File:Molybdenite-chalcopyrite (latest Cretaceous to earliest Tertiary, 62-66 Ma; Continental Pit, Butte Mining District, Montana, USA) (18620226073).jpg
Molybdenite-chalcopyrite_(latest_Cretaceous_to_earliest_Tertiary,_62-66_Ma;_Continental_Pit,_Butte_Mining_District,_Montana,_USA)_(18620226073).jpg (713 × 390 pixels, file size: 267 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)
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[edit]DescriptionMolybdenite-chalcopyrite (latest Cretaceous to earliest Tertiary, 62-66 Ma; Continental Pit, Butte Mining District, Montana, USA) (18620226073).jpg |
Molybdenite-chalcopyrite from Montana, USA. (photo by Nicole Anderson) Silvery-gray = molybdenite Brassy gold = chalcopyrite (CuFeS2 - copper iron sulfide) A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 4900 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates. The sulfide minerals contain one or more sulfide anions (S-2). The sulfides are usually considered together with the arsenide minerals, the sulfarsenide minerals, and the telluride minerals. Many sulfides are economically significant, as they occur commonly in ores. The metals that combine with S-2 are mainly Fe, Cu, Ni, Ag, etc. Most sulfides have a metallic luster, are moderately soft, and are noticeably heavy for their size. These minerals will not form in the presence of free oxygen. Under an oxygen-rich atmosphere, sulfide minerals tend to chemically weather to various oxide and hydroxide minerals. Molybdenite is a molybdenum sulfide mineral (MoS2). It has hexagonal crystals, metallic luster, a bright silvery color, and a dark gray streak. It is fairly soft (H=2) and has one cleavage. Molybdenite is especially distinctive in being flexible - thin scales or plates of molybdenite will easily bend but won't snap back into shape like biotite or muscovite mica. Molybdenite is nearly identical to graphite (C) in its physical characteristics (see: www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/sets/72157650963514503). Graphite is a principally a metamorphic mineral. Molybdenite is usually an igneous mineral, occurring in hydrothermal veins and pegmatites. It also occurs in some contact metamorphic rocks (skarns - www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/sets/72157646562268189). The molybdenite-chalcopyrite specimen shown above is from a hydrothermal vein in Montana's Butte Mining District. Butte was the top copper producer on Earth for many decades. In that area, hydrothermal veins have intruded and altered the Butte Quartz Monzonite (Butte Pluton, mid-Campanian Stage, late Late Cretaceous, 76 million years), a large intrusive igneous mass forming part of the Boulder Batholith. Copper sulfide-rich hydrothermal vein intrusion occurred at about 62 to 66 million years, around the time of the Cretaceous-Tertiary transition. This specimen is from the only currently active mine in Butte - the Continental Pit. The sample contains the two ore minerals that are the mining targets at Continental Pit - chalcopyrite, for its copper, and molybdenite, for its molybdenum. Locality: Continental Pit, Butte Mining District, northeastern Silver Bow County, southwestern Montana, USA (46° 00' 37.39" North, 112° 28' 42.36" West) Photo gallery of molybdenite: www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=2746 |
Date | |
Source | Molybdenite-chalcopyrite (latest Cretaceous to earliest Tertiary, 62-66 Ma; Continental Pit, Butte Mining District, Montana, USA) |
Author | James St. John |
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by jsj1771 at https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/18620226073. It was reviewed on 15 July 2015 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0. |
15 July 2015
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current | 22:04, 15 July 2015 | 713 × 390 (267 KB) | Natuur12 (talk | contribs) | Transferred from Flickr via Flickr2Commons |
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Orientation | Normal |
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Horizontal resolution | 72 dpi |
Vertical resolution | 72 dpi |
Software used | Adobe Photoshop Elements 13.0 (Macintosh) |
File change date and time | 14:20, 28 June 2015 |
Y and C positioning | Centered |
Exif version | 2.21 |
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Supported Flashpix version | 1 |
Color space | Uncalibrated |
Date and time of digitizing | 10:13, 28 June 2015 |
Date metadata was last modified | 10:20, 28 June 2015 |
Unique ID of original document | 5F12FD6DE73B138AC5B85B3E1B46D769 |