Galena (original) (raw)

Lustre:

Metallic, Sub-Metallic, Dull

Name:

Named by Pliny the Elder in 77-79 from the Greek "galene" meaning "lead ore".

Galena Group.

Galena is the primary ore mineral of lead. Worked for its lead and silver contents (the latter as minute inclusions of various silver sulphosalts) as early as 3000 BC, it is found in ore veins with sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, tennantite-tetrahedrite, etc. and in skarns, as well as in sedimentary rocks where it may replace carbonate beds or be deposited in pore spaces. The crystals are bright when fresh but often tarnish after exposure to air.
The most common weathering products are cerussite and anglesite.

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:1641:0

3a1ccbd7-a21e-4ee5-9689-92235718ba11

Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)

2.CD.10

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
C : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)
D : With Sn, Pb, Hg, etc.

2.8.1.1

2 : SULFIDES
8 : AmXp, with m:p = 1:1

3.6.5

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
6 : Sulphides etc. of Sb and Pb

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Please only use the official IMA–CNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.

Metallic, Sub-Metallic, Dull

Hardness:

VHN100=79 - 104 kg/mm2 - Vickers

Parting:

{111}; may be caused by exsolution lamellae (e.g. bismuth and bismuthinite, Meixner & Paar (1977); see also Ramdohr, 1975).

Density:

7.60 g/cm3 (Measured) 7.57 g/cm3 (Calculated)

Reflectivity:

Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Top of box is 100%. Peak reflectance is 51.9%.

Colour in reflected light:

White

Comments:

Often will form triangular pits in poorly polished sections.

Common Impurities:

Ag,Cu,Fe,Bi

Class (H-M):

m_3_m _(_4/_m_32/m ) - Hexoctahedral

Cell Parameters:

a = 5.9362 Å

Unit Cell V:

209.18 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Morphology:

Cubes, octahedrons, cube-octahedron combinations and rarely dodecahedrons.
Rarely, platy twins.

Twinning:

Spinel-type {111}, lamellar {114}

Crystal Atlas:

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ID	Species	Reference	Link	Year	Locality	Pressure (GPa)	Temp (K)
0000003	Galena	Ramsdell L S (1925) The crystal structures of some metallic sulfides American Mineralogist 10 281-304		1925	Colorado, USA	0	293
0010042	Galena	Noda Y, Masumoto K, Ohba S, Saito Y, Toriumi K, Iwata Y, Shibuya I (1987) Temperature dependence of atomic thermal parameters of lead chalcogenides, PbS, PbSe and PbTe Acta Crystallographica C43 1443-1445		1987	synthetic	0	293
0010043	Galena	Noda Y, Masumoto K, Ohba S, Saito Y, Toriumi K, Iwata Y, Shibuya I (1987) Temperature dependence of atomic thermal parameters of lead chalcogenides, PbS, PbSe and PbTe Acta Crystallographica C43 1443-1445		1987	synthetic	0	293
0010044	Galena	Noda Y, Masumoto K, Ohba S, Saito Y, Toriumi K, Iwata Y, Shibuya I (1987) Temperature dependence of atomic thermal parameters of lead chalcogenides, PbS, PbSe and PbTe Acta Crystallographica C43 1443-1445		1987	synthetic	0	293
0010045	Galena	Noda Y, Masumoto K, Ohba S, Saito Y, Toriumi K, Iwata Y, Shibuya I (1987) Temperature dependence of atomic thermal parameters of lead chalcogenides, PbS, PbSe and PbTe Acta Crystallographica C43 1443-1445		1987	synthetic	0	293
0010046	Galena	Noda Y, Masumoto K, Ohba S, Saito Y, Toriumi K, Iwata Y, Shibuya I (1987) Temperature dependence of atomic thermal parameters of lead chalcogenides, PbS, PbSe and PbTe Acta Crystallographica C43 1443-1445		1987	synthetic	0	293
0011372	Galena	Wyckoff R W G (1963) Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York rocksalt structure Crystal Structures 1 85-237	1963	0	293

CIF Raw Data - click here to close

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Radiation - Copper Kα

Data Set:

Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

Powder Diffraction Data:

Comments:

ICDD 5-592 Synthetic

Other Members of this group:

Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:

Electrical:

Semiconductor - used as a point contact diode in early radio wireless sets.

Thermal Behaviour:

In an open tube, gives sulfurous fumes.

Notes:

Decomposed by strong nitric acid, with the separation of some sulfur and the formation of lead sulfate.

Health Risks:

Contains lead - always wash hands after handling. Avoid inhaling dust when breaking. Do not lick or ingest.

Industrial Uses:

Principal ore of lead. Often contains silver and is a frequent ore of that metal as well.

Reference List:

Lueth, V. W., Megaw, P. K. M., Pingitore, N. E., Goodell, P. C. (2000) Systematic Variation in Galena Solid-Solution Compositions atSanta Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico. Economic Geology, 95 (8) 1673-1687 doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.95.8.1673

Showing 35 significant localities out of 29,746 recorded on mindat.org.

This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.