Marmatite Sphalerite – Madan, Bulgaria | Ref.34

Provenance

This marmatite sphalerite comes from the Madan Mine in Bulgaria and was collected in 1995.

Dimensions and presentation

Stone dimensions: 55 × 37 × 45 mm.

Weight with base: 163 g.

Marmatite is an iron-rich sphalerite

Sphalerite is mainly composed of zinc sulfide (ZnS), while marmatite is an iron-rich form of sphalerite, which gives it a darker color. It contains zinc sulfide (ZnS) and iron, often represented by the chemical formula (Zn,Fe)S.

The presence of iron gives marmatite a color ranging from dark brown to black.

On the Mohs scale, marmatite has a hardness ranging from 3.5 to 4.