Editing Germanite

{{Short description|Rare copper iron germanium sulfide mineral}}
{{Infobox mineral
| name = Germanite
| category = [[Sulfide mineral]]
| boxwidth =
| boxbgcolor = 
| image = Germanite-231229.jpg
| imagesize   = 260
| caption = Germanite, probably from the [[Tsumeb]] Mine, [[Oshikoto Region]], Namibia.
| formula = Cu<sub>26</sub>Ge<sub>4</sub>Fe<sub>4</sub>S<sub>32</sub><ref>American Mineralogist (1984) 69:943-947</ref>
| IMAsymbol   = Ger<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Warr|first=L.N.|date=2021|title=IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols|journal=Mineralogical Magazine|volume=85|issue=3|pages=291–320|doi=10.1180/mgm.2021.43|bibcode=2021MinM...85..291W|s2cid=235729616|doi-access=free}}</ref>
| molweight = 
| strunz = 2.CB.30
| dana = 2.9.4.2
| system = Isometric
| class = Hextetrahedral ({{overline|4}}3m) <br/>[[H-M symbol]]: ({{overline|4}} 3m)
| symmetry = ''P''{{overline|4}}3n
| color = Reddish grey tarnishing to dark brown
| habit = Usually massive; rarely as minute cubic crystals
| cleavage = None
| tenacity = Brittle
| mohs = 4
| luster = Metallic
| streak = Dark grey to black
| gravity = 4.4 to 4.6
| density = 
| diaphaneity = Opaque
| other = Cell data: a = 10.585 [[Ångstrom|Å]] Z = 1<ref name=Mindat/>
| references = <ref name=Webmin>http://webmineral.com/data/Germanite.shtml Webmineral</ref><ref name=Handbook>http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/germanite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy</ref>
}}
'''Germanite''' is a rare [[copper]] [[iron]] [[germanium]] [[sulfide mineral]], Cu<sub>26</sub>Fe<sub>4</sub>Ge<sub>4</sub>S<sub>32</sub>.  It was first discovered in 1922, and named for its germanium content.<ref name=Mindat/>  It is only a minor source of this important semiconductor element, which is mainly derived from the processing of the zinc sulfide mineral [[sphalerite]].<ref>U.S. Geological Survey (2008), "Germanium—Statistics and Information", U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/germanium/</ref>  Germanite contains [[gallium]], [[zinc]], [[molybdenum]], [[arsenic]], and [[vanadium]] as impurities.<ref name=Mindat/>

Its [[Type locality (geology)|type locality]] is the Tsumeb Mine in [[Namibia]] where it occurs in a [[hydrothermal]] [[polymetallic]] [[ore deposit]] in [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomite]] in association with [[renierite]], [[pyrite]], [[tennantite]], [[enargite]], [[galena]], [[sphalerite]], [[digenite]], [[bornite]] and [[chalcopyrite]].<ref name=Handbook/> It has also been reported from [[Argentina]], [[Armenia]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Cuba]], [[Democratic Republic of Congo]] (Zaire), [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Greece]], [[Japan]], [[Republic of Congo]] (Brazzaville), [[Russia]] and the [[United States]].<ref name=Mindat>http://www.mindat.org/min-1681.html Mindat.org</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! X-Ray Powder Diffraction<ref>Dana's New Mineralogy, 8th edition, Gaines et al., Wiley</ref>
|-
| d spacing
| 3.05
| 2.65
| 1.87
| 1.60
| 1.32
| 1.21
| 1.08
| 1.02
|-
| relative intensity
| 10
| 1
| 7
| 4
| 1
| 2
| 2
| 1
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

[[Category:Copper minerals]]
[[Category:Iron minerals]]
[[Category:Sulfide minerals]]
[[Category:Germanium minerals]]
[[Category:Cubic minerals]]
[[Category:Minerals in space group 218]]


{{sulfide-mineral-stub}}