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Potarite

A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered

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Photos of Potarite (6)Discuss Potarite

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Potarite

Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Potarite, etc.

Córrego Bom Sucesso placers, Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Potarite, etc.

Córrego Bom Sucesso placers, Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Potarite

Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Potarite, etc.

Córrego Bom Sucesso placers, Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Potarite, etc.

Córrego Bom Sucesso placers, Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Potarite

Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Potarite, etc.

Córrego Bom Sucesso placers, Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil

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About PotariteHide

Potaro River, Guyana

Formula:

PdHg

Colour:

Silver-white

Lustre:

Metallic, Sub-Metallic

Hardness:

3½

Specific Gravity:

14.88

Crystal System:

Tetragonal

Name:

For the type locality, the Potaro River, Guyana

Type Locality:

ⓘ Kaietur Falls, Rest of Region 8, Potaro-Siparuni Region, Guyana

Compare UM2004-06-E:AgCuHgPdTe.

Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:

3266

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:3266:3

Similar NamesHide

Pateraite
Polarite	A valid IMA mineral species	Pd(Bi,Pb)

IMA Classification of PotariteHide

IMA status:

Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)

First published:

1928

Type description reference:

Spencer, L. J. (1928) Potarite, a new mineral discovered by the late Sir John Harrison in British Guiana. Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society, 21 (120) 397-406 doi:10.1180/minmag.1928.021.120.02

Classification of PotariteHide

Strunz-mindat (2026):

1.AD.25

1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
A : Metals and Intermetallic Alloys
D : Mercury-amalgam family

Dana 7th ed.:

1.2.5.1

Dana 8th ed.:

1.2.4.4

1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
2 : Platinum Group Metals and Alloys

Hey's CIM Ref.:

1.67

1 : Elements and Alloys (including the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au)

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Symbol	Source	Reference for Standard
Ptr	IMA–CNMNC	Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43

Physical Properties of PotariteHide

Lustre:

Metallic, Sub-Metallic

Transparency:

Opaque

Comment:

Frequently bright white, also gray-white

Colour:

Silver-white

Streak:

Silver white

Hardness:

3½ on Mohs scale

Tenacity:

Brittle

Cleavage:

None Observed

Density:

14.88 g/cm³ (Measured) 15.09 g/cm³ (Calculated)

Optical Data of PotariteHide

Anisotropism:

brown with an orange tint

Reflectivity:

Wavelength	R₁ (%)	R₂ (%)
400nm	41.6%	41.6%
440nm	43.8%	45.2%
480nm	47.8%	48.8%
520nm	50.9%	52.0%
560nm	53.4%	54.4%
600nm	55.4%	56.4%
640nm	57.2%	58.4%
680nm	59.2%	60.7%
700nm	60.2%	62.1%

Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Peak reflectance is 62.1%.
R₁ shown in black, R₂ shown in red

Colour in reflected light:

Cream to creamy white

Chemistry of PotariteHide

Mindat Formula:

PdHg

Element Weights:

Element	% weight
Hg	65.337 %
Pd	34.663 %

Calculated from ideal end-member formula.

Elements listed:

Hg, Pd - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Common Impurities:

Crystallography of PotariteHide

Crystal System:

Tetragonal

Class (H-M):

4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) - Ditetragonal Dipyramidal

Space Group:

P4/mmm

Cell Parameters:

a = 3.026 Å, c = 3.702 Å

Ratio:

a:c = 1 : 1.223

Unit Cell V:

33.90 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Morphology:

Small grains or nuggets, octahedral points, columnar, fibrous.

Crystal StructureHide

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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure

ID	Species	Reference	Link	Year	Locality	Pressure (GPa)	Temp (K)
0005246	Potarite	Bayliss P (1990) Revised unit cell dimensions, space group, and chemical formula of some metallic minerals The Canadian Mineralogist 28 751-755		1990		0	293

CIF Raw Data - click here to close

data_global
_chemical_name_mineral 'Potarite'
loop_
_publ_author_name
'Bayliss P'
_journal_name_full 'The Canadian Mineralogist'
_journal_volume 28 
_journal_year 1990
_journal_page_first 751
_journal_page_last 755
_publ_section_title
;
 Revised unit cell dimensions, space group,
 and chemical formula of some metallic minerals
 Note: cell edges taken from Handbook of Mineralogy
;
_database_code_amcsd 0005246
_chemical_formula_sum 'Hg Pd'
_cell_length_a 3.026
_cell_length_b 3.026
_cell_length_c 3.702
_cell_angle_alpha 90
_cell_angle_beta 90
_cell_angle_gamma 90
_cell_volume 33.898
_exptl_crystal_density_diffrn     15.039
_symmetry_space_group_name_H-M 'P 4/m m m'
loop_
_space_group_symop_operation_xyz
  'x,y,z'
  '-y,-x,z'
  'y,x,-z'
  'y,-x,-z'
  '-y,x,z'
  'x,-y,z'
  '-x,y,-z'
  'x,y,-z'
  '-x,-y,z'
  'y,x,z'
  '-y,-x,-z'
  '-y,x,-z'
  'y,-x,z'
  '-x,y,z'
  'x,-y,-z'
  '-x,-y,-z'
loop_
_atom_site_label
_atom_site_fract_x
_atom_site_fract_y
_atom_site_fract_z
Hg   0.00000   0.00000   0.00000
Pd   0.50000   0.50000   0.50000

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
2.33 Å	(100)
1.269 Å	(70)
0.849 Å	(50)
0.818 Å	(50)
1.395 Å	(40)
0.957 Å	(20)
0.924 Å	(20)

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):

Paragenetic Mode	Earliest Age (Ga)
Stage 3a: Earth’s earliest Hadean crust	>4.50
7 : Ultramafic igneous rocks
Near-surface Processes
26 : Hadean detrital minerals
High-? alteration and/or metamorphism
33 : Minerals deposited by hydrothermal metal-rich fluids (see also [#12])
Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks	>3.0
37 : Layered igneous intrusions and related PGE minerals

Geological Setting:

Associated with platinum minerals in placers.

Type Occurrence of PotariteHide

Type Locality:

ⓘ Kaietur Falls, Rest of Region 8, Potaro-Siparuni Region, Guyana

General Appearance of Type Material:

White metallic nuggets, usually very rounded due to the mineral's low hardness, rarely shows small octahedral summits. May have fibrous to columnar texture.

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

1) The Natural History Museum, London, England, 1924,192, E238.
2) National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, 95350

Geological Setting of Type Material:

Placers

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Diamond

Native Palladium

Native Platinum

Reference:

Other Language Names for PotariteHide

Dutch:Potariet

German:Potarit

Japanese:ポタロ鉱

Russian:Потарит

Simplified Chinese:汞钯矿

Spanish:Potarita

Common AssociatesHide

Associations Based on Photo Data:

7 photos of Potarite associated with Native Palladium	(Pd,Pt)
7 photos of Potarite associated with Native Platinum	Pt
7 photos of Potarite associated with 'Palladium-bearing Platinum'	(Pt,Pd)
2 photos of Potarite associated with 'Platinum-bearing Palladium'	(Pd,Pt)

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide

1.AD.	Aurihydrargyrumite	Au₆Hg₅	Hex. 6/mmm(6/m2/m2/m) : P6₃/mcm
1.AD.05	Native Mercury	Hg	Amor.
1.AD.10	Belendorffite	Cu₇Hg₆	Trig. 3m : R3m
1.AD.10	Kolymite	Cu₇Hg₆	Iso.
1.AD.15a	Paraschachnerite	Ag₃Hg₂	Orth.
1.AD.15c	Eugenite	Ag₁₁Hg₂	Iso. 43m : I43m
1.AD.15b	Luanheite	Ag₃Hg	Hex.
1.AD.15a	Schachnerite	Ag_1.1Hg_0.9	Hex. 6/mmm(6/m2/m2/m) : P6₃/mmc
1.AD.15d	Moschellandsbergite	Ag₂Hg₃	Iso. m3m(4/m32/m)
1.AD.20b	'Goldamalgam (of Chen et al.)'	(Au,Ag)Hg	Iso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Im3m
1.AD.20a	Weishanite	(Au,Ag,Hg)	Hex. 6/mmm(6/m2/m2/m) : P6₃/mmc
1.AD.20c	'Yiyangite'	Au₃Hg	Hex.
1.AD.30	Leadamalgam	Pb_0.7Hg_0.3	Tet. 4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) : I4/mmm
1.AD.35	Shosanbetsuite	Ag₃Sn	Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pmmn
1.AD.40	'Unnamed (Au-Hg Amalgam)'	Au₂Hg	Hex. 6/mmm(6/m2/m2/m) : P6₃/mcm