Pyrargyrite

pyrargyrite

[pī′rär·jə‚rīt]

(mineralogy)

Ag₃SbS₃ A deep ruby-red to black mineral, crystallizing in the hexagonal system, occurring in massive form and in disseminated grains, and having an adamantine luster; hardness is 2.5 on Mohs scale, and specific gravity is 5.85; an important silver ore. Also known as dark-red silver ore; dark ruby silver.

Pyrargyrite

 

a mineral with composition Ag₃SbS_3, containing 59.76 percent Ag, 22.48 percent Sb, and 17.76 percent S. Pyrargyrite crystallizes in the trigonal system. It occurs as irregularly shaped grains and their aggregates and in the form of prismatic crystals. It is dark red, with an adamantine luster. A brittle mineral, it has a hardness of 2.5 on Mohs’ scale and a density of 5,770–5,860 kg/m³.

Pyrargyrite is not a widely occurring mineral. It forms in hydrothermal deposits at moderate or low temperatures. In the USSR, deposits are found in the Urals, Middle Asia, Transbaikalia, the Yakut ASSR, and the Far East. Other deposits are found in the German Democratic Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, Czechoslovakia, Mexico, Chile, and Bolivia. Along with other silver-bearing minerals, pyrargyrite is an important ore of silver.