Christite

Formula:  TlHgAsS3

Origin of name:  For Charles R. Christ, American mineralogist, U.S. Geological Survey

 

Crystal system:  Monoclinic

Crystal class:  2/m

Twinning:

Unit cell: a = 6.113 Å, b = 16.188 Å, c = 6.111 Å, β = 96.71°

 

Colour:  Crimson to bright orange, darker than realgar

Diaphaneity: Opaque

Luster:  Adamantine

Habit:  Grains subhedral to anhedral

Hardness:  1 to 2

Specific gravity:  6.2

Cleavage:  None

Tenacity:

Streak:  Bright orange

 

Synonyms/varieties:

 

Comments:  Dimorphous with routhierite. Found in hydrothermal barite veins and in mineralised carboneceous silty dolomite with realgar, orpiment, lorandite and getchellite

 

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