Description
ccording to Wikipedia, “Tetrahedrite gets its name from the distinctive tetrahedron shaped cubic crystals… it is a steel gray to black metallic mineral with harness of 3.5 to 4 and a specific gravity of of 4.6 to 5.2. Tetrahedrite occurs in low to moderate temperature hydrothermal veins and in some contact metamorph deposits. It is a minor ore of copper and associated metals. It was first described in 1845 for occurrences in Saxony, Germany.”
According to Mindat, tetrahedrite was “originally called ‘Argentum’ by Georgius Agricola (Georg Bauer) in 1546 because it contained silver, although it may not have necessarily been silver-dominant like the related mineral, freibergite, is”.
As antimony isn’t an element you should bring home in abundance, consider skipping on bringing this home – unless you need a sample of the element. However, being a cool crystal doesn’t make this any less toxic, and there’s plenty of other crystals you can choose from (which don’t contain antimony). However, this could be a valuable rock to find on your next hike, so keep your eyes out for Tetrahedrite!
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