Description
This arsenopyrite is from the Yaogangxian Mine, Xaogangxian W-Sn Ore Field, Tizhang, Chenzhou Prefecture, Hunan Province of China. Tungsten and tin are the primary minerals extracted from multiple ore bodies in an area spanning 4 x 2.5 km. Seventy-eight different species of minerals are found there Including arsenopyrite. It is a sulfide that contains the elements Fe, As and S. This specimen contains dozens of interpenetrating crystals that form a rosette type cluster forming off of a large double terminated central crystal. The crystals have sharp well defined habits and the luster varies from sub-metallic to metallic. This piece measures 1 5/8 x 1 7/16 x 13/16 inches or 41 x 37 x 20 mm.