| Violarite | |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Category | Sulfide mineral Thiospinel group Spinel structural group |
| Formula (repeating unit) | (Fe2+Ni23+S4) |
| IMA symbol | Vio[1] |
| Strunz classification | 2.DA.05 |
| Crystal system | Isometric |
| Crystal class | Hexoctahedral (m3m) H-M symbol: (4/m 3 2/m) |
| Space group | Fd3m |
| Unit cell | a = 9.46 Å; Z = 8 |
| Identification | |
| References | [2][3][4] |
Violarite (Fe2+Ni23+S4) is a supergene sulfide mineral associated with the weathering and oxidation of primary pentlandite nickel sulfide ore minerals.
Violarite crystallises in the isometric system, with a hardness of 4.5 to 5.5 and a specific gravity of about 4, is dark violet grey to copper-red, often with verdigris and patina from associated copper and arsenic sulfides, and is typically in amorphous to massive infill of lower saprolite ultramafic lithologies.
Violarite has a characteristic violet colour, hence the name from the Latin 'violaris' alluding to its colour especially when viewed in polished section under a microscope.