Chalcopyrite
A variety of Chalcopyrite Group
What is Chalcopyrite?
You may not recognize this mineral from its name, but chalcopyrite is the most common source for something you see in everyday life, copper! The shiny appearance and gold flaking give this flashy rock the appearance of real gold, but it is fool's gold. This mineral was used as one of the core building blocks of the Bronze Age.
Etymology & Origins
The name chalcopyrite comes from the Greek words chalkos, which means copper, and pyrites', which means striking fire. It was sometimes historically referred to as "yellow copper".
Uses & Applications
While the singular use of chalcopyrite seems small, it is important. There are several different ores of copper, but chalcopyrite is the primary ore used for smelting, dating back thousands of years. Its product, copper, has use for electrical wires due to high conductivity, as well as decorative purposes, coins, and even plumbing.
Healing Properties
Chalcopyrite is said to provide transformative energies to help the user adjust to changes in their life. It is closely associated with new opportunities, such as a career change, giving the user the ability to transition more successfully. Using the stone on the Third Eye, Crown and Throat chakras is believed to enable visions, allow for interpretation, and give voice to what has been seen, which in turn confirms the reality of the vision.
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Chalcopyrite Localities Map
See where Chalcopyrite is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.
Geochemistry
Natural chalcopyrite has no solid solution series with any other sulfide minerals. There is limited substitution of Zn with Cu despite chalcopyrite having the same crystal structure as sphalerite. Minor amounts of elements such as Ag, Au, Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, Sn, and Zn can be measured (at part per million levels), likely substituting for Cu and Fe. Selenium, Bi, Te, and As may substitute for sulfur in minor amounts. Chalcopyrite can be oxidized to form malachite, azurite, and cuprite.
Associated Chakras
Key Characteristics
Characteristics of Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite is often confused with pyrite and gold since all three of these minerals have a yellowish color and a metallic luster. Some important mineral characteristics that help distinguish these minerals are hardness and streak. Chalcopyrite is much softer than pyrite and can be scratched with a knife, whereas pyrite cannot be scratched by a knife. However, chalcopyrite is harder than gold, which, if pure, can be scratched by copper. Chalcopyrite has a distinctive black streak with green flecks in it. Pyrite has a black streak and gold has a yellow streak.
Formation of Chalcopyrite
Even though Chalcopyrite does not contain the most copper in its structure relative to other minerals, it is the most important copper ore since it can be found in many localities. Chalcopyrite ore occurs in a variety of ore types, from huge masses as at Timmins, Ontario, to irregular veins and disseminations associated with granitic to dioritic intrusives as in the porphyry copper deposits of Broken Hill, the American cordillera and the Andes. The largest deposit of nearly pure chalcopyrite ever discovered in Canada was at the southern end of the Temagami Greenstone Belt where Copperfields Mine extracted the high-grade copper. Chalcopyrite is present in the supergiant Olympic Dam Cu-Au-U deposit in South Australia. Chalcopyrite may also be found in coal seams associated with pyrite nodules, and as disseminations in carbonate sedimentary rocks.
Composition of Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite is a member of the tetragonal crystal system. Crystallographically the structure of chalcopyrite is closely related to that of zinc blende ZnS (sphalerite). The unit cell is twice as large, reflecting an alternation of Cu and Fe ions replacing Zn ions in adjacent cells. In contrast to the pyrite structure chalcopyrite has single S sulfide anions rather than disulfide pairs. Another difference is that the iron cation is not diamagnetic low spin Fe(II) as in pyrite. In the crystal structure, each metal ion is tetrahedrally coordinated to 4 sulfur anions. Each sulfur anion is bonded to two copper atoms and two iron atoms.
Quick Facts
Physical Properties
- Color
- Brass yellow
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 3.5 - 4
- Density
- 4.18 g/cm³
- Streak
- Greenish black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Crystal System
- Tetragonal
Chemical Properties
- Chemical Formula
- CuFeS2
- Elements
- Cu, Fe, S
Also Known As
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