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Formula: Tl2S
Sulphide of thallium
Crystal System: Trigonal
Specific gravity: 8.1 measured, 8.55 calculated
Hardness: 1½ to 2
Streak: Dark grey to black
Colour: Grey
Environments
Although carlinite was approved in 1974, to date (July 2023) it has been reported only from the Lynn Mining
District (2 localities).
Localities
At the type locality, the Carlin Gold mine, Elko, Lynn Mining District, Eureka county, Nevada, USA, carlinite
occurs as small grains randomly scattered through black brecciated
fragments of carbonaceous limestone in shear zones exposed in the
gold deposit. Gold mineralisation
affected at least the upper 300 meters of siliceous, argillaceous,
dolomitic limestones of
Silurian age (443.8 to 419.2 million years ago). Hydrothermal solutions dissolved
calcite and lesser amounts of
dolomite, and deposited silica,
barium, gold,
mercury, arsenic,
antimony and other metals. No other hydrothermally deposited sulphide
minerals were found with carlinite in the samples studied. Hand specimens with carlinite contained
very small amounts of gold, arsenic,
antimony and mercury. The
original limestone host rock contained
calcite, dolomite,
illite, quartz and
pyrite
(AM 60.559-565).
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