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Miersite

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Big Photo

Kintore Opencut, Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia
© Fritz Schreiber

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Formula:
(Ag,Cu)I
System:IsometricColour:Yellow
Hardness:2½ - 3
Member of:Chlorargyrite Group
Name:After Henry A. Miers (1858-1942), Professor of Mineralogy, Oxford, England.


Marshite-Miersite Series.

Classification of Miersite

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Strunz 8th edition ID:3/A.01-30
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:3.AA.05

3 : HALIDES
A : Simple halides, without H2O
A : M:X = 1:1, 2:3, 3:5, etc.
Dana 8th edition ID:9.1.7.2

9 : NORMAL HALIDES
1 : AX
Hey's CIM Ref.:8.3.5

8 : Halides - Fluorides, Chlorides, Bromides and Iodides; also Fluoborates and Fluosilicates
3 : Halides of Ag
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Type Occurrence of Miersite

Type Locality:Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia
Year of Discovery:1898
Associated Minerals at type locality:
WadMalachiteLimoniteIodargyriteCuprite
Cerussite

Physical Properties of Miersite

Lustre:Adamantine
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Transparent
Colour:Yellow
Streak:Yellow
Hardness (Mohs):2½ - 3
Tenacity:Brittle
Cleavage:Perfect
On {011}.
Fracture:Conchoidal
Density (measured):5.64 g/cm3
Density (calculated):5.67 g/cm3

Crystallography of Miersite

Crystal System:Isometric
Class (H-M):4 3m - Hextetrahedral
Space Group:F4 3m
Cell Parameters:a = 6.5Å
Unit Cell Volume:V 274.63 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Morphology:Tetrahedral, often with small faces of {01}; cubo-octahedral rare by equal development of {001}, {111}, and {111}. {001} striated parallel to the edges with the tetrahedral faces. o differences exhibited by the positive and negative tetrahedra. Crusts; aggregates of indistinct crystals.
Twinning:On {011}, repeated at times.

Epitaxial Relationships of Miersite

Epitaxial Minerals:
Iodargyrite
AgI
Epitaxi Comments:Oriented intergrowths with iodargyrite.

Chemical Properties of Miersite

Formula:
(Ag,Cu)I
Essential elements:Ag, I
All elements listed in formula:Ag, Cu, I

Relationship of Miersite to other Species

Series:Forms a series with Marshite (see here)
Member of:Chlorargyrite Group
Other Members of Group:

- +
Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- +
3.AA.05Marshite
CuI
3.AA.05Nantokite
CuCl
3.AA.05UM1999-11:I:CuS
Cu(I,S)
3.AA.10Iodargyrite
AgI
3.AA.10Tocornalite
(Ag,Hg)I
3.AA.15Bromargyrite
AgBr
3.AA.15Chlorargyrite
AgCl
3.AA.20Carobbiite
KF
3.AA.20Griceite
LiF
3.AA.20Halite
NaCl
3.AA.20Sylvite
KCl
3.AA.20Villiaumite
NaF
3.AA.25Salammoniac
NH
 
4
Cl
3.AA.25UM1998-03-Cl:Tl
TlCl
3.AA.25Lafossaite
Tl(Cl,Br)
3.AA.30Calomel
(Hg
+
2
)Cl
 
2
3.AA.30Kuzminite
(Hg
+
2
)(Br,Cl)
 
2
3.AA.30Moschelite
(Hg
+
2
)I
 
2
3.AA.35Neighborite
NaMgF
 
3
3.AA.40Chlorocalcite
KCaCl
 
3
3.AA.45Kolarite
PbTeCl
 
2
3.AA.50Radhakrishnaite
PbTe
 
3
(Cl,S)
 
2
3.AA.55Challacolloite
KPb
 
2
Cl
 
5
3.AA.60Hephaistosite
TlPb
 
2
Cl
 
5
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
8.3.1Chlorargyrite
AgCl
8.3.2Bromargyrite
AgBr
8.3.3Bromian Chlorargyrite
Ag(Cl,Br)
8.3.4Iodargyrite
AgI

Other Names for Miersite

Other Languages:
German:Miersit
Russian:Майерсит
Spanish:Miersita

Other Information

Fluorescence in UV light:None
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 Miersite

Reference List:

- +
Spencer (1898) Nature: 57: 574.

Spencer (1901) Mineralogical Magazine: 13: 38-53, 186-190.

Prior (1902) Mineralogical Magazine: 13: 189.

Quercigh (1914) Acc. Linc., Rend.: 23: 441, 711, 825.

Aminoff (1922), Geol. För. Förh.: 44: 444.

Barth and Lunde (1926) Zs. phys. Chem.: 122: 293.

Kolkmeijer and van Hengel (1934) Zs. Kr.: 88: 317.

Palache, Charles, Harry Berman & Clifford Frondel (1951), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana Yale University 1837-1892, Volume II: Halides, Nitrates, Borates, Carbonates, Sulfates, Phosphates, Arsenates, Tungstates, Molybdates, Etc. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 7th edition, revised and enlarged: 19-20.

Mineralogical Magazine (1998): 62: 471-475.

Philosophical Magazine: 42: 262-263.

Internet Links for Miersite

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  • Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project
  • American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database
  • Miersite details from Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF)
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    • Specimens:The following Miersite specimens are currently listed for sale on minfind.com.
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    • Localities for Miersite

    The map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.
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    (TL) indicates type locality. ? indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality. All other localities listed without reference should be considered as uncertain and unproven until references can be found.
    Australia
     
    • New South Wales
      • Yancowinna Co.
    		Nature (1896) 57, 574
    South Australian Museum specimen in the collection of Brent Thorne
    Nature (1896) 57, 574
    Chile
     
    • Antofagasta Region
      • El Loa Province
        • Calama
          • Chuquicamata District
    		Miersite - xray identification by Willard Roberts SDSM Aug/77.
    Mexico
     
    • Sonora
      • Mun. de Moctezuma
    		Lapis 2001(1), 11-40
    Russia
     
    • Western-Siberian Region
      • Altaiskii Krai
        • Rudnyi Altai
    		Minerals offered by Excalibur minerals, July 2009; Pekov, I.V., Lykova, I.S., Bryzgalov, I.A., Ksenofontov, D.A., Zyryanova, L.A. & Litvinov, N.D. (2010): Extremely rich iodide mineralization at the Rubtsovskoe base metal deposit (North West Altay, Russia) and its genesis. 20th General Meeting of the IMA (IMA2010), Budapest, Hungary, August 21-27, CD of Abstracts, p. 416.
    USA
     
    • Arizona
      • Cochise Co.
        • Mule Mts
          • Warren District
    		[MinRec 24:421]
    Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd.ed.: 298; Graeme, R. (1993), Bisbee revisited, Min.Rec.: 24: 421-436.
      • Pima Co.
        • Tohono O'odom (Papago) Indian Reservation
          • Comobabi Mts
            • Cababi District (Comobabi District)
              • Ko Vaya
                • Mildren Mine group
    		Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd.ed.: 298; Williams, S.A, (1963), Oxidation of sulfide ores in the Mildren and Steppe mining districts, Pima Co., AZ, Econ.Geol.: 58: 1119-1125.
    Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd.ed.: 298; Williams, S.A, (1963), Oxidation of sulfide ores in the Mildren and Steppe mining districts, Pima Co., AZ, Econ.Geol.: 58: 1119-1125.
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