Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56247090" class="extiw" title="d:Q56247090"><span title="mineral collector and dealer">Robert M. Lavinsky</span></a></bdi> (CC BY-SA 3.0)
trigonaluncommonSulfides
Cinnabar
HgS
This specimen features bright vermilion-red, crystalline cinnabar, some appearing as small, lustrous crystals, embedded within or on a matrix, likely dolomite.
Cinnabar Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
2.5Crystal System
trigonalLuster
adamantineStreak Color
scarlet to reddish-brownCleavage
perfect prismatic {1010}Fracture
unevenSpecific Gravity
8.1Colors
vermilion red, reddish-brown, lead-grayTransparency
transparent to opaqueType Locality
New Almaden District, Santa Clara County, California, USAMineral Group
SulfidesUses
primary ore of mercury, pigment (vermilion), collectorAssociated Minerals
dolomite, quartz, pyriteRarity
uncommonGeological Context
Cinnabar typically forms in low-temperature hydrothermal veins associated with recent volcanic activity and hot springs, often found in sedimentary or metamorphic rocks. It is the most important ore of mercury.
