Tellurantimony is a rare telluride mineral often found in hydrothermal metallic deposits. It is best identified by its metallic luster and perfect cleavage, though it is usually only identifiable through laboratory analysis due to its visual similarity to other bismuth and antimony tellurides.
Is this tellurantimony?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch tellurantimony with a known reference. Tellurantimony sits at Mohs 2-2.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: grayish-black.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: silver white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: lath.
Often confused with
Tellurantimony vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside tellurantimony
Minerals reported to co-occur with tellurantimony. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Sb₂Te₃
- Mohs hardness
- 2-2.5
- Density
- 6.511 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Grayish-black
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Lath
- Cleavage
- Perfect
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific research
- Host rock
- In a zinc-rich stratiform massive sulfide deposit of volcanogenic origin in Archean volcanics (Mattagami Lake mine, Canada)
Where rockhounds find tellurantimony
Classic worldwide localities
- Smuggler, Little Johnny, Washburn, and other mines, Boulder Co., Colorado, USA
- Mattagami Lake mine, about 8 km southwest of the town of Matagami, Quebec (type locality), Canada
- Kobetsuzawa mine, near Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
- Danba district, Sichuan Province, China
- Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
- Săcărı̂mb (Nagyág), Stănija, and Măgura-Hondol, Romania
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In a zinc-rich stratiform massive sulfide deposit of volcanogenic origin in Archean volcanics (Mattagami Lake mine, Canada). If you start seeing altaite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: lath. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify tellurantimony?+
Where is tellurantimony found?+
Is tellurantimony safe to handle?+
What rocks look like tellurantimony?+
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Find tellurantimony on the map
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