Description: This listing is for a really fascinating galena specimen in a display jar, including an info card about the specimen. This kit is great for avid mineral specimen collectors or beginners. It would be a perfect gift set for getting someone interested in mineral collecting and science. The 1 centimeter scale cube is for size comparison only. It is not included in the sale. The photos are of several different specimens, but this listings is only for one specimen with an info card. The photos show multiple specimens to give a representation of the variety of shapes and colors in these specimens. I offer a shipping discount for customers who combine their payments for multiple purchases into one payment! The discount is regular shipping price for the first item and just 50 cents for each additional item! To be sure you get your shipping discount just make sure all the items you want to purchase are in your cart. Auctions you win are added to your cart automatically. For any "buy it now" items or second chance offers, be sure to click the "add to cart" button, NOT the "buy it now" button. Once all of your items are in your cart just pay for them from your cart and the combined shipping discount should be applied automatically. I offer a money back guarantee on every item I sell. If you are not 100% happy with your purchase just send me a message to let me know and I will buy back the item for your full purchase price. Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It has been used as the main source of lead since antiquity and is also an important source of silver. This specimen has a cubic crystal structure giving it a blocky shape where it has broken away from a larger piece. It is silvery gray on the surfaces where it broke. This specimen is from the Sweetwater Mine in Missouri. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me. GalenaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to searchFor other uses, see Galena (disambiguation).Galena (lead glance)Calcite-Galena-elm56c.jpgGalena close-upGeneralCategorySulfide mineral, octahedral subgroupFormula(repeating unit)PbSStrunz classification2.CD.10Dana classification2.8.1.1Crystal systemCubicCrystal classHexoctahedral (m3m) H–M symbol: (4/m 3 2/m)Space groupFm3mUnit cella = 5.936 Å; Z = 4IdentificationColorLead gray and silveryCrystal habitCubes and octahedra, blocky, tabular and sometimes skeletal crystalsTwinningContact, penetration and lamellarCleavageCubic perfect on [001], parting on [111]FractureSubconchoidalTenacityBrittleMohs scale hardness2.5–2.75LusterMetallic on cleavage planesStreakLead grayDiaphaneityOpaqueSpecific gravity7.2–7.6Optical propertiesIsotropic and opaqueFusibility2Other characteristicsNatural semiconductorReferences[1][2][3] Galena's unit cell The rock-salt crystal structure. Each atom has six nearest neighbors, with octahedral geometry.Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide. It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver.[4] Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms. It is often associated with the minerals sphalerite, calcite and fluorite. Contents1Lead ore deposits2Crystal structure3Geochemistry4Galena uses5See also6References7Further reading8External linksLead ore deposits Galena on fluoriteGalena is the main ore of lead, used since ancient times. Because of its somewhat low melting point, it was easy to liberate by smelting. It typically forms in low-temperature sedimentary deposits. In some deposits galena contains about 1–2% silver, a byproduct that far outweighs the main lead ore in revenue. Galena deposits often also contain significant amounts of silver as included silver sulfide mineral phases or as limited solid solution within the galena structure. These argentiferous galenas have long been the most important ore of silver.[citation needed] A microscopic picture of GalenaGalena deposits are found worldwide in various environments.[3] Noted deposits include those at Freiberg in Saxony;[1] 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 United States, it occurs most notably in the Mississippi Valley type deposits of the Lead Belt in southeastern Missouri,[1] and in the Driftless Area of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Cubic galena with calcite from Jasper County, Missouri, USA; 5.1 cm × 3.2 cm × 2.8 cm (2.0 in × 1.3 in × 1.1 in)Galena also was a major mineral of the zinc-lead mines of the tri-state district around Joplin in southwestern Missouri and the adjoining areas of Kansas and Oklahoma.[1] 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.[1] Galena is the official state mineral of the U.S. states of Missouri and Wisconsin; the former mining communities of Galena, Kansas and Galena, Illinois take their names from deposits of this mineral. 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).[5] Crystal structureGalena belongs to the octahedral sulfide group of minerals that have metal ions in octahedral positions, such as the iron sulfide pyrrhotite and the nickel arsenide niccolite. The galena group is named after its most common member, with other isometric members that include manganese bearing alabandite and niningerite.[3] Divalent lead (Pb) cations and sulfur (S) 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. GeochemistryWithin the weathering or oxidation zone galena alters to anglesite (lead sulfate) or cerussite (lead carbonate). Galena exposed to acid mine drainage can be oxidized to anglesite by naturally occurring bacteria and archaea, in a process similar to bioleaching.[6] Galena usesOne of the oldest uses of galena was in the eye cosmetic kohl. 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.[7] Galena is the primary ore of lead, which is mainly used in making lead–acid batteries; however, significant amounts are also used to make lead sheeting and lead shot. Galena is often mined for its silver content, such as at the Galena Mine in northern Idaho. Also known as "potter's ore", galena is used in a green glaze applied to pottery.[citation needed] Galena cat's whisker detectorGalena is a semiconductor with a small band gap of about 0.4 eV, which found use in early wireless communication systems. It was used as the crystal in crystal radio receivers, in which it was used as a point-contact diode capable of rectifying alternating current to detect the radio signals. The galena crystal was used with a sharp wire, known as a "cat's whisker" in contact with it. The operation of the radio required that the point of contact on the galena be shifted about to find a part of the crystal that acted as a rectifying diode. Making such wireless receivers was a popular home hobby in Britain and other European countries during the 1930s. Scientists associated with the investigation of the diode effect are Karl Ferdinand Braun and Jagadish Bose. In modern wireless communication systems, galena detectors have been replaced by more reliable semiconductor devices.[8] See alsoList of mineralsLead smelter
Price: 8.48 USD
Location: Tucson, Arizona
End Time: 2024-01-09T18:32:02.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5.95 USD
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Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back