Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Sphalerite vs. Anorthite
Both zinc ore Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar Anorthite have perfect cleavage that will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes!
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Gem Blende

A variety of Sphalerite
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Formula:
ZnS
A ruby-red translucent variety of "blende" (= sphalerite).
The translucency increases with decreasing iron content.


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Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:
6295 (as Gem Blende)
3727 (as Sphalerite)
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:6295:0 (as Gem Blende)
mindat:1:1:3727:9 (as Sphalerite)

Chemistry of Gem BlendeHide

Mindat Formula:
ZnS
Element Weights:
Element% weight
Zn67.094 %
S32.906 %

Calculated from ideal end-member formula.
Zn
S
Elements listed:
S, Zn - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Other InformationHide

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 Gem BlendeHide

References for Gem BlendeHide

Reference List:
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