Christite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Christite
Charles L. Christ
Formula:
TlHgAsS3
Colour:
Bright orange to deep red or crimson; black
Lustre:
Adamantine
Hardness:
1 - 2
Specific Gravity:
6.2
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Name:
Named in honor of Charles Louis Christ (12 March 1916, Baltimore, Maryland, USA – 29 June 1980, Palo Alto, California, USA), mineralogist with the United States Geological Survey, in recognition of his "outstanding contributions in the fields of crystallography, mineralogy, and geochemistry". He was an expert in x-ray crystallography. The name is pronounced krĭst'-ite (as in crystal).
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
1029
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:1029:6
IMA Classification of Christite
Approved
IMA Formula:
Tl1+Hg2+As3+S2-3
Approval year:
1976
First published:
1977
Classification of Christite
2.HD.15
2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
H : Sulfosalts of SnS archetype
D : With Tl
2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
H : Sulfosalts of SnS archetype
D : With Tl
3.4.10.1
3 : SULFOSALTS
4 : ø = 3
3 : SULFOSALTS
4 : ø = 3
5.5.5
5 : Sulphosalts - Sulpharsenites and Sulphobismuthites (those containing Sn, Ge,or V are in Section 6)
5 : Sulpharsenites etc. of Tl
5 : Sulphosalts - Sulpharsenites and Sulphobismuthites (those containing Sn, Ge,or V are in Section 6)
5 : Sulpharsenites etc. of Tl
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Cri | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Christite
Adamantine
Transparency:
Opaque
Colour:
Bright orange to deep red or crimson; black
Comment:
Darker than realgar; black if thick.
Streak:
Bright orange
Hardness:
1 - 2 on Mohs scale
Hardness:
VHN10=28 - 35 kg/mm2 - Vickers
Cleavage:
Perfect
Perfect on {010}
excellent on {110} {001}
good on {101}
Perfect on {010}
excellent on {110} {001}
good on {101}
Density:
6.2 g/cm3 (Measured) 6.37 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Comment:
Measured on synthetic material
Optical Data of Christite
Bireflectance:
None
Reflectivity:
| Wavelength | R1 (%) | R2 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 470nm | 29.6% | 30.0% |
| 546nm | 26.5% | 26.9% |
| 589nm | 24.9% | 25.2% |
| 650nm | 23.7% | 23.9% |
Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Peak reflectance is 30.0%.
R1 shown in black, R2 shown in red
Colour in reflected light:
Grayish-white with a faint blue tint
Internal Reflections:
Very strong brilliant red-orange
Chemistry of Christite
Mindat Formula:
TlHgAsS3
Element Weights:
Elements listed:
Crystallography of Christite
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mmm(2/m2/m2/m) - Dipyramidal
Space Group:
Cmca
Cell Parameters:
a = 8.080(5) Å, b = 9.123(6) Å, c = 16.190(9) Å
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.886 : 1 : 1.775
Unit Cell V:
1,193.43 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Morphology:
Subhedral grains to 1 mm.
Comment:
Space group and cell from Kolitsch et al. (2021). Originally assumed to have space group P21/n, with a = 6.113(1), b = 16.188(4), c = 6.111(1) Å, β = 96.71(2)°.
Crystal Structure
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Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0010787 | Christite | Brown K L, Dickson F W (1976) The crystal structure of synthetic christite, HgTlAsS3 Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie 144 367-376 |  | 1976 | synthetic | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 2.98 Å | (100) |
| 3.62 Å | (80) |
| 4.03 Å | (60) |
| 3.49 Å | (60) |
| 2.692 Å | (60) |
| 3.36 Å | (50) |
| 2.216 Å | (50) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Near-surface Processes | |
| 23 : Subaerial aqueous alteration by non-redox-sensitive fluids (see also #47) | |
| High-? alteration and/or metamorphism | |
| 32 : Ba/Mn/Pb/Zn deposits, including metamorphic deposits | |
| 33 : Minerals deposited by hydrothermal metal-rich fluids (see also [#12]) |
Type Occurrence of Christite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Small isolated euhedral to subhedral crystals; also as veinlet fillings.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, numbers 144272, 144273.
The Collection of Epithermal Ores and Minerals, Geology Department, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA.
The Collection of Epithermal Ores and Minerals, Geology Department, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Hydrothermal barite veins.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Christite
Other Language Names for Christite
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 8 photos of Christite associated with Realgar | As4S4 |
| 4 photos of Christite associated with Rebulite | Tl5Sb5As8S22 |
| 4 photos of Christite associated with Quartz | SiO2 |
| 3 photos of Christite associated with Orpiment | As2S3 |
| 2 photos of Christite associated with Shimenite | Tl5Sb21-yAsyS34 |
| 1 photo of Christite associated with Jankovićite | Tl5Sb9(As,Sb)4S22 |
| 1 photo of Christite associated with Pyrite | FeS2 |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 2.HD. | Enneasartorite | Tl6Pb32As70S140 |
| 2.HD. | Shimenite | Tl5Sb21-yAsyS34 |
| 2.HD. | Dewitite | AgzTl10-x-zPb2xSb42-x-yAsyS68 |
| 2.HD. | Buynite | TlPb14As17S40 |
| 2.HD. | Vallouiseite | Ag3Tl21.5PbSb63As41.5S170 |
| 2.HD. | Giuşcăite | Ag2Tl4Pb4As20Sb2S40 |
| 2.HD. | Boscardinite | TlPb4(Sb7As2)S18 |
| 2.HD. | Gungerite | TlAs5Sb4S13 |
| 2.HD.05e | Dalnegroite | (Tl4Pb2)(As12Sb8)S34 |
| 2.HD.05 | Lorándite | TlAsS2 |
| 2.HD.05 | Weissbergite | TlSbS2 |
| 2.HD.05e | Chabournéite | AgzTl8-x-zPb4+2xSb40-x-yAsyS68 with 0.00 < x < 0.40(9), 16.15(3)< y < 19.11(10), 0.04(4) < z < 0.11(6) |
| 2.HD.15 | Markwelchite | TlPbSbS3 |
| 2.HD.15 | Richardsollyite | TlPbAsS3 |
| 2.HD.20 | Jankovićite | Tl5Sb9(As,Sb)4S22 |
| 2.HD.25 | Rebulite | Tl5Sb5As8S22 |
| 2.HD.30 | Imhofite | Tl5.8As15.4S26 |
| 2.HD.35 | Edenharterite | PbTlAs3S6 |
| 2.HD.40 | Jentschite | TlPbAs2SbS6 |
| 2.HD.45 | Protochabournéite | Tl4-xPb2+2xSb20-x-yAsyS34 with 0.02(2) <= x <= 0.34(2), 5.71(9) <= y <= 6.69(9) |
| 2.HD.45 | Hutchinsonite | TlPbAs5S9 |
| 2.HD.50 | Bernardite | TlAs5S8 |
| 2.HD.55 | Sicherite | TlAg2(As,Sb)3S6 |
| 2.HD.55 | Geuerite | Ag2Tl4Pb4As22S40 |
| 2.HD.60 | Gabrielite | Tl6Ag3Cu6(As,Sb)9S21 |
| 2.HD.65 | Tsygankoite | Mn8Tl8Hg2(Sb21Pb2Tl)S48 |
| 2.HD.70 | Drechslerite | Tl4(Sb4-xAsx)S8 (1 < x < 2) |
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Christite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-1029.html
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References for Christite
Reference List:
Brown, Kevin L.; Dickson, Frank W. (1976) The crystal structure of synthetic christite, HgTlAsS3. Zeitschrift für Kristallographie, 144 (1). 367-376 doi:10.1524/zkri.1976.144.1-6.367
Localities for Christite
Showing 10 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
China | |
| Shuren An et al. (1988) +4 other references |
| Gu et al. (2024) | |
| Dan Topa & Uwe Kolitsch (EPMA- and SXRD-analyses, 2015-2017) +3 other references |
Iran | |
| Asadi +3 other references |
North Macedonia | |
| Anthony et al. (1990) |
| Ðorđević et al. (2020) |
Russia | |
| Plášil et al. (2018) +5 other references |
USA (TL) | |
| Radtke et al. (1977) +1 other reference |
| Castor et al. (2004) |
| Clark (2012) |
Quick NavTopAbout ChristiteUnique IdentifiersIMA Classification Classification Mineral SymbolsPhysical Properties Optical Data Chemistry Crystallography Crystal StructureX-Ray Powder DiffractionGeological EnvironmentType Occurrence SynonymsOther LanguagesCommon AssociatesStrunz-MindatOther InformationInternet Links References Localities Locality List
Jiepaiyu Mine, Shimen deposit, Shimen Co., Changde, Hunan, China