Hauerite

specimen number:
1052308

location:
Destricella Mine, Raddusa, Catania, Sicily, Italy

description:
Hauerite from Sicily occurs in association with sulfur deposits formed in evaporite sequences that were extensively mined on the island during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hauerite is a manganese sulfide mineral that typically forms small dark reddish brown to black cubic crystals embedded in sulfur or gypsum rich host rocks. Sicily's sulfur mines were among the most important in the world during their peak years, supplying sulfur for chemical and industrial uses, and they also produced a variety of rare sulfide minerals including hauerite. Specimens from Sicily are historically significant because they represent one of the classic localities for this uncommon mineral. This is a choice example showing a loose perfect octahedral crystal. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. The specimen would date to the very early 20th century if not the 19th century.

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