What is Enargite?
Enargite is a copper arsenic sulfide of high-sulfidation ore deposits, usually forming dark metallic crystals with striated faces.
Mineralogy and structure
Reference formula: Cu3AsS4. Enargite is orthorhombic and commonly associated with luzonite, covellite, pyrite and other copper sulfides. Arsenic-bearing material is for careful display handling.
Colour and appearance
Typical colours include black, iron-black, grey. The usual prismatic, tabular, granular habit and metallic lustre are useful descriptive features, but colour alone is not diagnostic.
Formation and localities
Enargite forms in or is associated with high-temperature hydrothermal and epithermal copper deposits. Important documented localities include Peru, Chile, Argentina, the Philippines, Romania and the United States.
Collecting and care
Do not cut, grind or heat unknown specimens; keep dry, labelled and away from food or children.
Enargite in popular symbolism
Modern crystal guides sometimes associate Enargite with symbolic themes based on colour or collecting tradition. These associations are cultural interpretations, not mineralogical or medical properties.
