Image: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/47445767@N05">James St. John</a> (CC BY 2.0)
cubiccommonSulfides
Pyrite
FeS2
The image displays intergrown, well-formed cubic crystals of pyrite, exhibiting their characteristic brassy yellow metallic luster.
Pyrite Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
6.25Crystal System
cubicLuster
metallicStreak Color
greenish-black to brownish-blackCleavage
indistinct/very poorFracture
conchoidal to unevenSpecific Gravity
5Colors
brassy yellow, golden, yellowish-grayTransparency
opaqueType Locality
SpainMineral Group
SulfidesUses
sulfur production, sulfuric acid production, jewelry (historically, 'fool's gold'), collector's item, spark source (historically)Associated Minerals
quartz, calcite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyriteRarity
commonGeological Context
Pyrite forms in a wide range of geological environments, including hydrothermal veins, sedimentary rocks (often as concretions), metamorphic rocks, and igneous rocks, typically under reducing conditions.
