WGNHS
Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey

Tetrahedrite-tennantite

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Black lustrous tetrahedrite crystals with white quartz crystal sprays. Casapalca, Peru. Field of view about 10 cm left to right. (Photo by W. Cordua.)

Formula: (Cu,Fe,Ag,Zn)12(Sb,As)4S13 Isometric

Description:Tetrahedrite forms a solid solution series with tennantite and freibergite in moderate to low temperature hydrothermal deposits.DOUGLAS COUNTY: Irving (1882) reports finding tetrahedrite in “small quantities in traverse veins in copper-bearing rocks”. This occurrence has not be subsequently verified.FOREST COUNTY: Tetrahedrite-tennantite is a rare component of the massive sulfide ores in the Crandon Deposit near Little Sand Lake. Here it occurs with polybasite-pearceite and stephanite intergrown with galena in the massive sulfide ores as well as with silver in the supergene zone. (Lambe and Rowe, 1989).

ONEIDA COUNTY: Tetrahedrite is found in the Lynne massive sulfide deposit, where it is associated with galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, gold and silver minerals. (Kennedy et. al., 1993).

RUSK COUNTY: Tetrahedrite-tennantite occur as euhedral xls. with pyrite, chalcopyrite and other sulfides in the vuggy zones in the Flambeau copper mine near Ladysmith. (Rosemeyer, 1996).

TAYLOR COUNTY: Tetrahedrite occurs at the Bend massive sulfide deposit NW, sec. 2 T.32N. R.2W. northeast of Gilman. It is associated with pyrite, chalcopyrite and gold tellurides. (DeMatties and Rowell, 1991).