- Fukuchilite
Fukuchilite, Cu3FeS8, is a
copper iron sulfide named after the Japanesemineralogist Nobuyo Fukuchi, that occurs in ore bodies ofgypsum -anhydrite at the intersection points of small masses ofbarite ,covellite ,gypsum andpyrite , and is mostly found in theHanawa mine in theAkita prefecture ofHonshū ,Japan where it was first discovered in 1969. It occurs in masses within the third geologic unit of thekuroko type deposits within the mine.As a copper, iron sulfide, it is placed in the same group as
bornite andchalcopyrite , and most fukuchilite locations are found in relatively close proximity to these minerals. Fukuchilite was found to have a reflection color very similar to bornite and bright pinkish brown in air, while being a purplish brown in oil. Also, it was found to have a reactivity lower than pyrite, but distinctly higher than bornite. [Kajiwara, Yoshimichi. "Fukuchilite, Cu3FeS8, a New Mineral From the Hanawa Mine, Akita Prefecture, Japan." Mineralogical Journal 5 (1969): 400-415.] It has aMohs hardness of 6, aspecific gravity of 4.9, and a sub metallic luster, composed of 11.1% iron, 37.9% copper, and 51.00% of sulfur.Bayliss, Peter. "Crystal Chemestry of Some Minerals Within the Pyrite Group." American Minerologist 74 (1989): 1168-1176]It is in the
isotropic cubiccrystal system (2/M3bar), space group P a3. Much relating to the structure of the mineral is still under debate, and some believe that fukuchilite might actually be a form ofvillamaninite (Cu,Ni,Co,Fe)S2, [ [http://webmineral.com/data/Villamaninite.shtml Villamaninite Mineral Data ] ] but fukuchilite currently still holds its mineral status as there is currently not enough evidence to discredit an already accepted and titled mineral.References
* Terakado, Yasutaka, and Richard J. Walker. "Nd, Sr and Pb Isotopic and REE Geochemical Study of Some Miocene Submarine Hydrothermal Deposits (Kuroko Deposits) in Japan." Contributions to Minerology and Petrology 149 (2005): 388-399
* [http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/fukuchilite.pdf Mineral Handbook]
* [http://webmineral.com/data/Fukuchilite.shtml Webmineral data]
* [http://www.mindat.org/min-1620.html Mindat]
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