boleite
Also known as boléite
Boleite is a complex halide mineral with formula: KPb26Ag9Cu24(OH)48Cl62. It was first described in 1891 as an oxychloride mineral. It is an isometric mineral which forms in deep-blue cubes. There are numerous minerals related to boleite, such as pseudoboleite, cumengite, and diaboleite, and these all have the same complex crystal structure. They all contain bright-blue cubic forms and are formed in altered zones of lead and copper deposits, produced during the reaction of chloride bearing solutions with primary sulfide minerals.
Key facts
- Mineral.name
- Boleite
- Mineral.category
- Halide mineral
- Mineral.boxbgcolor
- 4e57db
- Mineral.boxtextcolor
- fff
- Mineral.image
- Boleite-rom51c.jpg
- Mineral.imagesize
- 260px
- Mineral.formula
- KPb26Ag9Cu24(OH)48Cl62
- Mineral.IMAsymbol
- Bol
- Mineral.strunz
- 3.DB.15
- Mineral.system
- Isometric
- Mineral.class
- Hexoctahedral (mm) H-M symbol: (4/m 2/m)
- Mineral.symmetry
- Pmm
- Mineral.unit cell
Article
4 sectionsContents
- Physical properties
- Geologic occurrence
- References
- External links
Boleite is a complex halide mineral with formula: KPb26Ag9Cu24(OH)48Cl62. It was first described in 1891 as an oxychloride mineral. It is an isometric mineral which forms in deep-blue cubes. There are numerous minerals related to boleite, such as pseudoboleite, cumengite, and diaboleite, and these all have the same complex crystal structure. They all contain bright-blue cubic forms and are formed in altered zones of lead and copper deposits, produced during the reaction of chloride bearing solutions with primary sulfide minerals.
==Physical properties== The external property of a boleite crystal structure indicates its cubic structure. It is classified under the isometric crystal class. Boleite has a perfect cleavage in the [001] direction, and has a very dark glossy blue color with a light greenish-blue color streak. Twinning is best shown in this mineral by notches along the interpenetrated angles, which results in a crystal habit of pseudocubic penetration twinning along three different angles perpendicular to one another. Boleite has cubes over half an inch on each side, which consist of pseudo-octahedral tetragonal dipyramids.