pyrite

pyrite

a yellow mineral, found in igneous and metamorphic rocks and in veins. It is a source of sulphur and is used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. Composition: iron sulphide. Formula: FeS₂. Crystal structure: cubic

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

pyrite

[′pī‚rīt]

(mineralogy)

FeS₂ A hard, brittle, brass-yellow mineral with metallic luster, crystallizing in the isometric system; hardness is 6-6.5 on Mohs scale, and specific gravity is 5.02. Also known as common pyrite; fool's gold; iron pyrites; mundic.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Pyrite

 

(also iron pyrite), a mineral with the chemical composition FeS₂, containing 46.6 percent iron and 53.4 percent sulfur. Admixtures of Co, Ni, As, Cu, Au, and Se are common. The crystal structure is of the NaCl type, in which Fe occupies the position of Na, and the dumbbell-like S₂^2- pair, that of CI. Pyrite crystallizes in the isometric system, forming cubic, pyri-tohedral, and, less often, octahedral crystals. Most often it is massive or granular. It has a pale brass-yellow color and a metallic luster. Its hardness on Mohs’ scale is 6–6.5, and the density ranges from 4,900 to 5,200 kg/m³.

Pyrite is most widely distributed in hydrothermal deposits and in pyrite veins, in which large amounts of the mineral are concentrated. It serves as the raw material for the production of sulfuric acid, sulfur, and copperas (ferrous sulfate). Pyrite deposits in the USSR are found in the Ural Mountains (Degtiarka and Kalata deposits), the Altai, Kazakhstan, and Transcaucasia. Deposits are also found in Norway, Spain (Rio Tinto), Italy, Cyprus, USA, Canada, and Japan.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.