Pyrrhotite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
This page kindly sponsored by Mark Kucera
About Pyrrhotite
Formula:
Fe1-xS
Also given as Fe1-x (x = 0 to 0.17). The various polytypes known have slightly different stoichiometries.
Colour:
Bronze brown, bronze red, or dark brown
Lustre:
Metallic
Hardness:
3½ - 4
Specific Gravity:
4.58 - 4.65
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Member of:
Name:
Named in 1847 by Ours-Pierre-Armand Petit-DufrĂ©noy from Greek ÏÎœÏÏÏÏ "pyrrhos", flame-colored.
Pyrrhotite is found with pentlandite in basic igneous rocks, veins, and metamorphic rocks. It is also often found with pyrite, marcasite, and magnetite. It has varying magnetic powers, depending on the number of Fe vacancies in the crystal structure. A related species with no vacancies (and therefore non-magnetic), is called troilite and has been found in meteorites and rarely terrestrially.
Several polytypes are known; the most common one is pyrrhotite-4C.
Visually similar to smythite and troilite.
Compare 'UM1989-25-S:FeNi' - a representative of the Fe1-xS-Ni1-xS (Mss) solid solution.
Several polytypes are known; the most common one is pyrrhotite-4C.
Visually similar to smythite and troilite.
Compare 'UM1989-25-S:FeNi' - a representative of the Fe1-xS-Ni1-xS (Mss) solid solution.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3328
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3328:8
GUID
(UUID V4):
(UUID V4):
2b5c1e78-dfac-47e8-b3f8-ed5489951809
IMA Classification of Pyrrhotite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
IMA Formula:
Fe7S8
Classification of Pyrrhotite
2.CC.10
2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
C : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)
C : With Ni, Fe, Co, PGE, etc.
2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
C : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)
C : With Ni, Fe, Co, PGE, etc.
2.8.10.1
2 : SULFIDES
8 : AmXp, with m:p = 1:1
2 : SULFIDES
8 : AmXp, with m:p = 1:1
3.9.1
3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
9 : Sulphides etc. of Fe
3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
9 : Sulphides etc. of Fe
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMAâCNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
Please only use the official IMAâCNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.
Please only use the official IMAâCNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.
Symbol | Source | Reference |
---|---|---|
Pyh | IMAâCNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMAâCNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Po | Kretz (1983) | Kretz, R. (1983) Symbols of rock-forming minerals. American Mineralogist, 68, 277â279. |
Po | Siivolam & Schmid (2007) | Siivolam, J. and Schmid, R. (2007) Recommendations by the IUGS Subcommission on the Systematics of Metamorphic Rocks: List of mineral abbreviations. Web-version 01.02.07. IUGS Commission on the Systematics in Petrology. download |
Po | Whitney & Evans (2010) | Whitney, D.L. and Evans, B.W. (2010) Abbreviations for names of rock-forming minerals. American Mineralogist, 95, 185â187 doi:10.2138/am.2010.3371 |
Po | The Canadian Mineralogist (2019) | The Canadian Mineralogist (2019) The Canadian Mineralogist list of symbols for rock- and ore-forming minerals (December 30, 2019). download |
Pyh | Warr (2020) | Warr, L.N. (2020) Recommended abbreviations for the names of clay minerals and associated phases. Clay Minerals, 55, 261â264 doi:10.1180/clm.2020.30 |
Pronunciation of Pyrrhotite
Pronunciation:
Play | Recorded by | Country |
---|---|---|
Jolyon Ralph | United Kingdom |
Physical Properties of Pyrrhotite
Metallic
Transparency:
Opaque
Colour:
Bronze brown, bronze red, or dark brown
Comment:
Tarnishes quickly
Streak:
Dark grayish black
Hardness:
3½ - 4 on Mohs scale
Hardness:
VHN100=373 - 409 kg/mm2 - Vickers
Cleavage:
None Observed
Parting:
Distinct on {0001}
Fracture:
Sub-Conchoidal
Density:
4.58 - 4.65 g/cm3 (Measured) 4.69 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Pyrrhotite
Anisotropism:
Strong
Reflectivity:
Wavelength | R1 | R2 |
---|---|---|
400nm | 27.9% | 31.0% |
420nm | 28.6% | 32.2% |
440nm | 29.4% | 33.6% |
460nm | 30.3% | 34.8% |
480nm | 31.4% | 36.2% |
500nm | 32.4% | 37.6% |
520nm | 33.4% | 38.6% |
540nm | 34.5% | 39.6% |
560nm | 35.5% | 40.4% |
580nm | 36.5% | 41.2% |
600nm | 37.4% | 42.0% |
620nm | 38.3% | 42.6% |
640nm | 39.1% | 43.0% |
660nm | 39.9% | 43.5% |
680nm | 40.7% | 43.9% |
700nm | 41.4% | 44.1% |
Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Top of box is 100%. Peak reflectance is 44.1%.
R1 shown in black, R2 shown in red
Pleochroism:
Weak
Chemistry of Pyrrhotite
Mindat Formula:
Fe1-xS
Also given as Fe1-x (x = 0 to 0.17). The various polytypes known have slightly different stoichiometries.
Also given as Fe1-x (x = 0 to 0.17). The various polytypes known have slightly different stoichiometries.
Elements listed:
Common Impurities:
Ni,Co,Cu
Crystallography of Pyrrhotite
Polytype:
Formula:
Crystal System:
Class (H-M)
Space Group:
Space Group Setting:
Cell Parameters:
Ratio:
Unit Cell Volume (calc):
Z:
Pyrrhotite-11C | Pyrrhotite-4C | Pyrrhotite-5C | Pyrrhotite-6C | Pyrrhotite-7H |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fe10S11 | Fe7S8 | Fe9S10 | Fe11S12 | Fe9S10 |
Orthorhombic | Monoclinic | Monoclinic | Monoclinic | Hexagonal |
2/m - Prismatic | 2 - Sphenoidal | m - Domatic | ||
B2/b | P21 | Bb | ||
C2/c | P21 | Cc | ||
a = 3.433(9) Å, b = 5.99(2) Å, c = 5.7432(5) Å β = 90° | a = 11.88 Å, b = 6.87 Å, c = 22.79 Å β = 90.47° | a = 6.8673(4) Å, b = 28.6536(9) Å, c = 6.8592(4) Å β = 119.975(7)° | a = 6.8973(15) Å, b = 11.954(3) Å, c = 17.602(4) Å α = 90°, β = 101.302(4)°, γ = 90° | |
a:b:c = 0.573 : 1 : 0.959 | a:b:c = 1.729 : 1 : 3.317 | a:b:c = 0.24 : 1 : 0.239 | a:b:c = 0.577 : 1 : 1.472 | |
V 118.10 Ă
Âł (Calculated from Unit Cell) | V 1,859.96 Ă
Âł (Calculated from Unit Cell) | V 1169.18 Ă Âł | V 1423.1 Ă Âł | |
4 | 4 |
Crystallographic forms of Pyrrhotite
Crystal Atlas:
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0000288 | Pyrrhotite | Tokonami M, Nishiguchi K, Morimoto N (1972) Crystal structure of a monoclinic pyrrhotite (Fe7S8) American Mineralogist 57 1066-1080 | 1972 | 0 | 293 | ||
0020728 | Pyrrhotite | Liles D C, de Villiers J P R (2012) Redetermination of structure of 5C pyrrhotite at low temperature and at room temperature American Mineralogist 97 257-261 | 2012 | Silberberg mine, Bodenmais, Germany | 0 | 120 | |
0020729 | Pyrrhotite | Liles D C, de Villiers J P R (2012) Redetermination of structure of 5C pyrrhotite at low temperature and at room temperature American Mineralogist 97 257-261 | 2012 | Silberberg mine, Bodenmais, Germany | 0 | 293 | |
0020730 | Pyrrhotite | Liles D C, de Villiers J P R (2012) Redetermination of structure of 5C pyrrhotite at low temperature and at room temperature American Mineralogist 97 257-261 | 2012 | Copper Cliff mine, Sudbury, Canada | 0 | 293 | |
0004985 | Pyrrhotite | de Villiers J P R, Liles D C, Becker M (2009) The crystal structure of a naturally occurring 5C pyrrhotite from Sudbury, its chemistry, and vacancy distribution American Mineralogist 94 1405-1410 | 2009 | Copper Cliff North Mine, Sudbury, Canada | 0 | 293 | |
0005000 | Pyrrhotite | De Villiers J P R, Liles D C (2010) The crystal-structure and vacancy distribution in 6C pyrrhotite American Mineralogist 95 148-152 | 2010 | Mponeng Mine, South Africa | 0 | 293 | |
0005001 | Pyrrhotite | De Villiers J P R, Liles D C (2010) The crystal-structure and vacancy distribution in 6C pyrrhotite American Mineralogist 95 148-152 | 2010 | Mponeng Mine, South Africa | 0 | 293 | |
0018053 | Pyrrhotite | Alsen N (1925) Roentgenographische Untersuchungen der Kristallstrukturen von Magnetkies, Breithauptit, Pentlandit, Millerit und verwandten Verbindungen _cod_database_code 1011178 Geologiska Foreningens i Stockholm Forhandlingar 47 19-73 | 1925 | 0 | 293 | ||
0018054 | Pyrrhotite | Alsen N (1925) Roentgenographische Untersuchungen der Kristallstrukturen von Magnetkies, Breithauptit, Pentlandit, Millerit und verwandten Verbindungen _cod_database_code 1011179 Geologiska Foreningens i Stockholm Forhandlingar 47 19-73 | 1925 | 0 | 293 | ||
0020604 | Pyrrhotite | Powell A V, Vaqueiro P, Knight K S, Chapon L C, Sanchez R D (2004) Structure and magnetism in synthetic pyrrhotite Fe7S8: A powder neutron-diffraction study Physical Review B70 014415-12 | 2004 | Synthetic | 0 | 11 | |
0020605 | Pyrrhotite | Powell A V, Vaqueiro P, Knight K S, Chapon L C, Sanchez R D (2004) Structure and magnetism in synthetic pyrrhotite Fe7S8: A powder neutron-diffraction study Physical Review B70 014415-12 | 2004 | Synthetic | 0 | 298 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
Epitaxial Relationships of Pyrrhotite
Epitaxial Minerals:
Galena | PbS |
Epitaxy Comments:
Usually, the pyrrhotite is on the galena, but codepositing intergrowths are known. The "six-fold" axis of pyrrhotite is parallel to the three-fold axis (octahedral axis) in galena.
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
d-spacing | Intensity |
---|---|
5.94 Ă | (10) |
5.72 Ă | (20) |
5.27 Ă | (7) |
3.44 Ă | (7) |
2.98 Ă | (40) |
2.87 Ă | (10) |
2.64 Ă | (50) |
2.255 Ă | (10) |
2.207 Ă | (7) |
2.064 Ă | (100) |
1.987 Ă | (7) |
1.909 Ă | (7) |
1.769 Ă | (7) |
1.720 Ă | (40) |
1.636 Ă | (10) |
1.606 Ă | (7) |
1.490 Ă | (10) |
1.476 Ă | (7) |
1.442 Ă | (10) |
1.433 Ă | (20) |
1.321 Ă | (20) |
1.291 Ă | (10) |
1.174 Ă | (10) |
1.167 Ă | (7) |
1.125 Ă | (7) |
1.105 Ă | (15) |
1.101 Ă | (10) |
1.065 Ă | (7) |
1.048 Ă | (10) |
0.993 Ă | (7) |
0.979 Ă | (7) |
Comments:
ICDD 22-1120 (4C polytype). See also ICDD 29-723 (4C polytype), and 24-79/24-79a (4C polytype). Data for other polytypes include: ICDD 25-411 (1C polytype); ICDD 24-220 (3C polytype); ICDD 29-724 (5C polytype); ICDD 29-725 (6C polytype); ICDD 20-534 (7C polytype); and ICDD 29-726 (11C polytype).
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
Synonyms of Pyrrhotite
Other Language Names for Pyrrhotite
Basque:Pirrotita
Catalan:Pirrotina
Czech:Pyrhotin
Dutch:Pyrrhotiet
Finnish:Magneettikiisu
French:Pyrrhotite
Hebrew:Ś€ŚŚšŚŚŚŚ
Italian:Pirrotite
Japanese:çŁçĄ«éé±
Lithuanian:Pirotinas
Norwegian:Magnetkis
Polish:Pirotyn
Portuguese:Pirrotite
Russian:ĐĐžŃŃĐŸŃĐžĐœ
Simplified Chinese:çŁé»éçż
Slovak:Pyrotit
Swedish:Magnetkis
Traditional Chinese:çŁé»é”瀊
Ukrainian:ĐŃŃĐŸŃĐžĐœ
Varieties of Pyrrhotite
Cobalt-bearing Pyrrhotite | A cobalt-bearing variety of pyrrhotite. |
Nickel-bearing Pyrrhotite | A nickel-bearing variety of pyrrhotite. Note, however, that there are several iron-nickel sulphides. |
Relationship of Pyrrhotite to other Species
Member of:
Other Members of this group:
Common Associates
Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:
888 photos of Pyrrhotite associated with Quartz | SiO2 |
604 photos of Pyrrhotite associated with Pyrite | FeS2 |
601 photos of Pyrrhotite associated with Calcite | CaCO3 |
549 photos of Pyrrhotite associated with Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
533 photos of Pyrrhotite associated with Sphalerite | ZnS |
458 photos of Pyrrhotite associated with Galena | PbS |
369 photos of Pyrrhotite associated with Siderite | FeCO3 |
230 photos of Pyrrhotite associated with Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
188 photos of Pyrrhotite associated with Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
176 photos of Pyrrhotite associated with Pentlandite | (NixFey)ÎŁ9S8 |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
2.CC. | Tilkerodeite | Pd2HgSe3 |
2.CC. | UM2007-26-S:CuFeIrNiPtRh | (Ir,Cu,Ni,Pt,Rh,Fe)9S11 |
2.CC. | Crowningshieldite | (Ni0.9Fe0.10)S |
2.CC. | Eliopoulosite | V7S8 |
2.CC. | Kuvaevite | Ir5Ni10S16 |
2.CC. | Torryweiserite | Rh5Ni10S16 |
2.CC. | Tamuraite | Ir5Fe10S16 |
2.CC. | Ferrotorryweiserite | Rh5Fe10S16 |
2.CC.05 | AchĂĄvalite | FeSe |
2.CC.05 | Breithauptite | NiSb |
2.CC.05 | Freboldite | CoSe |
2.CC.05 | Kotulskite | Pd(Te,Bi)2-x (x â 0.4) |
2.CC.05 | Langisite | CoAs |
2.CC.05 | Nickeline | NiAs |
2.CC.05 | Sederholmite | beta-NiSe |
2.CC.05 | Sobolevskite | PdBi |
2.CC.05 | Stumpflite | PtSb |
2.CC.05 | Sudburyite | PdSb |
2.CC.05 | Jaipurite | CoS |
2.CC.05 | Zlatogorite | NiCuSb2 |
2.CC.10 | Smythite | (Fe,Ni)3+xS4 (x=0-0.3) |
2.CC.10 | Troilite | FeS |
2.CC.15 | Cherepanovite | RhAs |
2.CC.15 | Modderite | (Co,Fe)As |
2.CC.15 | Ruthenarsenite | (Ru,Ni)As |
2.CC.15 | Westerveldite | (Fe,Ni,Co)As |
2.CC.15 | Minakawaite | RhSb |
2.CC.20 | Millerite | NiS |
2.CC.20 | MĂ€kinenite | Îł-NiSe |
2.CC.20 | UM1990-38-S:CuFeIrNiPtRh | (Ni,Fe,Rh,Cu,Ir,Pt)S |
2.CC.25 | Mackinawite | FeS |
2.CC.30 | Hexatestibiopanickelite | (Pd,Ni)(Sb,Te) ? |
2.CC.30 | VavĆĂnite | Ni2SbTe2 |
2.CC.35a | Braggite | PdPt3S4 |
2.CC.35b | Cooperite | PtS |
2.CC.35a | Vysotskite | PdS |
2.CC.45 | Jacutingaite | Pt2HgSe3 |
2.CC.50 | Imgreite | NiTe (?) |
Fluorescence of Pyrrhotite
Not fluorescent in UV
Other Information
Magnetism:
Ferromagnetic
Notes:
Variably magnetic
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Pyrrhotite in petrology
An essential component of rock names highlighted in red, an accessory component in rock names highlighted in green.
Internet Links for Pyrrhotite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3328.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Pyrrhotite
Reference List:
Yund, R. A., Hall, H. T. (1970) Kinetics and Mechanism of Pyrite Exsolution from Pyrrhotite. Journal of Petrology, 11 (2) 381-404 doi:10.1093/petrology/11.2.381
Fleet, M. E. (1978) The pyrrhotite-marcasite transformation. The Canadian Mineralogist, 16 (1) 31-35
Craig, James R., Vokes, Frank M. (1993) The metamorphism of pyrite and pyritic ores: an overview. Mineralogical Magazine, 57 (386) 3-18 doi:10.1180/minmag.1993.057.386.02
Significant localities for Pyrrhotite
Showing 13 significant localities out of 10,983 recorded on mindat.org.
Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
â - 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.
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Australia | |
| Renison Bell et al. (7) +4 other references |
Brazil | |
| Rocks & Min.: 63:43 +2 other references |
Canada | |
| Grice et al. (1977) +1 other reference |
| Tavchandjian (1992) |
Italy | |
| Benvenuti et al. (2000) |
Kosovo | |
| Joana KoĂ Odziejczyk et al. ( 2012) +4 other references |
Norway | |
| Neumann (1944) |
| Vogt (1900) +1 other reference |
Peru | |
| Econ Geol (1985) |
Romania | |
| Palache et al. (1944) +4 other references |
Russia | |
| Dobovol'skaya et al. (1990) +3 other references |
Switzerland | |
| Ansermet (2004) +3 other references |
USA | |
| Ague (1995) |
Quick NavTopAbout PyrrhotiteUnique IdentifiersIMA Classification Classification Mineral SymbolsPronunciation Physical Properties Optical Data Chemistry Crystallography Crystallographic forms Crystal StructureEpitaxial Relationships X-Ray Powder DiffractionGeological EnvironmentSynonymsOther LanguagesVarietiesRelationshipsCommon AssociatesStrunz-MindatFluorescence Other InformationPyrrhotite in petrologyInternet Links References Significant localities Locality List
Dalnegorsk, Dalnegorsk Urban District, Primorsky Krai, Russia