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Formula: Cu3VS4
Sulphide, vanadium-bearing mineral, forms a series with
colusite
Crystal System: Isometric
Specific gravity:
Hardness: 3½
Streak: Black
Colour: Grey in visible light, but cream-gold, bronze gold-yellow in polished section
Common impurities: As,Cu,Zn
Environments
Sedimentary environments
Hydrothermal environments
Sulvanite occurs in hydrothermal copper deposits that contain
vanadium as a primary
sulphide
(HOM).
Localities
At the type locality, the Edelweiss Mine, Burra, North Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia, massive sulvanite is
associated with chalcopyrite,
chalcocite, digenite,
covellite, chrysocolla,
malachite, azurite,
atacamite, vésigniéite,
mottramite and gypsum
(HOM).
At the Silova-Yakha River, Pay Khoy Mountains, Komi Republic, Russia, sulvanite is associated with
yushkinite, cadmium-bearing
sphalerite and fluorite
(HOM).
At the South Thorpe Hills copper prospect, Greeley Mining District, Tooele County, Utah, USA, sulvanite has been
identified forming cubic crystals up to 2.5 cm in size, with a definite bronze sheen on fresh fractures. Except where
fractured, all samples are coated with a yellowish-green alteration product of
volborthite.
Sulvanite elements are probably derived from underlying carbonaceous
shales below the water table. Migration of
vanadium and copper ions occurred
when faulting released confining pressure in the shale beds
(AM 59.307-313).
At the Mercur Mining District, Tooele County, Utah, USA, sulvanite was found close to the surface, near the old
mining camp, in a fissure in carboniferous (358.9 to 298.9 million years ago)
limestone, which is underlain by
quartzite and overlain by red
shale
(AM 16.12.557-562).
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