Galena is a common mineral that is found all over the world. It forms in veins associated with other sulfide minerals, in hydrothermal environments associated with silver, in low-temperature contact metamorphic deposits, pegmatites and in some sedimentary rocks. Galena that forms in the hydrothermal environments is often associated with silver and often has a significant amount of silver incorporated into the galena making it an important ore of silver as well as lead. The name galena comes from the Latin word galena which means 'lead ore'.
| PbS |
|
| Sulfide |
|
| Isometric |
|
| 4/m -3 2/m |
|
| 2.5 |
|
| 7.4-7.6 |
|
| {001} perfect, {010} perfect, {100} perfect |
|
| Brittle |
|
| Gray |
|
| Gray |
|
| Metallic |
|
| Opaque |
|
| Massive, euhedral |
|
| Notable Localities: |
Saxony, Germany; Bohemia, Czech Republic; Cumbria, England; Broken Hill, Australia; Viburnum Trend, Missouri |
| Uses: |
Ore of lead, silver, sulfur |
| Sphalerite, pyrite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, cerussite, anglesite, dolomite, calcite, quartz, barite, fluorite |
Specimens:
