Mineral Database
Coloradoite
Crystal System: Cubic
Formula: HgTe
Status of Occurrence: Confirmed Occurrence
Distribution: Rare
Chemical Composition: Mercury telluride
Method(s) of Verification: electron-microprobe spot analyses on individual gold grains carried out by the British Geological Survey (BGS).
Chemical Group:
- Sulphides
Geological Context:
- Sedimentary : allogenic (detrital)
Introduction: a rare mercury telluride typically found as inclusions within gold and associated with other tellurides.
Occurrence in Wales: inclusions of coloradoite, petzite and a Cu telluride are reported by Norton et al. (2000) in gold grains from a sample taken from just above the confluence of the Deepford Brook with the Afon Syfni, near Clarbeston in Pembrokeshire.
Key Localities:
- Deepford Brook, Clarbeston, Pembrokeshire: a sample (PW114) taken from just above the confluence of the Deepford Brook with the Afon Syfni was found to contain a well-defined type of gold with telluride inclusions (Norton et al., 2000). The tellurides coloradoite, petzite and a Cu telluride were found to be present, together with pyrite and pyrrhotite.
References:
- Evidence for gold mineralisation in the Lower Palaeozoic and Precambrian rocks of south-west Wales. BGS Research Report RR/00/10. DTI Minerals Programme Publication No. 5.
