Bournonite

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title: "Bournonite" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lead-minerals", "copper(i)-minerals", "sulfosalt-minerals", "antimony-minerals", "orthorhombic-minerals", "blendes", "glances", "minerals-in-space-group-31"] description: "Sulfosalt mineral species" topic_path: "general/lead-minerals" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bournonite" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Sulfosalt mineral species ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mineral"]

Field	Value
name	Bournonite
category	Sulfosalt mineral
image	2522M-bournonite1.jpg
caption	Bournonite from Viboras mine, Machacamarcha, Bolivia, 95 mm x 74 mm, largest crystal size: 29 mm
formula	PbCuSbS3
IMAsymbol	Bnn
strunz	2.GA.50
dana	3.4.3.2
system	Orthorhombic
class	Pyramidal (mm2)
(same H-M symbol)
symmetry	Pn21m
color	Steel-gray to iron-black
habit	Crystals short prismatic to tabular, typically striated; commonly as subparallel aggregates. Also massive, granular to compact
twinning	On {110}, commonly forming cross or cogwheel aggregates
cleavage	[010] Imperfect
fracture	Subconchoidal to uneven
mohs	2.5 – 3.0
luster	Brilliant to dull
streak	Steel-gray to iron-black
diaphaneity	Opaque
gravity	5.7 – 5.9
pleochroism	Very weak
references
::

| name = Bournonite | category = Sulfosalt mineral | boxwidth = | boxbgcolor = | image = 2522M-bournonite1.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Bournonite from Viboras mine, Machacamarcha, Bolivia, 95 mm x 74 mm, largest crystal size: 29 mm | formula = PbCuSbS3 | IMAsymbol=Bnn | molweight = | strunz = 2.GA.50 | dana = 3.4.3.2 | system = Orthorhombic | class = Pyramidal (mm2) (same H-M symbol) | symmetry = Pn21m | color = Steel-gray to iron-black | colour = | habit = Crystals short prismatic to tabular, typically striated; commonly as subparallel aggregates. Also massive, granular to compact | twinning = On {110}, commonly forming cross or cogwheel aggregates | cleavage = [010] Imperfect | fracture = Subconchoidal to uneven | tenacity = | mohs = 2.5 – 3.0 | luster = Brilliant to dull | streak = Steel-gray to iron-black | diaphaneity = Opaque | gravity = 5.7 – 5.9 | density = | polish = | opticalprop = | refractive = | birefringence = | pleochroism = Very weak | 2V = | dispersion = | extinction = | length fast/slow = | fluorescence= | absorption = | melt = | fusibility = | diagnostic = | solubility = | other = | alteration = | references = Bournonite, also axotomous antimony glance, wheel ore, berthonite, volchite or dystomic glance () is a sulfosalt mineral species, trithioantimoniate of lead and copper with the formula PbCuSbS3.

It was first mentioned by Philip Rashleigh in 1797 as an ore of antimony and was more completely described in 1804 by French crystallographer and mineralogist Jacques Louis, Comte de Bournon (1751–1825), after whom it was named. The name given by Bournon himself (in 1813) was endellione, since used in the form endellionite, after St Endellion, the locality in Cornwall where the mineral was first found.

The crystals are orthorhombic, and are generally tabular in habit owing to the predominance of the basal pinacoid; numerous smooth bright faces are often developed on the edges and corners of the crystals.

It is a mineral in medium temperature hydrothermal vein deposits. It commonly occurs with galena, tetrahedrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, stibnite, zinkenite, siderite, quartz, rhodochrosite, dolomite and barite.

It was first described for an occurrence in Wheal Boys in the parish of St Endellion in Cornwall, it was found associated with jamesonite, sphalerite and siderite.

References

References

1. Warr, L.N.. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine.
2. http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/bournonite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy
3. http://webmineral.com/data/Bournonite.shtml Webmineral data
4. ''[[Robert Jameson]]''. Manual of Mineralogy: containing an account of simple minerals, and also a description and arrangement of mountain rocks. — Edinburgh, Archibald Constable & Co., 1821. — 494 p.
5. ''Krivovichev V. G.'' Mineralogical glossary. Scientific editor [[:uk:Булах Андрій Глібович. A. G. Bulakh]]. — St.Petersburg: St.Petersburg Univ. Publ. House. 2009. — 556 p. — ISBN 978-5-288-04863-0
6. They are usually [[Crystal twinning. twinned]], the twin-plane being a face of the prism (m); the angle between the faces of this prism being nearly a right angle (86° 20′), the twinning gives rise to cruciform groups and when it is often repeated the group has the appearance of a cog-wheel, hence the name ''Rãdelerz'' (wheel-ore) of the [[Cavnic
7. http://www.mindat.org/min-741.html Mindat

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