number of environments, such as hydrothermal veins (formed under various temperatures), metamorphic deposits, and in pegmatites. Limestones and dolostones are common in host rocks.
Some of the minerals with which galena is associated are spharelite, marcasite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, siderite, silver minerals, dolomite, quartz, and many other hydrothermal minerals.
Galena Uses
- It is by far the greatest ore of lead. The extraction process to remove the lead from the sulfur is very simple, thus lead has been extracted from Galena since the earliest times.
- It from certain regions is rich in silver, and some specimens may contain as much as 20 percent silver. Because of this, silver-rich Galena is also an ore of silver. Another use of Galena was its importance in early radio devices.
References
• Bonewitz, R. (2012). Rocks and minerals. 2nd ed. London: DK Publishing.
• Dana, J. D. (1864). Manual of Mineralogy… Wiley.
• Handbookofmineralogy.org. (2019). Handbook of Mineralogy. [online] Available at: http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org [Accessed 4 Mar. 2019].
• Mindat.org. (2019): Mineral information, data and localities.. [online] Available at: https://www.mindat.org/ [Accessed. 2019].