Altaite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Altaite | |
|---|---|
 Altaite from New Mexico
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| General | |
| Category | Mineral |
| Chemical formula | PbTe |
| Identification | |
| Molecular Weight | 334.8 g/mol |
| Color | tin white to yellowish white; tarnishing to bronze yellow |
| Crystal habit | include cubic and octahedral crystals; but much more commonly found in massive and granular forms |
| Crystal system | Isometric |
| Cleavage | perfect in three directions forming cubes |
| Fracture | Uneven |
| Mohs Scale hardness | 2.5 - 3 |
| Luster | metallic |
| Streak | Black |
| Specific gravity | 8.2 - 8.3 |
Altaite also known as lead telluride is a yellowish white mineral with an isometric crystal structure. Altaite is in the galena group of minerals as it shares many of properties of galena. Altaite has an unusually high density for a light colored mineral. Altaite and other rare tellurides are classified in the sulfide mineral class (Dana classification).
Altaite was discovered in 1845 in the Altai Mountains. Besides these mountains altaite can also be found in Zyrianovsk, Kazakhstan; the Ritchie Creek Deposit in Price County, Wisconsin; the Koch-Bulak gold deposit in Kazakhstan; Moctezuma, Mexico; and Coquimbo, Chile among other locations.
