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Achavalite

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Formula:
(Fe,Cu)Se
System:HexagonalColour:dark grey
Lustre:MetallicHardness:2½
Member of:Nickeline Group
Name:Named after L. Achaval


Never adequately described, in need of modern reinvestigation.

Massive granular.

Classification of Achavalite

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Explanation of status:Grandfathered, but never adequately described. Attempts to find more material at Cacheuta for further study have been unsuccessful. (Brodtkorb (2002): Las Especies Minerales de la Republica Argentina)
Strunz 8th edition ID:2/C.19-60
Strunz 9th edition ID:2.CC.05
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:2.CC.05

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
C : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)
C : With Ni, Fe, Co, PGE, etc.
Hey's CIM Ref.:3.9.8

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
9 : Sulphides etc. of Fe
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Type Occurrence of Achavalite

Type Locality:Cacheuta Mine, Cerro de Cacheuta, Sierra de Cacheuta, Mendoza, Argentina
Year of Discovery:1939
Geological Setting of type material:selenide deposit

Physical Properties of Achavalite

Lustre:Metallic
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Opaque
Colour:dark grey
Streak:grey-black
Hardness (Mohs):2½

Crystallography of Achavalite

Crystal System:Hexagonal

Chemical Properties of Achavalite

Formula:
(Fe,Cu)Se
Essential elements:Fe, Se
All elements listed in formula:Cu, Fe, Se
Analytical Data:Fe and Se were the only elements detectable by blowpipe. Quantitative analyses not recorded.
Relationship of Achavalite to other Species
Member of:Nickeline Group
Other Members of Group:

- + 
Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- + 
2.CC.UM2007-26-S:CuFeIrNiPtRh
(Ir,Cu,Ni,Pt,Rh,Fe)
 
9
S
 
11
2.CC.05Breithauptite
NiSb
2.CC.05Freboldite
CoSe
2.CC.05Kotulskite
Pd(Te,Bi)
 
1-2
2.CC.05Langisite
(Co,Ni)As
2.CC.05Nickeline
NiAs
2.CC.05Sederholmite
beta-NiSe
2.CC.05Sobolevskite
PdBi
2.CC.05Stumpflite
Pt(Sb,Bi)
2.CC.05Sudburyite
(Pd,Ni)Sb
2.CC.05Jaipurite
CoS
2.CC.05Zlatogorite
NiCuSb
 
2
2.CC.10Pyrrhotite
Fe
 
1-x
S (x = 0 to 0.17)
2.CC.10Smythite
(Fe,Ni)
 
3+x
S
 
4
 (x=0-0.3)
2.CC.10Troilite
FeS
2.CC.15Cherepanovite
RhAs
2.CC.15Modderite
(Co,Fe)As
2.CC.15Ruthenarsenite
(Ru,Ni)As
2.CC.15Westerveldite
(Fe,Ni,Co)As
2.CC.20Millerite
NiS
2.CC.20Mäkinenite
γ-NiSe
2.CC.20UM1990-38-S:CuFeIrNiPtRh
(Ir,Pt,Ni,Fe)S
2.CC.25Mackinawite
(Fe,Ni)
 
9
S
 
8
2.CC.30Hexatestibiopanickelite
Ni(Te,Sb)
2.CC.30Vavřínite
Ni
 
2
SbTe
 
2
2.CC.35aBraggite
(Pt,Pd,Ni)S
2.CC.35bCooperite
(Pt,Pd,Ni)S
2.CC.35aVysotskite
(Pd,Ni)S
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- + 
3.9.1Pyrrhotite
Fe
 
1-x
S (x = 0 to 0.17)
3.9.3Pyrite
FeS
 
2
3.9.4Marcasite
FeS
 
2
3.9.5Greigite
Fe
2+
 
Fe
3+
2
S
 
4
3.9.6Mackinawite
(Fe,Ni)
 
9
S
 
8
3.9.7Smythite
(Fe,Ni)
 
3+x
S
 
4
 (x=0-0.3)
3.9.9Ferroselite
FeSe
 
2
3.9.10Frohbergite
FeTe
 
2
3.9.11Löllingite
FeAs
 
2
3.9.12Arsenopyrite
FeAsS
3.9.13Gudmundite
FeSbS
Other Names for Achavalite
Other Languages:
German:Achavalit
Russian:Ачавалит
Simplified Chinese:硒铁矿
Spanish:Achavalita
Other Information
Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
References for Achavalite
Reference List:

- + 
Bol. Fac. Cienc. Univ. Cordoba 2/3-4 (1939), 72.



Min. Abs. (1953), 12, 236



Bernardini, Gian Piero; Mazzetti, Giuseppe (1979): Phase relations in the copper-iron-selenium system at 900 and 700C. Rendiconti della Societa Italiana di Mineralogia e Petrologia 35, 71-90.



Franz, E. D. (1972): X-ray diffraction data on mixed phases in the pyrite (FeS2)-ferroselite (FeSe2)/pyrrhotite (FeS)-achavalite (FeSe) system. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Monatshefte 1972, 276-280.



Strunz & Nickel (2001): Strunz Mineralogical Tables



Brodtkorb (2002): Las Especies Minerales de la Republica Argentina
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    • Localities for Achavalite
    






    


    

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    Argentina
     
    

    • Mendoza
    
    		Econ Geol (1997) 92:468-484
    



        • Cerro de Cacheuta
    
    		[Clark, 1993 - "Hey's Mineral Index, 3rd Edition"]
    China
     
    

    • Hubei Province
    

      • Enshi (E'xi) Autonomous Prefecture
    

        • Enshi Co.
    

          • Shuanghe
    
    		Handong Qian, Zhenghua Zhao, Xiang Zheng, Chengyi Lin, Jiahu Zeng, Xuemei Wu, and Wu Chen (2006): Acta Geologica Sinica 80(11), 1706-1710
    

    


    

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