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Formula: AgBiTe2
Telluride,
matildite group,
silver and bismuth bearing mineral
Crystal System: Trigonal
Specific gravity: 8.01
Hardness: 2½ to 3
Colour: Bright lead-grey
Common impurities: Cu
Environments
Volynskite occurs as complex intergrowths with other tellurides in
gold ores. Associated minerals include
tellurobismuthite, hessite,
altaite, calaverite,
melonite and petzite
(HOM).
Localities
At the Ashley Mine, Bannockburn Township, Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada, the orebody consists of
gold-bearing quartz veins or lenses.
The principal host rocks are basalt flows that are intruded by
dykes of porphyritic
granite and
lamprophyre. In the immediate vicinity of the
quartz veins, the basaltic
host rocks are altered to an assemblage of quartz,
carbonate and pyrite.
Volynskite was observed as irregular grains associated with
tellurobismuthite,
rucklidgeite, altaite and
galena. It also occurs as small inclusions in
rucklidgeite
(CM 21.137-143).
At the type locality, the Zod Mine, Vardenis, Gegharkunik Province, Armenia, volynskite was found in
gold ores, always as complex intergrowths in
tellurobismuthite in areas of inclusions of
hessite and altaite, which replace
tellurobismuthite
(AM 49.818).
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