Galena

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Galena (disambiguation).
Galena
Specific gravity
7.2–7.6
Optical propertiesIsotropic and opaque
Fusibility2
Other characteristicsNatural semiconductor
References[2][3][4]

Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver.[5]

Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed

octahedral forms. It is often associated with the minerals sphalerite, calcite and fluorite
.

Occurrence

Galena with baryte and pyrite
Galena with baryte and pyrite from Cerro de Pasco, Peru; 5.8 cm × 4.8 cm × 4.4 cm (2.3 in × 1.9 in × 1.7 in)

Galena is the main ore of

contact metamorphic zones, in pegmatites, and disseminated in sedimentary rock.[8]

In some deposits the galena contains up to 0.5% silver, a byproduct that far surpasses the main lead ore in revenue.[9] In these deposits significant amounts of silver occur as included silver sulfide mineral phases or as limited silver in solid solution within the galena structure. These argentiferous galenas have long been an important ore of silver.[6][10] Silver-bearing galena is almost entirely of hydrothermal origin; galena in lead-zinc deposits contains little silver.[8]

Galena deposits are found worldwide in various environments.[4] Noted deposits include those at Freiberg in Saxony;[2] Cornwall, the Mendips in Somerset, Derbyshire, and Cumberland in England; the Madan and Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria; the Sullivan Mine of British Columbia; Broken Hill and Mount Isa in Australia; and the ancient mines of Sardinia.

In the

tri-state district around Joplin in southwestern Missouri and the adjoining areas of Kansas and Oklahoma.[2] Galena is also an important ore mineral in the silver mining regions of Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Montana. Of the latter, the Coeur d'Alene district of northern Idaho was most prominent.[2]

Australia is the world's leading producer of lead as of 2021, most of which is extracted as galena. Argentiferous galena was accidentally discovered at

Glen Osmond in 1841, and additional deposits were discovered near Broken Hill in 1876 and at Mount Isa in 1923.[11] Most galena in Australia is found in hydrothermal deposits emplaced around 1680 million years ago, which have since been heavily metamorphosed.[12]

The largest documented crystal of galena is composite cubo-octahedra from the

Great Laxey Mine, Isle of Man, measuring 25 cm × 25 cm × 25 cm (10 in × 10 in × 10 in).[13]

Importance

Galena is the

official state mineral of the U.S. states of Kansas,[14] Missouri,[15] and Wisconsin;[16] the former mining communities of Galena, Kansas,[17][18] Galena, Illinois,[19] and Galena, Alaska[20]
take their names from deposits of this mineral.

Structure

Galena belongs to the

niccolite. The galena group is named after its most common member, with other isometric members that include manganese bearing alabandite and niningerite.[8][4]

Divalent lead (Pb)

anions form a close-packed cubic unit cell much like the mineral halite of the halide mineral group. Zinc, cadmium, iron, copper, antimony, arsenic, bismuth and selenium also occur in variable amounts in galena. Selenium substitutes for sulfur in the structure constituting a solid solution series. The lead telluride mineral altaite has the same crystal structure as galena.[8]

Geochemistry

Within the

oxidation zone galena alters to anglesite (lead sulfate) or cerussite (lead carbonate).[8] Galena exposed to acid mine drainage can be oxidized to anglesite by naturally occurring bacteria and archaea, in a process similar to bioleaching.[21]

Uses

"cat's whisker"
detector

One of the oldest uses of galena was produce kohl, an eye cosmetic now regarded as toxic due to the risk of lead poisoning.[22] In Ancient Egypt, this was applied around the eyes to reduce the glare of the desert sun and to repel flies, which were a potential source of disease.[23]

In

Kincaid Mounds in present-day Illinois.[25] The galena used at the site originated from deposits in southeastern and central Missouri and the Upper Mississippi Valley.[24]

Galena is the primary ore of lead, and is often mined for its silver content.[6] It is used as a source of lead in ceramic glaze.[26]

Galena is a

cat's whisker", in contact with it.[27]

In modern times, galena is primarily used to extract its constituent minerals. In addition to silver, it is the most important source of lead, for uses such as in lead-acid batteries.[9]

See also

References

  1. S2CID 235729616
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 0962209708
    .
  3. ^ "Galena". Webmineral.
  4. ^ a b c Galena. Mindat.org
  5. ISBN 9780873352666
    .
  6. ^
    S2CID 192277012
    .
  7. ISSN 1324-6011. Archived from the original
    on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  8. ^
    ISBN 047157452X
    .
  9. ^ a b Hobart M. King. "Galena Mineral | Uses and Properties". geology.com. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  10. S2CID 236973111
    .
  11. ^ "Lead". Geoscience Australia. Australian Government. 4 March 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  12. doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.93.8.1307
    .
  13. ^ Rickwood, P. C. (1981). "The largest crystals" (PDF). American Mineralogist. 66: 885–907.
  14. ^ "2018 Statute Chapter 73 Article 38", Official state mineral, Kansas Legislature, retrieved 2019-12-05
  15. ^ "Office of the Secretary of State, Missouri – State Symbols". State of Missouri. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  16. ^ "Wisconsin State Symbols". State of Wisconsin. Archived from the original on 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  17. ISBN 0-8061-0994-7
  18. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 133.
  19. ^ Galena Historical Society (June 21, 2006). "History Highlights". Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  20. ^ state.ak.us
  21. doi:10.1016/j.hydromet.2004.07.001
    .
  22. ^ "Toxic trends". Wellcome Collection. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  23. ISBN 1-58839-170-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  24. ^ a b "Lead pollution from Native Americans attributed to crushing galena for glitter paint, adornments". Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  25. ^ The Glittery Legacy of Lead at a Historic Native American Site, Atlas Obscura, November 7, 2019
  26. ^ Glaze. thepotteries.org
  27. S2CID 17583856.[permanent dead link
    ]

External links

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