Jun 13 2014
Bambollaite was named after the Spanish phrase “La Bambolla”, the nickname of the mine where it was first discovered. “La Bambolla” means “hot air”, in allusion to the exaggerated tales of rich gold ore found in the mine.
Properties of Bambollaite
The following are the key properties of bambollaite:
- Cell Data
- Space group: P42/n or I 41/amd
- a = 5.466
- c = 5.632
- Z = [2]
- Crystal Data
- Tetragonal, pseudocubic
- Point group: 4/m or 4/m2/m2/m
- Fine granular aggregates and lenses, intermixed with klockmannite
- X-ray powder pattern: 3.19 (100), 1.961 (70), 1.653 (50), 1.931 (40), 1.689 (30), 1.270 (20), 1.121 (20)
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
| Se |
44.5 |
| Te |
31.0 |
| Cu |
25.1 |
| Total |
100.6 |
- Optical Properties
- Anisotropism: Slight
- R1–R2: n.d
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density) = 4.18 g/cm3
note: Specific gravity of bambollaite = 4.85 g/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEBambollaite = 144.11 barns/electron
U = PEBambollaite x ρ electron density = 602.84 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0.05
Boson index = 0.95 |
Radioactivity
|
Bambollaite is not radioactive
|
How to Identify Bambollaite
Bambollaite can be identified in the field by its color variations, such as brownish-gray, and gray. Its opaque form has a metallic luster.
The density of bambollaite is 5.64 g/cm3, with a hardness of 3 – approximate to calcite.
Global Distribution
Bambollaite is distributed mainly in the Moctezuma (Bambolla) mine, 12km south of Moctezuma, Sonora, in Mexico.
Occurrence of Bambollaite and Useful Mineral Association
Bambollaite occurs in oxidized Au–Te ore in subparallel quartz veins in a hydrothermally altered tuff.
It is often associated with minerals such as klockmannite, selenium, tellurite, tellurium, paratellurite, illite, calcite, quartz, and chalcomenite.
References