Home Galleries New Arrivals News Links Site Map FAQ Contact Us
Advanced Search
    

Services
Home

Ordering

Payment Methods

Privacy Policy

Return Policy

Shipping

Dealer Inquiries

Order Status

Site Map


Galleries
New Arrivals

Minerals

 - under $250

 - over $250

 - over $500

 - over $1000

Polished Items

Fossils

Meteorites

Auctions


Reference
Crystallography

Glossary

Metaphysics

Mineral Properties

Mineral Sizes


Miscellaneous
Advanced Search

Convert Currency

Links

Website Award

ICCS Certified

Internet Content Rating Association

Back

Marcasite (White Iron Pyrite) is often mistakenly confused with pyrite, but marcasite is lighter and more brittle. Specimens of marcasite often crumble and break up due to the unstable crystal structure, and it is this crystal structure that is the main difference between marcasite and pyrite. Though marcasite has the same chemical formula as pyrite, it crystallizes in a different crystal system, thereby making it a separate mineral. In jewelry, pyrite used as a gem is improperly termed "marcasite". This is wholly incorrect, as marcasite is never used as a gem.
FeS2 - Iron Sulfide
Class:
Orthohombic
Tin-white, bronze-yellow, tarnishing iridescent.
Grayish to brownish black
Metallic
Opaque
4.9
6 - 6.5
Good
Uneven
Tabular, pyramidal and prismatic crystals often twinned into the form of cockscomb like aggregates, stalactitic, botryoidal and massive.
Non-fluorescent
Frequency:
Abundant
Origin:
It originates at low temperatures in very acidic environments, either in sedimentary or in hydrothermal deposits, associated with pyrite, pyrrhotite, galena, sphalerite, fluorite, dolomite & calcite.
Occurence:
Essen, Germany; Joplin, MIssouri, USA; Galena & Sparta, Illinois, USA; Champagne, France; Vintirov, Czech Republic; Reocin Santander, Spain.
Application:
Production of sulfuric acid, mineral specimen

 
Home Galleries Add to Favorites News Privacy Policy Site Map FAQ Contact Us
Copyright © 2003 - 2005 Open Adit™. All Rights Reserved
 P.O. Box 191  Tipp City, Ohio 45371  (937) 440-9891
This page contains valid CSS
Developed by Gunmetal Web Design