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tetrahedrite
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Basalt sample returned by Apollo 15, from near a long sinous lunar valley called Hadley Rille. Measured at 3.3 years old.
(Bed) Rocks and (Flint) Stones
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tetrahedrite
tetrahedrite A grey tetrahedrite with white quartz, Romania.

tetrahedrite

mineral
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tetrahedrite, common sulfosalt mineral, an antimony sulfide of copper, iron, zinc, and silver [(Cu,Fe,Zn,Ag)12Sb4S13], that is an important ore of copper and sometimes of silver. It forms gray to black metallic crystals or masses in metalliferous hydrothermal veins. Tetrahedrite forms a solid solution series with the similar mineral tennantite, in which arsenic replaces antimony in the molecular structure. It is found in important quantities in Switzerland, Germany, Romania, the Czech Republic, France, Peru, and Chile, and both minerals occur in large amounts in Colorado, Idaho, and other localities in the western United States. For detailed physical properties, see sulfosalt (table).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.