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Galena

A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
This page kindly sponsored by Bill Cordua
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About GalenaHide

Formula:
PbS
Colour:
Lead-grey
Lustre:
Metallic, Sub-Metallic, Dull
Hardness:
Specific Gravity:
7.60
Crystal System:
Isometric
Member of:
Name:
Named by Pliny the Elder in 77-79 from the Greek "galene" meaning "lead ore".
Galena Group.

Galena is the primary ore mineral of lead. Worked for its lead content as early as 3000 BC, it is found in ore veins with sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, tennantite-tetrahedrite, etc. and in skarns, as well as in sedimentary rocks where it may replace carbonate beds or be deposited in pore spaces. The crystals are bright when fresh but often tarnish after exposure to air.


Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:
1641
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:1641:0
GUID
(UUID V4):
3a1ccbd7-a21e-4ee5-9689-92235718ba11

IMA Classification of GalenaHide

Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)

Classification of GalenaHide

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.
2.8.1.1

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

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Please only use the official IMA–CNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.

SymbolSourceReference
GnIMA–CNMNCWarr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43
GnWhitney & Evans (2010)Whitney, D.L. and Evans, B.W. (2010) Abbreviations for names of rock-forming minerals. American Mineralogist, 95, 185–187 doi:10.2138/am.2010.3371
GnThe Canadian Mineralogist (2019)The Canadian Mineralogist (2019) The Canadian Mineralogist list of symbols for rock- and ore-forming minerals (December 30, 2019). download

Pronunciation of GalenaHide

Pronunciation:
PlayRecorded byCountry
Jolyon RalphUnited Kingdom

Physical Properties of GalenaHide

Metallic, Sub-Metallic, Dull
Transparency:
Opaque
Colour:
Lead-grey
Streak:
Lead-grey
Hardness:
2½ on Mohs scale
Hardness:
VHN100=79 - 104 kg/mm2 - Vickers
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
Perfect
{001}
Parting:
{111}
Fracture:
Sub-Conchoidal
Density:
7.60 g/cm3 (Measured)    7.57 g/cm3 (Calculated)

Optical Data of GalenaHide

Type:
Isotropic
Reflectivity:
WavelengthR
400nm51.9%
420nm50.5%
440nm49.1%
460nm47.7%
480nm46.6%
500nm45.4%
520nm44.4%
540nm43.7%
560nm43.1%
580nm42.8%
600nm42.7%
620nm42.7%
640nm42.8%
660nm42.9%
680nm42.9%
700nm42.6%

Reflectance graph
Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Top of box is 100%. Peak reflectance is 51.9%.
Colour in reflected light:
White
Comments:
Often will form triangular pits in poorly polished sections.

Chemistry of GalenaHide

Mindat Formula:
PbS
Common Impurities:
Ag,Cu,Fe,Bi

Age distributionHide

Recorded ages:
Neoarchean to Quaternary : 2567 Ma to 0 Ma - based on 28 recorded ages.

Crystallography of GalenaHide

Crystal System:
Isometric
Class (H-M):
m3m (4/m 3 2/m) - Hexoctahedral
Space Group:
Fm3m
Setting:
Fm3m
Cell Parameters:
a = 5.9362 Å
Unit Cell V:
209.18 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
4
Morphology:
Cubes, octahedrons, cube-octahedron combinations and rarely dodecahedrons.
Rarely, platy twins.
Twinning:
Spinel-type {111}, lamellar {114}

Crystallographic forms of GalenaHide

Crystal Atlas:
Image Loading
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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)
3d models and HTML5 code kindly provided by www.smorf.nl.

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Crystal StructureHide

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IDSpeciesReferenceLinkYearLocalityPressure (GPa)Temp (K)
0000003GalenaRamsdell L S (1925) The crystal structures of some metallic sulfides American Mineralogist 10 281-3041925Colorado, USA0293
0010042GalenaNoda Y, Masumoto K, Ohba S, Saito Y, Toriumi K, Iwata Y, Shibuya I (1987) Temperature dependence of atomic thermal parameters of lead chalcogenides, PbS, PbSe and PbTe Acta Crystallographica C43 1443-14451987synthetic0293
0010043GalenaNoda Y, Masumoto K, Ohba S, Saito Y, Toriumi K, Iwata Y, Shibuya I (1987) Temperature dependence of atomic thermal parameters of lead chalcogenides, PbS, PbSe and PbTe Acta Crystallographica C43 1443-14451987synthetic0293
0010044GalenaNoda Y, Masumoto K, Ohba S, Saito Y, Toriumi K, Iwata Y, Shibuya I (1987) Temperature dependence of atomic thermal parameters of lead chalcogenides, PbS, PbSe and PbTe Acta Crystallographica C43 1443-14451987synthetic0293
0010045GalenaNoda Y, Masumoto K, Ohba S, Saito Y, Toriumi K, Iwata Y, Shibuya I (1987) Temperature dependence of atomic thermal parameters of lead chalcogenides, PbS, PbSe and PbTe Acta Crystallographica C43 1443-14451987synthetic0293
0010046GalenaNoda Y, Masumoto K, Ohba S, Saito Y, Toriumi K, Iwata Y, Shibuya I (1987) Temperature dependence of atomic thermal parameters of lead chalcogenides, PbS, PbSe and PbTe Acta Crystallographica C43 1443-14451987synthetic0293
0011372GalenaWyckoff R W G (1963) Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York rocksalt structure Crystal Structures 1 85-23719630293
CIF Raw Data - click here to close

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Image Loading

Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Powder Diffraction Data:
d-spacingIntensity
3.429 Å(84)
2.969 Å(100)
2.099 Å(57)
1.790 Å(35)
1.714 Å(16)
1.484 Å(10)
1.362 Å(10)
1.327 Å(17)
1.212 Å(10)
1.1424 Å(6)
1.0489 Å(3)
1.0034 Å(5)
0.9893 Å(6)
0.9386 Å(4)
0.9050 Å(2)
0.8962 Å(4)
0.8568 Å(1)
0.8312 Å(3)
0.8232 Å(3)
Comments:
ICDD 5-592 Synthetic

Geological EnvironmentHide

Synonyms of GalenaHide

Other Language Names for GalenaHide

Basque:Galena
Bosnian:Galenit
Catalan:Galena
Czech:Galenit
Dutch:Galeniet
Esperanto:Galeno
Estonian:Galeniit
Finnish:Lyijyhohde
Galician:Galena
Hungarian:Galenit
Italian:Galena
Lithuanian:Galenitas
Low Saxon/Low German:Galenit
Norwegian:Blyglans
Polish:Galena
Portuguese:Galena
Romanian:Galenă
Simplified Chinese:æ–č铅矿
Slovak:Galenit
Slovenian:Galenit
Swedish:Blyglans

Varieties of GalenaHide

Bismuth-bearing Galena
BlaubleierzGalena pseudomorph after pyromorphite (see also plumbeine). Also used for coatings of epitaxial, oriented films of galena on pyromorphite.

Literally "blue lead ore".
BleischweifOld name for very fine-grained galena, usually caused by recrystallisation under tectonic stress. Older spelling is Bleyschweif.

"Bleischweif" occasionally appears in discrete ductile shear zones which have been reactivated after the main ore has crystal...
BleispiegelSlickenslide galena that forms mirror-like, flattish to slightly curved surfaces.

Not to be confused with Bleischweif.
GalÚne tricotéeLiterally means "knitted galena".

The German name is Strickblende when it occurs with colloform sphalerite or Gestrickter Bleiglanz when no colloform sphalerite is present.
Gestrickter BleiglanzAcicular Galena. Literally means "knitted galena"; a similar designation is Strickblende but that name only can be used when colloform sphalerite is present as well.

The French name is "Galène tricotée".
Gold-bearing GalenaA gold-bearing variety of galena; probably microscopic or nano-inclusions of gold or gold-bearingminerals in the galena.
Johnstonite (of Haidinger)Possibly galena with a supposed excess of S. Mat be a mixture of Galena, Anglesite and/or Sulphur.
PlumbeineGalena pseudomorphs after pyromorphite (identical to Blaubleierz) - originally thought to be a hexagonal polymorph of galena (A. Breithaupt, 1863: Berg. Hütt. Zeit. 22, 36).
Selenium-bearing GalenaA selenium-bearing variety of galena.
Silver-bearing GalenaSilver-bearing galena. Usually, the silver is present as tiny inclusions of various silver sulphosalts.
U-GalenaA variety of Galena containing uranium-derived lead of isotope Pb-206.

Relationship of Galena to other SpeciesHide

Member of:
Other Members of this group:
AlabanditeMnSIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
AltaitePbTeIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
ClausthalitePbSeIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
Niningerite(Mg,Fe2+,Mn2+)SIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
Oldhamite(Ca,Mg)SIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
Forms a series with:

Common AssociatesHide

Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:
5,290 photos of Galena associated with QuartzSiO2
5,228 photos of Galena associated with SphaleriteZnS
2,819 photos of Galena associated with CalciteCaCO3
2,663 photos of Galena associated with FluoriteCaF2
2,652 photos of Galena associated with ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
2,652 photos of Galena associated with PyriteFeS2
1,325 photos of Galena associated with SideriteFeCO3
1,218 photos of Galena associated with DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
1,089 photos of Galena associated with CerussitePbCO3
1,077 photos of Galena associated with BaryteBaSO4

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

2.CD.SvetlanaiteSnSeOrth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnma
2.CD.05HerzenbergiteSnSOrth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
2.CD.05TeallitePbSnS2Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnma
2.CD.10AlabanditeMnSIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10AltaitePbTeIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10ClausthalitePbSeIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10Niningerite(Mg,Fe2+,Mn2+)SIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10Oldhamite(Ca,Mg)SIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.10 vaQuiroguitePb23Sb6S32
2.CD.10Keilite(Fe2+,Mg)SIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m
2.CD.15aCinnabarHgSTrig. 3 2 : P31 2 1
2.CD.15bHypercinnabarHgSHex.

Fluorescence of GalenaHide

Not fluorescent in UV.

Other InformationHide

Electrical:
Semiconductor - used as a point contact diode in early radio wireless sets.
Thermal Behaviour:
In an open tube, gives sulfurous fumes.
Notes:
Decomposed by strong nitric acid, with the separation of some sulfur and the formation of lead sulfate.
Health Risks:
Contains lead - always wash hands after handling. Avoid inhaling dust when breaking. Do not lick or ingest.
Industrial Uses:
Principal ore of lead. Often contains silver and is a frequent ore of that metal as well.

Galena in petrologyHide

An essential component of rock names highlighted in red, an accessory component in rock names highlighted in green.

Internet Links for GalenaHide

References for GalenaHide

Reference List:

Significant localities for GalenaHide

Showing 32 significant localities out of 28,853 recorded on mindat.org.

This 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.

Locality ListHide

- This locality has map coordinates listed. - This locality has estimated coordinates. ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence. ? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality. - Good crystals or important locality for species. - World class for species or very significant. (TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species. (FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties). Struck out - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).

All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Austria
 
  • Carinthia
    • Spittal an der Drau District
      • Malta
        • Koschach
Niedermayr et al. (1995)
    • Villach-Land District
      • Bad Bleiberg
        • Bleiberg-Kreuth
Niedermayr et al. (1995)
Niedermayr et al. (1995)
Belgium
 
  • Wallonia
    • Namur
      • Andenne
        • Seilles
Harjo Neutkens collection +1 other reference
Bulgaria
 
  • Smolyan Province
    • Madan Municipality
Bonev (2007) +1 other reference
Canada
 
  • Nunavut
    • Qikiqtaaluk Region
      • Little Cornwallis Island
Rocks & Min.: 64:32. +5 other references
  • Yukon
    • Mayo mining district
      • Galena Hill
        • Elsa
Oscar Jose Tessari (1979) +1 other reference
France
 
  • Grand Est
    • Bas-Rhin
      • Molsheim
        • Schirmeck
Alain Steinmetz and Thierry Brunsperger ...
    • Haut-Rhin
      • Thann-Guebwiller
        • Steinbach
          • Silberthal
[var: Silver-bearing Galena] Mines +1 other reference
Mines
  • Provence-Alpes-CĂŽte d'Azur
    • Var
      • Draguignan
        • Tanneron
Belot (1978) +1 other reference
Germany
 
  • Baden-WĂŒrttemberg
    • Karlsruhe Region
      • Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
        • Wiesloch
  • North Rhine-Westphalia
    • Cologne
      • DĂŒren
        • HĂŒrtgenwald
Schachner (1961) +1 other reference
  • Saxony-Anhalt
    • Harz
      • Harzgerode
        • Neudorf
Wittern (2001)
Ireland
 
  • Leinster
    • Longford County
      • Ballymahon
        • Keel
Barry Flannery (Personal Collection) +2 other references
  • Munster
    • Tipperary County
      • Silvermines District
Henwood (1871) +6 other references
Italy
 
  • Tuscany
    • Lucca Province
      • Stazzema
Benvenuti et al. (2000)
Peru
 
  • Ancash
    • Bolognesi Province
      • Aquia District
Mineralogical Record 28 (1997)
      • Huallanca District
        • Huanzala
Fluorite: The Collector's Choice. Extra ... +1 other reference
    • Recuay Province
      • Ticapampa District
Mi.Rec. 28 (1997)
  • Lima
    • HuarochirĂ­ Province
      • Chicla District
        • Casapalca
Mineralogical Record (1997)
Poland
 
  • Silesian Voivodeship
    • Piekary ƚląskie
      • Brzeziny ƚląskie
Coppola et al. (2009)
Portugal
 
  • Viseu
    • Mangualde
      • Mangualde (Mesquitela e Cunha Alta)
        • SĂŁo Cosmado
Luis Martins in-situ observations
Romania
 
  • Maramureș County
    • Baia Mare
MĂąrza +8 other references
Russia
 
  • Primorsky Krai
    • Dalnegorsk Urban District
      • Dalnegorsk
Dobovol'skaya et al. (1990) +3 other references
South Africa
 
  • Gauteng
    • West Rand District Municipality
      • Far West Rand
        • Western Sector
          • Carletonville
Wilson (2001)
UK
 
  • England
    • County Durham
      • Stanhope
        • Ireshopeburn
Fluorite: The Collector's Choice. Extra ...
    • Cumbria
      • Eden
        • Alston Moor
          • Nenthead
Dunham Sir K C
USA
 
  • Missouri
    • Reynolds County
      • Ellington
Rocks & Min.: 64:22&26. +7 other references
      • Greeley
355-376 +4 other references
      • West Fork
355-376 +4 other references
Econ Geol (1992) +1 other reference
  • New York
    • Ulster County
      • Wawarsing
        • Ellenville
Dana 7:I:592. +1 other reference
 
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