| Walfordite | |
|---|---|
 Walfordite from Tambo Mine, Elqui Province, Chile | |
| General | |
| Category | Tellurite minerals |
| Formula (repeating unit) | Fe,TeTe3O8 |
| IMA symbol | wfd |
| Strunz classification | 4.JK.05 |
| Crystal system | Isometric |
| Space group | I2, Ia3 |
| Unit cell | a = 11.011 Å ; Z = 8 |
| Identification | |
| Colour | Orange |
| Crystal habit | Microscopic cubic crystals |
| Cleavage | None |
| Tenacity | Brittle |
| Luster | Adamantine |
| Streak | Orange-yellow |
| Diaphaneity | Opaque |
| Specific gravity | 5.841 (calculated) |
| Optical properties | Isotropic |
| Refractive index | n = 2.23 |
| References | |
Walfordite is a very rare tellurite mineral that was discovered in Chile in 1999. The mineral is described as orange with orange-yellow streak, and is determined to have a chemical formula of Fe,TeTe3O8 with minor titanium and magnesium substitution resulting in an approximate empirical formula of (Fe,Te,Ti,Mg)(Te)3O8.
Occurrence
The only reported occurrence is in the Wendy open pit, El Indio-Tambo mining district of the Coquimbo Region, northern Chile where it occurs in oxidized breccia associated with a tellurium-bearing gold deposit. Associated minerals include: alunite, rodalquilarite, native gold, emmonsite, jarosite and pyrite. The mineral was named for mine geologist Phillip Walford (1945— ) who first noted the mineral.
See also
- El Indio Gold Belt. Tambo is adjacent to the El Indio mine. Both are now closed.
References
- Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
- ^ Walfordite in the Handbook of Mineralogy
- ^ Walfordite on Mindat.org
- Walfordite data on Webmineral
- ^ Back, Malcolm E.; Grice, Joel D.; Gault, Robert A.; Criddle, Alan J.; Mandarino, Joseph A. (1999). "Walfordite, a New Tellurite Species from the Wendy Open Pit, El Indio - Tambo Mining Property, Chile" (PDF). The Canadian Mineralogist. 37: 1261–1268.
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