Merenskyite
Encyclopedia
Merenskyite is a rare telluride
/ bismuthinide mineral
with formula: (Pd,Pt)(Te,Bi)2. It is an opaque white to light gray metallic mineral that occurs as inclusions within other minerals such as chalcopyrite
. It crystallizes in the trigonal crystal system
.
It was first described in 1966 for an occurrence in the Merensky Reef
of the Western Bushveld Igneous Complex
, South Africa
, and named for South African geologist Hans Merensky
(1871-1952).
Telluride mineral
A telluride mineral is a mineral that has the telluride anion as a main component.Tellurides are similar to sulfides and are grouped with them in both the Dana and Strunz mineral classification systems.Examples include:* calaverite* hessite* rickardite...
/ bismuthinide mineral
Bismuth
Bismuth is a chemical element with symbol Bi and atomic number 83. Bismuth, a trivalent poor metal, chemically resembles arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth may occur naturally uncombined, although its sulfide and oxide form important commercial ores. The free element is 86% as dense as lead...
with formula: (Pd,Pt)(Te,Bi)2. It is an opaque white to light gray metallic mineral that occurs as inclusions within other minerals such as chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite is a copper iron sulfide mineral that crystallizes in the tetragonal system. It has the chemical composition CuFeS2. It has a brassy to golden yellow color and a hardness of 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale. Its streak is diagnostic as green tinged black.On exposure to air, chalcopyrite...
. It crystallizes in the trigonal crystal system
Crystal system
In crystallography, the terms crystal system, crystal family, and lattice system each refer to one of several classes of space groups, lattices, point groups, or crystals...
.
It was first described in 1966 for an occurrence in the Merensky Reef
Merensky Reef
The Merensky Reef, is a layer of igneous rock in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in the Transvaal which together with an underlying layer, the Upper Group 2 Reef , contains most of the world's known reserves of platinum group metals or platinum group elements - platinum, palladium, rhodium,...
of the Western Bushveld Igneous Complex
Bushveld igneous complex
The Bushveld Igneous Complex is a large layered igneous intrusion within the Earth's crust which has been tilted and eroded and now outcrops around what appears to be the edge of a great geological basin, the Transvaal Basin. Located in South Africa, the BIC contains some of the richest ore...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and named for South African geologist Hans Merensky
Hans Merensky
Hans Merensky was a German South African geologist, prospector, scientist, conservationist and philanthropist...
(1871-1952).