Breithauptite



The breithauptite in this photomicrograph appears as tiny, pale violet blebs, the largest barely 0.1 mm long, but most much smaller, all of them embedded in or contacting white pararammelsbergite near its contact with copper-colored nickeline. The thin straight lines in the images are polishing scratches, and the black pits mark places where mineral fragments have been plucked from the surface by abrasion.

Field of view: The horizontal width is 0.2 mm.

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Dendritic mass of nickeline and associated arsenide minerals, tiny, pale violet blebs breithauptite

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Identifier: BTH1a
Locality: Trotter mine, Franklin
Specimen size: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.6 cm
Photo credit: Hoyt B. Sutphin