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Dzhezkazgan Mine (Zhezqazghan Mine), Dzhezkazgan (Zhezqazghan), Karagandy Province (Qaragandy Oblysy; Karaganda Oblast'), Kazakhstan© Leon Hupperichs

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Formula: Cu 5

FeS 4

System: Orthorhombic Colour: Copper-red to ...Lustre: Metallic Hardness: 3Name:

Originally included with kupferkies in 1725 by Johann Friedrich Henckel. Later assigned various multi-word Latin names by Johan Gottschalk Wallerius in 1747 and variously further translated including "purple copper ore" and variegated copper ore in 1802 by Rene Just Haüy. Also called as buntkupfererz by Abraham Gottlieb Werner in 1791. Named "phillipsite" in 1832 by Wilhelm Sulpice Beudant. Remamed 1845 by Wilhelm Karl von Haidinger in honor of Ignaz von Born (1742-1791), Austrian mineralogist and invertebrate zoologist.

Important copper ore.Typically found as massive metallic material, it has a copper-red color on fresh exposures which quickly

tarnishes to an iridescent purple after exposure to air and moisture.May be confused with tarnished chalcopyrite.

Classification of BorniteIMA status:Approved 1962Strunz 8th edition ID:2/B.02-30Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:2.BA.15

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)B : Metal Sulfides, M: S > 1: 1 (mainly 2: 1)A : With Cu, Ag, AuDana 7th edition ID:2.5.2.1Dana 8th edition ID:2.5.2.1

2 : SULFIDES5 : AmBnXp, with (m+n):p = 3:2Hey's CIM Ref.:3.1.23

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)1 : Sulphides etc. of Cumindat.org URL:http://www.mindat.org/min-727.htmlPlease feel free to link to this page.

Occurrences of BorniteGeological Setting:Common and widespread in copper ore deposits. It also occurs in basic intrusives, in dikes, in contact metamorphic deposits, in quartz veins and in pegmatites.

Physical Properties of BorniteLustre:MetallicDiaphaneity

(Transparency):Opaque

Colour:Copper-red to pinchbeck-brown, quickly tarnishing to an iridescent purplish surface.

Streak:Grey-Black

Hardness (Mohs):3

Hardness (Vickers):VHN100=92 kg/mm2

Hardness Data:Measured

Tenacity:Brittle

Cleavage:Poor/IndistinctIn traces on {111}.Parting:None.

Fracture:Irregular/UnevenDensity (measured):5.06 - 5.09 g/cm3

Density (calculated):5.09 g/cm3

Crystallography of BorniteCrystal System:OrthorhombicClass

(H-M):mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) – Dipyramidal

Space Group:Pbca {P21/b 21/c 21/a}

Cell Parameters:a = 10.95Å, b = 21.862Å, c = 10.95ÅRatio:a:b:c = 0.501 : 1 : 0.501

Unit Cell Volume:V 2621.31 ųZ:16

Morphology:Crystals rare, usually blocky with rough curved faces, pseudo-cubic, pseudo-dodecohedral and rarely pseudo-octahedral. Forms noted: {001}, {011}, {111}, {112}, {223} and {335}.

Twinning:On {111}, often as penetration twins.Comment:Various, mostly temperature-dependent supercells are known

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