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)
hexagonaluncommonSulfides
Covellite
CuS
This specimen features deep indigo-blue to purplish-blue covellite crystals, displaying a striking metallic to submetallic luster and often exhibiting iridescence.
Covellite Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
1.5Crystal System
hexagonalLuster
vitreousStreak Color
lead gray to blackCleavage
perfect basal {0001}Fracture
unevenSpecific Gravity
4.6Colors
indigo blue, dark blue, purplish blue, iridescentTransparency
opaqueType Locality
Wheal Maudlin (Mawdlin; Magdalen), Lanlivery, Lanivet Area, St Austell District, Cornwall, England, UKMineral Group
SulfidesUses
minor copper ore, collectorAssociated Minerals
chalcocite, bornite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, enargite, sphalerite, galena, quartzRarity
uncommonGeological Context
Covellite is a secondary copper sulfide mineral, typically forming in the supergene enrichment zones of copper deposits at low temperatures, often as an alteration product of other copper sulfides.
