Platinum
Image: Alchemist-hp (talk) (www.pse-mendelejew.de) (FAL)
Mineral NamePlatinum
Chemical FormulaPt
Mohs Hardness3.5
Crystal Systemcubic
Lustermetallic
Streak Colorsteel-gray to silver-white
Cleavagenone
Fracturehackly
Specific Gravity21.45
Colorssilver-white, steel-gray
Transparencyopaque
Type LocalityKondyor mine, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia
Mineral GroupNative Elements
Usesjewelry, catalytic converters, laboratory equipment, dentistry, electrical contacts, medical implants, investment
Associated Mineralschromite, olivine, pyroxene, magnetite, gold, iridium, osmium
Rarityrare
Description
A silvery-white, metallic native platinum nugget, approximately 35 × 23 × 14 mm in size and weighing about 112g, exhibiting a characteristic irregular, rounded shape.
Geological Context
Platinum occurs as native metal in placer deposits, often derived from the weathering of ultramafic igneous rocks such as dunites and peridotites, and also in primary deposits within these same rocks, frequently associated with chromite.
