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Chalcopyrite

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Tincroft Mine, Carn Brea Mine, Pool, Illogan, Camborne - Redruth - St Day District, Cornwall, England, UK
© fabreminerals.com

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Formula:
CuFeS
 
2
System:TetragonalColour:Brass yellow, often with ...
Lustre:MetallicHardness:3½ - 4
Name:From Greek "chalkos", copper, and "pyrites", strike fire.


Chalcopyrite-Eskebornite Series.

A major ore of Copper. Common in sulfide veins and disseminated in igneous rocks.

Classification of Chalcopyrite

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Strunz 8th edition ID:2/C.03-10
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:2.CB.10

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
C : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)
B : With Zn, Fe, Cu, Ag, etc.
Dana 7th edition ID:2.9.1.1
Dana 8th edition ID:2.9.1.1

2 : SULFIDES
9 : AmBnXp, with (m+n):p = 1:1
Hey's CIM Ref.:3.1.25

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

Geological Setting:It is the most abundant copper-bearing mineral and is widespread. It is a primary mineral in hydrothermal veins, disseminations and massive replacements; the principal copper mineral of porphyry-copper deposits.

Physical Properties of Chalcopyrite

Lustre:Metallic
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Opaque
Colour:Brass yellow, often with an iridescent tarnish.
Streak:Greenish black
Hardness (Mohs):3½ - 4
Hardness (Vickers):VHN100=187
Hardness Data:Measured
Tenacity:Brittle
Cleavage:Poor/Indistinct
Indistinct on {011}, sometimes distinct.
Fracture:Irregular/Uneven
Density (measured):4.1 - 4.3 g/cm3
Density (calculated):4.18 g/cm3

Crystallography of Chalcopyrite

Crystal System:Tetragonal
Class (H-M):4 2m - Scalenohedral
Space Group:I4 2d
Cell Parameters:a = 5.289Å, c = 10.423Å
Ratio:a:c = 1 : 1.971
Unit Cell Volume:V 291.57 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:4
Morphology:Typically found as equant to wedge-shaped tetrahedral crystals, often modified by scalenohedral faces. Major deposits of massive material are known.
Twinning:Twinned on {112} and {012}, penetration or cyclic.
Crystal Atlas:
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Chalcopyrite no.13 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Chalcopyrite no.19 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Chalcopyrite no.37 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Chalcopyrite no.58 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

About Crystal Atlas

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X-Ray Powder Diffraction:
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Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Horizontal Axis: ° to ° Vertical Axis: % Source Data: Filtered Data: Peaks:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
X-Ray Powder Diffraction:
d-spacingIntensity
3.04(100)
2.64(10)
1.87(20)
1.86(40)
1.59(300
1.57(10)
1.21(10)

Chemical Properties of Chalcopyrite

Formula:
CuFeS
 
2
Essential elements:Cu, Fe, S
All elements listed in formula:Cu, Fe, S
Common Impurities:Ag,Au,In,Tl,Se,Te

Relationship of Chalcopyrite to other Species

Series:Forms a series with Eskebornite (see here)
Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):
2.CB.05Coloradoite
HgTe
2.CB.05Hawleyite
CdS
2.CB.05Metacinnabar
HgS
2.CB.05Polhemusite
(Zn,Hg)S
2.CB.05Sakuraiite
(Cu,Zn,Fe)
 
3
(In,Sn)S
 
4
2.CB.05Sphalerite
(Zn,Fe
2+
 
)S
2.CB.05Stilleite
ZnSe
2.CB.05Tiemannite
HgSe
2.CB.05Rudashevskyite
(Fe,Zn)S
2.CB.10Eskebornite
CuFeSe
 
2
2.CB.10Gallite
CuGaS
 
2
2.CB.10Haycockite
Cu
 
4
Fe
 
5
S
 
8
2.CB.10Lenaite
AgFeS
 
2
2.CB.10Mooihoekite
Cu
 
9
Fe
 
9
S
 
16
2.CB.10Putoranite
Cu
 
9
Fe
 
9
S
 
16
2.CB.10Roquesite
CuInS
 
2
2.CB.10Talnakhite
Cu
 
9
(Fe,Ni)
 
8
S
 
16
2.CB.10Laforêtite
AgInS
 
2
2.CB.15Černýite
Cu
 
2
(Cd,Zn,Fe)SnS
 
4
2.CB.15Ferrokësterite
Cu
 
2
(Fe,Zn)SnS
 
4
2.CB.15Hocartite
Ag
 
2
(Fe
2+
 
,Zn)SnS
 
4
2.CB.15Idaite
Cu
 
5
FeS
 
6
2.CB.15Kësterite
Cu
 
2
(Zn,Fe)SnS
 
4
2.CB.15Kuramite
Cu
 
3
SnS
 
4
2.CB.15Mohite
Cu
 
2
SnS
 
3
2.CB.15Pirquitasite
Ag
 
2
ZnSnS
 
4
2.CB.15Stannite
Cu
 
2
(Fe,Zn)SnS
 
4
2.CB.15Stannoidite
Cu
+
6
Cu
2+
2
(Fe
2+
 
,Zn)
 
3
Sn
 
2
S
 
12
2.CB.15Velikite
(Cu,Hg)
 
11
Sn
 
4
S
 
16
2.CB.20Chatkalite
Cu
 
6
FeSn
 
2
S
 
8
2.CB.20Mawsonite
Cu
 
6
Fe
 
2
SnS
 
8
2.CB.30Colusite
Cu
 
26
V
 
2
(As,Sn,Sb)
 
6
S
 
32
2.CB.30Germanite
Cu
 
13
Fe
 
2
Ge
 
2
S
 
16
2.CB.30Germanocolusite
Cu
 
26
V
 
2
(Ge,As)
 
6
S
 
32
2.CB.30Nekrasovite
Cu
 
26
V
 
2
(Sn,As,Sb)
 
6
S
 
32
2.CB.30Stibiocolusite
Cu
 
13
V
 
4
(Sb,Sn,As)
 
3
S
 
16
2.CB.30Ovamboite
Cu
 
20
(Fe,Cu,Zn)
 
6
W
 
2
Ge
 
6
S
 
32
2.CB.30Maikainite
Cu
 
20
(Fe,Cu)
 
6
Mo
 
2
Ge
 
6
S
 
32
2.CB.35Hemusite
Cu
 
6
SnMoS
 
8
2.CB.35Kiddcreekite
Cu
 
6
SnWS
 
8
2.CB.35Polkovicite
(Fe,Pb)
 
3
(Ge,Fe)
 
1-x
S
 
4
2.CB.35Renierite
(Cu,Zn)
 
11
(Ge,As)
 
2
Fe
 
4
S
 
16
2.CB.35Vinciennite
Cu
+
7
Cu
2+
3
Fe
2+
2
Fe
3+
2
Sn(As,Sb)S
 
16
2.CB.35Morozeviczite
(Pb,Fe)
 
3
Ge
 
1-x
S
 
4
2.CB.35Catamarcaite
Cu
 
6
GeWS
 
8
2.CB.40Lautite
CuAsS
2.CB.45Cadmoselite
CdSe
2.CB.45Greenockite
CdS
2.CB.45Hypercinnabar
HgS
2.CB.45Wurtzite
(Zn,Fe)S
2.CB.45Rambergite
MnS
2.CB.55Cubanite
CuFe
 
2
S
 
3
2.CB.55Isocubanite
CuFe
 
2
S
 
3
2.CB.60Picotpaulite
TlFe
 
2
S
 
3
2.CB.60Raguinite
TlFeS
 
2
2.CB.65Argentopyrite
AgFe
 
2
S
 
3
2.CB.65Sternbergite
AgFe
 
2
S
 
3
2.CB.70Sulvanite
Cu
 
3
VS
 
4
2.CB.75Vulcanite
CuTe
2.CB.80Empressite
AgTe
2.CB.85Muthmannite
(Ag,Au)Te
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:
3.1.1Chalcocite
Cu
 
2
S
3.1.2Djurleite
Cu
 
31
S
 
16
3.1.3Digenite
Cu
 
9
S
 
5
3.1.4Anilite
Cu
 
7
S
 
4
3.1.5Roxbyite
Cu
 
9
S
 
5
3.1.6Spionkopite
Cu
 
39
S
 
28
3.1.7Geerite
Cu
 
8
S
 
5
3.1.8Covellite
CuS
3.1.9Berzelianite
Cu
 
2
Se
3.1.10Bellidoite
Cu
 
2
Se
3.1.11Umangite
Cu
 
3
Se
 
2
3.1.12Yarrowite
Cu
 
9
S
 
8
3.1.13Athabascaite
Cu
 
5
Se
 
4
3.1.14Klockmannite
CuSe
3.1.15Krut'aite
CuSe
 
2
3.1.16Weissite
Cu
 
2-x
Te
3.1.17Rickardite
Cu
 
7
Te
 
5
3.1.18Vulcanite
CuTe
3.1.19Bambollaite
Cu(Se,Te)
 
2
3.1.20Lautite
CuAsS
3.1.21Mgriite
Cu
 
3
AsSe
 
3
3.1.22Cubanite
CuFe
 
2
S
 
3
3.1.23Bornite
Cu
 
5
FeS
 
4
3.1.24Fukuchilite
Cu
 
3
FeS
 
8
3.1.26Mooihoekite
Cu
 
9
Fe
 
9
S
 
16
3.1.27Haycockite
Cu
 
4
Fe
 
5
S
 
8
3.1.28Isocubanite
CuFe
 
2
S
 
3
3.1.29Idaite
Cu
 
5
FeS
 
6
3.1.30Nukundamite
(Cu,Fe)
 
4
S
 
4
3.1.31Putoranite
Cu
 
9
Fe
 
9
S
 
16
3.1.32Orickite
2CuFeS
 
2
·H
 
2
O
3.1.33Eskebornite
CuFeSe
 
2
3.1.34Chaméanite
(Cu,Fe)
 
4
As(Se,S)
 
4
3.1.35Talnakhite
Cu
 
9
(Fe,Ni)
 
8
S
 
16
Related Minerals - Dana Grouping):
2.9.1.0Stannite Group
a
 
2
bcx
 
4

Other Names for Chalcopyrite

Synonyms:
ChalkopyriteCopper PyritesCupropyriteGelferzKopparglasertz
KupfereisenerzKupfereisenerzkiesKupferkisTowaniteYellow Copper
French names:
Cuivre JauneCuivre Pyriteux
German names:
ChalcopyritChalkopyritCupropyritGelbkupfererzKupferkies
Towanit
Hebrew names:
קלקופיריט
Italian names:
CalcopiriteRame giallo
Russian names:
Халькопирит
Spanish names:
ChalcopiritaCalcopiritaChalcopyritaChalkopyritaCupropyrita
Towanita
Swedish names:
Kopparkis
Traditional Chinese names:
黃銅礦
Varieties:
Auriferous ChalcopyriteBlister CopperStannian Chalcopyrite

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.
Industrial Uses:It is the principal ore of copper.

References for Chalcopyrite

Reference List: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.: 219-224.


Hall, S.R. and Stewart, J.M. (1973) The crystal structure refinement of chalcopyrite, CuFeS2. Acta Crystallographica: B29: 579-585.

Hall, S.R. (1975) Crystal structures of the chalcpyrite series. Canadian Mineralogist: 13: 168-172.

Robie, R.A., Wiggins, L.B., Barton, P.B., Jr., and Hemingway, B.S. (1985) Low-temperature heat capacity and entropy of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2): estimates of the standard molar enthalpy and Gibbs free energy of formation of chalcopyrite and bornite (Cu5FeS4). Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics: 17: 481-488.

Gaines, Richard V., H. Catherine, W. Skinner, Eugene E. Foord, Brian Mason, Abraham Rosenzweig (1997), Dana's New Mineralogy : The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana, 8th. edition: 87.

Internet Links for Chalcopyrite

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    Localities for Chalcopyrite

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