Back Calaveriet Afrikaans كالافريت Arabic Calaverita AST Kalaverit Azerbaijani Calaverita Catalan Calaverit Czech Calaverit German Calaverita Spanish Calaberita Basque کالاوریت Persian
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| Calaverite | |
|---|---|
 Platy calaverite crystals on matrix from the Cripple Creek District (size: 6 x 5 x 3.5 cm) | |
| General | |
| Category | Telluride mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) | AuTe2 |
| IMA symbol | Clv[1] |
| Strunz classification | 2.EA.10 |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Space group | C2/m |
| Unit cell | a = 7.19 Å, b = 4.4 Å, c = 5.08 Å; β = 90.3°; Z = 2 |
| Identification | |
| Formula mass | 452.17 g/mol |
| Color | Brass yellow to silver white |
| Crystal habit | Bladed and slender striated prisms, also massive granular |
| Twinning | Common on [110] |
| Cleavage | None |
| Fracture | Uneven to subconchoidal |
| Tenacity | Brittle |
| Mohs scale hardness | 2.5–3 |
| Luster | Metallic |
| Streak | Green to yellow grey |
| Diaphaneity | Opaque |
| Specific gravity | 9.1–9.3 |
| Optical properties | Anisotropic |
| Pleochroism | Weak |
| Ultraviolet fluorescence | None |
| References | [2][3][4][5] |
Calaverite, or gold telluride, is an uncommon telluride of gold, a metallic mineral with the chemical formula AuTe2, with approximately 3% of the gold replaced by silver. It was first discovered in Calaveras County, California in 1861, and was named for the county in 1868.
The mineral often has a metallic luster, and its color may range from a silvery white to a brassy yellow. It is closely related to the gold-silver telluride mineral sylvanite, which, however, contains significantly more silver. Another AuTe2 mineral (but with a quite different crystal structure) is krennerite. Calaverite and sylvanite represent the major telluride ores of gold, although such ores are minor sources of gold in general. As a major gold mineral found in Western Australia, calaverite played a major role in the 1890s gold rushes in that area.
- ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
- ^ Mineralienatlas
- ^ Calaverite, Mindat.org, retrieved 14 October 2023
- ^ Barthelmy, David (2014). "Calaverite Mineral Data". Webmineral.com. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Anthony, John W.; Bideaux, Richard A.; Bladh, Kenneth W.; Nichols, Monte C. (2005). "Calaverite" (PDF). Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineral Data Publishing. Retrieved 3 August 2022.