| Metacinnabar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General | |
| Category | Sulfide mineral |
|
Formula (repeating unit) | HgS |
| IMA symbol | Mcin [1] |
| Strunz classification | 2.CB.05a |
| Crystal system | Cubic |
| Crystal class | Hextetrahedral (43m) H-M symbol: (4 3m) |
| Space group | F43m |
| Unit cell | a = 5.8717(5) Å; Z = 4 |
| Structure | |
| Jmol (3D) | Interactive image |
| Identification | |
| Color | Grayish black |
| Crystal habit | Massive, rarely as tetrahedral crystals, as incrustations |
| Twinning | Common as lamellae on {111} |
| Cleavage | None |
| Fracture | Subconchoidal |
| Tenacity | Brittle |
| Mohs scale hardness | 3 |
| Luster | Metallic |
| Streak | Black |
| Diaphaneity | Opaque |
| Specific gravity | 7.7–7.8 |
| References | [2] [3] [4] |
Metacinnabar is the cubic form of mercury sulfide (HgS). It is the high temperature form and trimorphous with cinnabar ( trigonal structure) and the higher temperature hypercinnabar ( hexagonal structure). It occurs with cinnabar in mercury deposits and is associated with native mercury, wurtzite, stibnite, marcasite, realgar, calcite, barite, chalcedony and hydrocarbons. [2]
It was first described in 1870 for an occurrence in the Redington mine, Knoxville, Napa County, California. [3] [4]
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Metacinnabar.
- ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode: 2021MinM...85..291W. doi: 10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
- ^ a b Metacinnabar in the Handbook of Mineralogy
- ^ a b Metacinnabar on Mindat.org
- ^ a b Metacinnabar data on Webmineral
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