Galena

Baxter Springs, Picher Field, Tri-State District, Cherokee Co., Kansas, USA
© 2002 John H. Betts

Show Galena Photos (1077)

Formula:

PbS

System:

Isometric

Colour:

Lead-grey

Lustre:

Metallic, Dull

Hardness:

2½

Name:

From Greek "galene", lead ore

Galena is the primary ore mineral of lead. Worked for its lead content as early as 3000BC, it is found in ore veins with sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, fahlore etc., and in sedimentary rocks as beds or impregmentations. The crystals are bright when fresh but often receive a dull tarnish after exposure to air.

Classification of Galena

IMA status:

Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"

Strunz 8th edition ID:

2/C.15-40

Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:

2.CD.10

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
C : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)
D : With Sn, Pb, Hg, etc.

Dana 8th edition ID:

2.8.1.1

2 : SULFIDES
8 : A_mX_p, with m:p = 1:1

Hey's CIM Ref.:

3.6.5

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
6 : Sulphides etc. of Sb and Pb

mindat.org URL:

http://www.mindat.org/min-1641.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

Physical Properties of Galena

Lustre:

Metallic, Dull

Diaphaneity (Transparency):

Opaque

Colour:

Lead-grey

Streak:

Lead-grey

Hardness (Mohs):

2½

Hardness (Vickers):

VHN₁₀₀=79 - 104 kg/mm²

Tenacity:

Brittle

Cleavage:

Perfect
{001}

Parting:

{111}

Fracture:

Sub-Conchoidal

Density (measured):

7.58 g/cm³

Density (calculated):

7.57 g/cm³

Crystallography of Galena

Crystal System:

Isometric

Class (H-M):

m3m (4/m 3 2/m) - Hexoctahedral

Space Group:

Fm3m (F4/m 3 2/m)

Cell Parameters:

a = 5.936Å

Unit Cell Volume:

V 209.16 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Morphology:

Cubes, octahedrons

Twinning:

{111}, Lamellar {114}

Crystal Atlas:

Image Loading

Click on an icon to view

Galena no.1 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Galena no.2 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Galena no.4 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Galena no.23 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Galena no.37 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Galena no.45 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Galena no.46 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

Galena no.68 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

About Crystal Atlas

You may need to scroll this box using your mouse to view the full instructions.

The mindat.org Crystal Atlas allows you to view a selection of crystal drawings of real and idealised crystal forms for this mineral and, in certain cases, 3d rotating crystal objects. You need Java to see these. You can download Java for free - click here to download Java

The 3d models and java code are kindly provided by www.smorf.nl. You can control the movement of the models by holding down the left mouse-button over the 3d model and moving your mouse. Keyboard controls are:

: default positions

t/T	: decrease/increase transparency	x/X	: next/previous texture
b/B	: next/previous background	w	: toggle wireframe
s	: toggle sticks	m	: toggle miller indices
k	: toggle crystallographic axes	=/-	: zoom in/out
r	: stop/start rotation	1/2/3

Note: You will not be able to switch between different crystal models using the Opera 8.5x web browser due to a bug in Opera - you need to use either Firefox or Internet Explorer 6/7 or Opera 9.

Structure

Reference
Wyckoff R W G (1963) Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York rocksalt structure. Crystal Structures 1:85-237.

Show
Unit Cell | Structure | Polyhedra

Style
Black Background | White Background

Rotation
Stop | Start

Labels
Label Atoms | Off

More Crystal Structures
Click here to view more crystal structures at the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database

X-Ray Powder Diffraction:

Image Loading

Radiation - Copper Kα
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

Optical Data of Galena

Type:

Isotropic

Colour in reflected light:

White

Comments:

Often will form triangular pits in poorly polished sections.

Chemical Properties of Galena

Formula:

PbS

Essential elements:

Pb, S

All elements listed in formula:

Pb, S

Common Impurities:

Ag,Cu,Fe,Bi

Relationship of Galena to other Species

Series:

Forms a series with Clausthalite (see here)

2.CD.05

Herzenbergite

SnS

2.CD.05

Teallite

(Pb,Sn)SnS

2.CD.10

Alabandite

2.CD.10

Altaite

PbTe

2.CD.10

Clausthalite

PbSe

2.CD.10

Niningerite

(Mg,Fe

,Mn

2.CD.10

Oldhamite

(Ca,Mg)S

2.CD.10

Schapbachite

AgBiS

2.CD.10

Crerarite

(Pt,Pb)Bi

(S,Se)

4-x

2.CD.10

Cuboargyrite

AgSbS

2.CD.10

Keilite

(Fe

,Mg)S

2.CD.15

Bohdanowiczite

AgBiSe

2.CD.15

Matildite

AgBiS

2.CD.15

Volynskite

AgBiTe

2.CD.25

Cinnabar

HgS

2.CD.30

Tvalchrelidzeite

SbAsS

3.6.1

Herzenbergite

SnS

3.6.2

Ottemannite

beta Sn

3.6.3

Berndtite

SnS

3.6.4

Stistaite

SnSb

3.6.6

Clausthalite

PbSe

3.6.7

Altaite

PbTe

3.6.8

Furutobeite

(Cu,Ag)

PbS

3.6.9

Aschamalmite

3.6.10

Betekhtinite

(Fe,Pb)S

3.6.11

Shadlunite

(Pb,Cd)(Fe,Cu)

Other Names for Galena

Synonyms:

Acerilla	Carne de vaca	Galenite	Lead Glance	Lead-ore
Lead sulphide	Lead sulphuret	Parakobellite	Potter's Ore

French names:

German names:

Polish names:

Russian names:

Галенит

Spanish names:

Galenita

Parakobellita

Swedish names:

Blyglans

Varieties:

Argentiferous Galena	Auriferous Galena	Bismuthiferous Galena	Johnstonite (of Haidinger)	Plumbeine
Selenian Galena	U-Galena

Other Information

Fluorescence in UV light:

None.

Health Warning:

Contains lead - always wash hands after handling. Avoid inhaling dust when breaking. Do not lick.

Industrial Uses:

Principal ore of lead. Often contains silver and is a frequent ore of that metal as well.

References for Galena

Reference List:

Brown, J.S. (1936) Supergene sphalerite, galena, and willemite at Balmat, NY. Economic Geology: 31: 331-354.

Palache, Charles, Harry Berman & Clifford Frondel (1944), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana Yale University 1837-1892, Volume I: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts, Oxides. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 7th edition, revised and enlarged, 834pp.: 200-204.

Bedarida F.(1965) Osservazioni su fenomeni di sfaldatura in cristalli di galena. Periodico di Mineralogia – Roma pp. 337-354.

Augustithis, S.S. and Vgenopoulos, A. (1982) On the hawleyite-sphalerite-wurtzite-galena paragenesis from Ragada, Komotini, (Rhodope) North Greece. Special Publication of the Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits: 2: 413-417.

Franzini M., Troysi M., Cecchini A.(1984): La microdurezza della galena e le sue variazioni in funzione della temperatura. Rend. Soc. It. Min. Petr., 39, 717-723.

Canadian Mineralogist (1977): 15: 365-373.

Deore, S. and Navrotsky, A. (2006) Oxide melt solution calorimetry of sulfides: Enthalpy of formation of sphalerite, galena, greenockite, and hawleyite. American Mineralogist: 91: 400-403.