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)
cubiccommonSulfides
Galena
PbS
This specimen showcases large, mirror-bright, metallic gray galena crystals with distinct stepped faces, intergrown with numerous translucent, pointed quartz crystals.
Galena Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
2.5Crystal System
cubicLuster
metallicStreak Color
lead grayCleavage
perfect cubic (three directions at 90 degrees)Fracture
subconchoidalSpecific Gravity
7.4Colors
lead-gray, silvery-grayTransparency
opaqueType Locality
Borieva mine, Madan ore field, Rhodope Mts, Smolyan Oblast, BulgariaMineral Group
SulfidesUses
lead ore, industrial, collectorAssociated Minerals
quartzRarity
commonGeological Context
Galena commonly forms in hydrothermal veins, often associated with other sulfide minerals, within various host rocks such as limestones and dolomites. It is the primary ore mineral for lead.
