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Miersite

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Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia
© Knut Eldjarn

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Formula:
(Ag,Cu)I
System:IsometricColour:Yellow
Hardness:2½ - 3
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:Kintore Opencut, 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
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)
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
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    Localities for Miersite

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