Sphalerite
Iwahana deposit, Hikida Mine
Hikida, Kanuma city, Tochigi pref., Japan
Source for Zinc, Cadmium, and Sulfuric acid.
Field of view: 10 mm. Sphalerite associated with kaolinite. The fine black grains exhibiting perfect cleavage are sphalerite. The earthy opaque white parts in the interstices of sphalerite grains are kaolinite. The translucent gray parts with a vitreous luster are gangue quartz.
Recovered from a quartz vein in a moderate-temperature hydrothermal deposit probably associated with welded tuff. Formed in the early Paleocene (65 Ma).
Sphalerite from this location was described in 1972.
Other localities
- Kamioka Mine (Pneumatolytic Skarn, Granular)
- Chichibu Mine (Hydrothermal Skarn, Twin)
- Nakatatsu Mine (Hydrothermal Skarn)
- Kawai Mine (Hydrothermal Skarn, Massive)
- Hagidaira Mine (Mn Skarn, Granular)
- Arakawa Mine (Hydrothermal, Transparent)
- Kawazu Mine (Hydrothermal, Granular)
- Mikawa Mine (Hydrothermal, Granular)
- Sayama Mine (Hydrothermal, Veinlet)
- Manju Mine (Hydrothermal, Massive)
- Hikida Mine (Hydrothermal, Granular)
- Agenosawa Mine (Hydrothermal, Massive)