Sphalerite is a
sulfide mineral with the
chemical formula (Zn,Fe)S. It is found in a variety of deposit types, and is found in association with
galena,
chalcopyrite,
pyrite (and other sulfides),
calcite,
dolomite,
quartz,
rhodochrosite, and
fluorite. Sphalerite is an important ore of
zinc, with around 95 percent of all primary zinc extracted from its ore. Due to its variable trace-element content, sphalerite is also an important source of several other metals such as
cadmium,
gallium,
germanium and
indium. The zinc in sphalerite is also used to produce
brass. This sample was extracted in
Creede, Colorado, and features black tetrahedral crystals of sphalerite up to 8 mm (0.31 in) in size, with minor chalcopyrite and calcite, in a 4.5 cm × 3.0 cm × 2.0 cm (1.77 in × 1.18 in × 0.79 in)
matrix. This photograph was
focus-stacked from 125 separate images.
Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
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