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Cinnabar
Cinnabar - Mineral Properties and Uses |
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What is Cinnabar? |
Cinnabar is a mercury sulfide mineral and the most important ore of mercury. It is most often found near recent volcanic activity. It forms at low temperatures in veins and other pore spaces. |
Uses |
Cinnabar is the primary ore of mercury. Mercury is used instruments, electrical controls and as a fungicide. It was once used to recover gold from stream sediments and crushed ore, however, other methods are now used instead. |
Color |
scarlet red to brownish red |
Streak |
scarlet |
Luster |
adamantine |
Diaphaneity |
transparent to translucent |
Cleavage |
perfect, prismatic |
Hardness |
2 - 2.5 |
Specific Gravity |
8.0 - 8.2 |
Distinguishing
Characteristics |
specific gravity, color, streak, cleavage |
Crystal System |
hexagonal |
Chemical Classification |
sulfide |
Chemical Composition |
mercury sulfide, HgS |
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