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Hauerite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  Mn²⁺S₂

Discovered in 1846 ;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
Hauerite is named in honor of Joseph Ritter von Hauer (1778-1863), and his son Franz Ritter von Hauer (1822-1899), Austrian geologists.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Sulphides

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

2/D.17-60

2 : Sulphides
D : Sulphides with metal: sulphur, selenium and tellurium < 1:1, Tellurides with Copper, Silver, Gold
17 : Pyrite group and related compounds, Fukuchilite - Micherenite

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Isometric - Diploidal

Crystal Habit:

Octahedral crystals common, also cubo-octahedral, to 5 cm; as globular aggregates.

Twinning:

None

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[100] Perfect, [010] Perfect, [001] Perfect

Fracture:

Uneven

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

4.0

Density:

3.463 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Reddish Brown, Brownish Black, Black

Transparency:

Opaque

Luster:

Metallic, Adamantine

Refractive Index:

2.690  Isotropic

Birefringence:

0.00  Isotropic

Dispersion:

n/a

Pleochroism:

None

Occurances

Geological Setting:

A low-temperature mineral commonly associated with solfataric waters, in clay deposits rich in sulfur, and from decomposed extrusive rocks.

Type Locality:

Kalinka, Víglašská Huta, Javorie Mts, Banská Bystrica Region, Slovak Republic

Year Discovered:

1846

View mineral photos:

Hauerite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Hauerite is a simple Manganese Sulfide that is a fairly rare mineral sought by by mineral collectors for its beautiful reddish black octahedral crystals. There are very few Hauerite mineral specimens available on the market, most are from old classic European collections, but faceted gems are almost impossible to find. It is rarely faceted since it is usually black to reddish black, opaque and does not have a very high polish. But, since there are Black Gem collectors out there, I am including it.

The main sources of Hauerite are Ronneburg Uranium deposit, Gera, Thuringia, Germany; Destricella mine, Raddusa, Catania Province, Sicily, Italy; Olkusz Mine, Olkusz District, Malopolskie, Poland and Jeziórko Mine, Tarnobrzeg, Podkarpackie, Poland. Hauerite is also found in the USA at the Gulf and Big Hill salt domes, Matagorda County; the High Island salt dome, Galveston County; the Boling salt dome, Wharton County; and the Fannett salt dome, Jefferson County, Texas.
 

  
Hauerite gems for sale:

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