Roxbyite
A valid IMA mineral species
This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
About Roxbyite
Olympic Dam mine near Roxby Downs
Olympic Dam Mine, Olympic Dam, Pastoral Unincorporated Area, South Australia, Australia
Olympic Dam Mine, Olympic Dam, Pastoral Unincorporated Area, South Australia, Australia
Formula:
Cu58S32
Formula from crystal-structure determination (Mumme et al., 2012); previously given as Cu9S5. Note that iron is probably an essential component needed to stabilise the structure, with most electron microprobe analyses yielding 0.5-1 wt% Fe.
Colour:
Blue-black to black
Lustre:
Metallic, Sub-Metallic
Hardness:
2½ - 3
Crystal System:
Triclinic
Member of:
Name:
Named after its discovery locality: Olympic Dam deposit, Roxby Downs, South Australia, Australia.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3468
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3468:1
IMA Classification of Roxbyite
Approved
IMA Formula:
Cu1.78S
Approval year:
1986
First published:
1988
Classification of Roxbyite
2.BA.05
2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
B : Metal Sulfides, M: S > 1: 1 (mainly 2: 1)
A : With Cu, Ag, Au
2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
B : Metal Sulfides, M: S > 1: 1 (mainly 2: 1)
A : With Cu, Ag, Au
2.4.7.4
2 : SULFIDES
4 : AmBnXp, with (m+n):p = 2:1
2 : SULFIDES
4 : AmBnXp, with (m+n):p = 2:1
3.1.5
3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
1 : Sulphides etc. of Cu
3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
1 : Sulphides etc. of Cu
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rox | 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 Roxbyite
Metallic, Sub-Metallic
Transparency:
Opaque
Colour:
Blue-black to black
Hardness:
2½ - 3 on Mohs scale
Cleavage:
Poor/Indistinct
{100}
{100}
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven, Step-Like
Comment:
Density not determined or calculated
Chemistry of Roxbyite
Mindat Formula:
Cu58S32
Formula from crystal-structure determination (Mumme et al., 2012); previously given as Cu9S5. Note that iron is probably an essential component needed to stabilise the structure, with most electron microprobe analyses yielding 0.5-1 wt% Fe.
Formula from crystal-structure determination (Mumme et al., 2012); previously given as Cu9S5. Note that iron is probably an essential component needed to stabilise the structure, with most electron microprobe analyses yielding 0.5-1 wt% Fe.
Elements listed:
Common Impurities:
Fe
Crystallography of Roxbyite
Crystal System:
Triclinic
Class (H-M):
1 - Pinacoidal
Space Group:
P1
Cell Parameters:
a = 13.4051(9) Å, b = 13.4090(8) Å, c = 15.4852(3) Å
α = 90.022(2)°, β = 90.021(2)°, γ = 90.020(2)°
α = 90.022(2)°, β = 90.021(2)°, γ = 90.020(2)°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 1 : 1 : 1.155
Unit Cell V:
2,783.45 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
2
Morphology:
As single crystals, to 0.01 mm, epitaxially intergrown with djurleite; in powdery mixtures with djurleite.
Comment:
Pseudo-monoclinic, with pseudo-space group C2/m, Cm or C2, and a = 53.79, b = 30.90, c = 13.36 Å, beta = 90°. Type material is complexly twinned in six sectors.
Crystal Structure
Load
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Show
Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
Remove metal-metal sticks
Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
Remove metal-metal sticks
Display Options
Black Background | White Background
Perspective On | Perspective Off
2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
Black Background | White Background
Perspective On | Perspective Off
2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
View
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
Rotation
Stop | Start
Stop | Start
Labels
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0019199 | Roxbyite | Mumme W G, Gable R W, Petricek V (2012) The crystal structure of roxbyite, Cu58S32 The Canadian Mineralogist 50 423-430 | 2012 | Olympic Dam, Roxby Downs, Australia | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 4.82 Å | (10) |
| 4.24 Å | (15) |
| 3.90 Å | (5) |
| 3.35 Å | (55) |
| 3.16 Å | (5) |
| 3.00 Å | (30) |
| 2.862 Å | (60) |
| 2.628 Å | (45) |
| 2.532 Å | (15) |
| 2.451 Å | (15) |
| 2.372 Å | (85) |
| 2.299 Å | (10) |
| 2.239 Å | (10) |
| 2.174 Å | (15) |
| 2.121 Å | (10) |
| 1.934 Å | (100) |
| 1.894 Å | (10) |
| 1.859 Å | (90) |
| 1.794 Å | (10) |
| 1.675 Å | (30) |
| 1.652 Å | (10) |
| 1.628 Å | (25) |
| 1.581 Å | (5) |
Comments:
From Mumme et al. (2012).
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 3b: Earth’s earliest hydrosphere | >4.45 |
| 12 : Hadean hydrothermal subsurface sulfide deposits (see also #33) |
Type Occurrence of Roxbyite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Mixture with djurleite. Small single crystals with dimensions up to 0.01 mm.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
1) Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, M37924.
2) The Natural History Museum, London, England, 1988,28.
2) The Natural History Museum, London, England, 1988,28.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Stratabound bornite-chalcopyrite-pyrite mineralization and djurleite-bornite-roxbyite lenses and cross cutting veins.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Roxbyite
Copper Sulphides (in part)
Other Language Names for Roxbyite
Relationship of Roxbyite to other Species
Member of:
Other Members of Chalcocite-Digenite Group:
| Chalcocite | Cu2S | Mon. 2/m : P21/b |
| Digenite | Cu9S5 | Trig. 3m(32/m) : R3m |
| Djurleite | Cu31S16 | Mon. 2/m |
| Yarrowite | Cu9S8 | Trig. 3m(32/m) : P3m1 |
Structurally related to group(s):
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 11 photos of Roxbyite associated with Allactite | Mn2+7(AsO4)2(OH)8 |
| 4 photos of Roxbyite associated with Native Copper | Cu |
| 4 photos of Roxbyite associated with 'Sericite' | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| 2 photos of Roxbyite associated with Fluorite | CaF2 |
| 2 photos of Roxbyite associated with Yarrowite | Cu9S8 |
| 2 photos of Roxbyite associated with Djurleite | Cu31S16 |
| 2 photos of Roxbyite associated with Pyrite | FeS2 |
| 1 photo of Roxbyite associated with Spionkopite | Cu39S28 |
| 1 photo of Roxbyite associated with Anilite | Cu7S4 |
| 1 photo of Roxbyite associated with Bornite | Cu5FeS4 |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 2.BA. | Makotoite | Ag12(Cu3Au)S8 |
| 2.BA. | Alburnite | Ag8GeTe2S4 |
| 2.BA. | Dzierżanowskite | CaCu2S2 |
| 2.BA. | Xuwenyuanite | Ag9Fe3+Te2S4 |
| 2.BA. | 'Orileyite' | (Fe,Cu)2As |
| 2.BA. | Juxingite | Bi6Cu+138Cu2+2Fe3+30S125 |
| 2.BA.05 | Djurleite | Cu31S16 |
| 2.BA.05 | Geerite | Cu8S5 |
| 2.BA.05 | Chalcocite | Cu2S |
| 2.BA.10 | Digenite | Cu9S5 |
| 2.BA.10 | Anilite | Cu7S4 |
| 2.BA.15 | Bornite | Cu5FeS4 |
| 2.BA.20 | Bellidoite | Cu2Se |
| 2.BA.20 | Berzelianite | Cu2-xSe (x ≈ 0.12) |
| 2.BA.25 | Athabascaite | Cu5Se4 |
| 2.BA.25 | Umangite | Cu3Se2 |
| 2.BA.30 | Rickardite | Cu7Te5 |
| 2.BA.30 | Weissite | Cu2-xTe |
| 2.BA.35 | Acanthite | Ag2S |
| 2.BA.35 | Spryite | Ag8(As3+0.5As5+0.5)S6 |
| 2.BA.40d | 'UM2003-13-S:AgAuCu' | Ag6AuCu2S5 |
| 2.BA.40 | Mckinstryite | Ag5-xCu3+xS4 |
| 2.BA.40 | Stromeyerite | AgCuS |
| 2.BA.42 | Honeaite | Au3TlTe2 |
| 2.BA.45 | Jalpaite | Ag3CuS2 |
| 2.BA.45 | Selenojalpaite | Ag3CuSe2 |
| 2.BA.45 | Kurilite | Ag8Te3Se |
| 2.BA.47 | Spiridonovite | (Cu1-xAgx)2Te |
| 2.BA.50 | Wuyanzhiite | Cu2S |
| 2.BA.50 | Eucairite | AgCuSe |
| 2.BA.52 | 'Argentite' | Ag2S |
| 2.BA.55 | Naumannite | Ag2Se |
| 2.BA.55 | Aguilarite | Ag4SeS |
| 2.BA.60 | Chenguodaite | Ag9Fe3+Te2S4 |
| 2.BA.60 | Hessite | Ag2Te |
| 2.BA.60 | Cervelleite | Ag4TeS |
| 2.BA.65 | Henryite | (Cu,Ag)3+xTe2 , with x ~ 0.40 |
| 2.BA.65 | Stützite | Ag5-xTe3, x = 0.24-0.36 |
| 2.BA.70 | Argyrodite | Ag8GeS6 |
| 2.BA.70 | Putzite | (Cu4.7Ag3.3)GeS6 |
| 2.BA.70 | Canfieldite | Ag8SnS6 |
| 2.BA.75 | Fischesserite | Ag3AuSe2 |
| 2.BA.75 | Uytenbogaardtite | Ag3AuS2 |
| 2.BA.75 | Penzhinite | (Ag,Cu)4Au(S,Se)4 |
| 2.BA.75 | Petrovskaite | AuAgS |
| 2.BA.75 | Petzite | Ag3AuTe2 |
| 2.BA.80 | Bezsmertnovite | (Au,Ag)4Cu(Te,Pb) |
| 2.BA.80 | Bilibinskite | PbCu2Au3Te2 |
| 2.BA.80 | Bogdanovite | (Au,Te,Pb)3(Cu,Fe) |
Fluorescence of Roxbyite
Not fluorescent in UV
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 Roxbyite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3468.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
Search Engines:
External Links:
Mineral Dealers:
References for Roxbyite
Reference List:
Mumme, W. G., Sparrow, G. J., Walker, G. S. (1988) Roxbyite, a New Copper Sulphide Mineral from the Olympic Dam Deposit, Roxby Downs, South Australia. Mineralogical Magazine, 52 (366) 323-330 doi:10.1180/minmag.1988.052.366.03
Localities for Roxbyite
Showing 45 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.
Atlantic Ocean | |
| Firstova et al. (2016) |
| Gablina et al. (2006) | |
| Gablina et al. (2017) | |
| Gablina et al. (2018) | |
| Firstova et al. (2019) |
Australia | |
| Chapman et al. (2005) +1 other reference |
| MM 1988 +1 other reference |
| Bottrill et al. (2008) |
Canada | |
| Sabina (2015) +1 other reference |
| Sabina (2015) +1 other reference |
| Horváth et al. (2019) |
Chile | |
| Clarck (1972) |
Czech Republic | |
| Kohout et al. (1995) |
| Ondruš et al. (2003) |
| Malec J. et al.: Jacutingait (podkrkonošská pánev) |
| Hyrsl et al. (2009) |
| Sejkora et al. (2021) | |
| Krátký et al. (2026) |
Ecuador | |
| Embley et al. (1988) +1 other reference |
Europe | |
| Svetla Atanassova | |
Finland | |
| Canadian Mineralogist: 43: 1663-1686. |
Germany | |
| Schimak et al. (05/21) |
| Witzke et al. (2006) |
Hungary | |
| GEODA 2010/1 +1 other reference |
Iran | |
| Sadati et al. (2016) |
Italy | |
| De Caro et al. (2023) |
Japan | |
| Yamada (2002) |
Kazakhstan | |
| In the collection of Brent Thorne. ... |
| Pavel M. Kartashov XRD diagnostic |
Namibia | |
| Blaß et al. (2009) |
Papua New Guinea | |
| Noku et al. (2012) |
Peru | |
| Clark et al. (1990) |
| Clark et al. (1990) +1 other reference |
Poland | |
| Kruszewski et al. (2019) |
| Chmielewski et al. (2022) |
| Oszczepalski et al. (2017) |
Russia | |
| Savva et al. (2023) |
| Nenasheva et al. (2011) |
Slovakia | |
| Ferenc et al. (2020) |
Spain | |
| Mesa et al. (2002) |
Switzerland | |
| Ansermet (2012) |
Turkey | |
| Basciano et al. (1998) |
UK | |
| Faithfull et al. (2012) |
| Cotterell et al. (2011) |
USA | |
| Modris Baum collection - Travis Olds ... +1 other reference |
Quick NavTopAbout RoxbyiteUnique IdentifiersIMA Classification Classification Mineral SymbolsPhysical Properties Chemistry Crystallography Crystal StructureX-Ray Powder DiffractionGeological EnvironmentType Occurrence SynonymsOther LanguagesRelationshipsCommon AssociatesStrunz-MindatFluorescence Other InformationInternet Links References Localities Locality List
Dzhezkazgan mining district, Karaganda Region, Kazakhstan