Zinckenite from the Kasuga mine, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

Zinckenite from the Mitsuishi deposit of the Kasuga mine, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan occurs as acicular crystal or its radial aggregate in durse of a gold-bearing silicified rock, in association with barite, pyrite, stibioluzonite and sometimes tennantite and enargite. Average value of five microprobe analyses is : Pb 3.7, Sb 44.8, As 0.4, S 22.9, Total 99.8 wt%, corresponding to Pb9.00 (Sb21.65 As0.31)21.96 S42.02, in conformity with the formula Pb9Sb22S42, which was obtain from the results of synthetic experiment by Sugaki et al. (1973) or as maximum occupancy of tunnel sites by Sb and Pb metals by Smith (1986). X-ray powder pattern obtained by Guinier camera is indexed on a hexagonal cell with a=22.126 and c=4.318Â.