altaite

Altaite, or 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).

Key facts

Mineral.name: Altaite
Mineral.category: Telluride mineral
Mineral.image: Altaite-170094.jpg
Mineral.caption: Silvery veins and flecks of altaite throughout the matrix from the Hilltop Mine, Organ District, Doña Ana County, New Mexico (size: 3.5 × 2.9 × 1.9 cm)
Mineral.formula: PbTe
Mineral.IMAsymbol: Alt
Mineral.molweight: 334.8 g/mol
Mineral.strunz: 2.CD.10
Mineral.system: Isometric
Mineral.class: Hexoctahedral (mm) H-M symbol: (4/m 2/m)
Mineral.symmetry: Fmm
Mineral.color: tin white to yellowish white; tarnishing to bronze yellow
Mineral.habit: include cubic and octahedral crystals; but much more commonly found in massive and granular forms
Mineral.cleavage: perfect in three directions forming cubes
Mineral.fracture: Uneven
Mineral.mohs: 2.5 – 3
Mineral.luster: metallic
Mineral.streak: Black

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Wikidata facts

Image: Altaite in rock Lead Telluride Hilltop Mine Organ Mountains Dona Ana County New Mexico 2261.jpg

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chemical formula: PbTe
Commons category: Altaite
Nickel-Strunz 9th edition (updated 2009): 2.CD.10
Nickel-Strunz '10th ed', review of (9th ed/ 2009 update): 2.CD.10
IMA Mineral Symbol: Alt
Strunz 8th edition (series ID, updated): II/B.11

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Altaite was discovered in 1845 in the Altai Mountains. Besides these mountains altaite can also be found in Zyryanovsk, Kazakhstan; the Ritchie Creek Deposit in Price County, Wisconsin; the Koch-Bulak gold deposit in Kazakhstan; Moctezuma, Mexico; and Coquimbo, Chile among other locations.