Brezinaite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Brezinaite
Aristides Brezina
Formula:
Cr3S4
Hardness:
3½ - 4½
Specific Gravity:
4.12 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Name:
Named in 1969 by Theodore E. Bunch and Louis H. Fuchs in honor of Maria Aristides Brezina [May 4, 1848 Wien (Vienna), Austria – May 25, 1909 Wien (Vienna), Austria], past Director of the Mineralogy-Petrology Section of the Natural History Museum, Vienna, Austria. Brezina was one of the most important researchers of meteoritics and helped develop an important early classification of meteorites.
Cr3-analogue of zolenskyite.
From Davis (1993):
- Does not occur in troilite aggregates.
- Its appearance and occurrence coincide with daubreelite. It can even form alternating thin lamellae with daubreelite, however, the lamellae cannot be distinguished in reflected light.
- Distinguished by a high degree of anisotropy, varying from barely detectable to very pronounced.
- Also distinguished by common polysynthetic twinning.
From Davis (1993):
- Does not occur in troilite aggregates.
- Its appearance and occurrence coincide with daubreelite. It can even form alternating thin lamellae with daubreelite, however, the lamellae cannot be distinguished in reflected light.
- Distinguished by a high degree of anisotropy, varying from barely detectable to very pronounced.
- Also distinguished by common polysynthetic twinning.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
768
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:768:3
IMA Classification of Brezinaite
Approved
Approval year:
1969
First published:
1969
Classification of Brezinaite
2.DA.15
2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
D : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 3 :4 and 2:3
A : M:S = 3:4
2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
D : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 3 :4 and 2:3
A : M:S = 3:4
2.10.2.2
2 : SULFIDES
10 : AmBnXp, with (m+n):p = 3:4
2 : SULFIDES
10 : AmBnXp, with (m+n):p = 3:4
3.8.1
3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
8 : Sulphides etc. of Cr, Mo, W an Mn
3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
8 : Sulphides etc. of Cr, Mo, W an Mn
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Bzn | 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 Brezinaite
Optical Data of Brezinaite
Colour in reflected light:
Brownish gray
Comments:
Reflectivity 37-40%; very similar to daubreelite.
Chemistry of Brezinaite
Mindat Formula:
Cr3S4
Elements listed:
Common Impurities:
Fe,V,Ti,Mn,Ni
Crystallography of Brezinaite
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Class (H-M):
2/m - Prismatic
Cell Parameters:
a = 5.96(1) Å, b = 3.425(5) Å, c = 11.270(15) Å
β = 91.53°
β = 91.53°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 1.74 : 1 : 3.291
Unit Cell V:
229.97 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
2
Morphology:
Anhedral grains to 3mm
Twinning:
Polysynthetic. Most commonly seen as two sets of lamallae almost at right angles. Sometimes a third set of more irregular twins is observed to intersect the first two at an oblique angle.
Comment:
Space Group: I2/m (synthetic)
Crystal Structure
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2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
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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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0009201 | Brezinaite | Jellinek F (1957) The structures of the chromium sulphides Acta Crystallographica 10 620-628 |  | 1957 | synthetic | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 2.644 Å | (100) |
| 5.67 Å | (70) |
| 2.056 Å | (70) |
| 1.716 Å | (70) |
| 2.978 Å | (65) |
| 2.606 Å | (60) |
| 5.23 Å | (40) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 2: Planetesimal differentiation and alteration | 4.566-4.550 |
| 5 : Primary asteroid phases | 4.566–4.560 |
| 6 : Secondary asteroid phases | 4.566-4.560 |
Geological Setting:
Meteorite
Type Occurrence of Brezinaite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Tiny (5-80 micron) anhedral grains in nickel-iron matrix and contiguous to silicate inclusions.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Meteorite Collection, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Iron meteorite.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Brezinaite
Other Language Names for Brezinaite
Common Associates
Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:
| 6 photos of Brezinaite associated with Kamacite | (Fe,Ni) |
| 6 photos of Brezinaite associated with Troilite | FeS |
| 4 photos of Brezinaite associated with Schreibersite | (Fe,Ni)3P |
| 1 photo of Brezinaite associated with Forsterite | Mg2SiO4 |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 2.DA. | Ferrodimolybdenite | FeMo2S4 |
| 2.DA. | Zaykovite | Rh3Se4 |
| 2.DA. | Ezochiite | Cu+(Rh3+Pt4+)S4 |
| 2.DA. | Grimmite | NiCo2S4 |
| 2.DA. | Zolenskyite | FeCr2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Shiranuiite | Cu+(Rh3+Rh4+)S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Fletcherite | CuNi2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Florensovite | (Cu,Zn)Cr1.5Sb0.5S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Siegenite | CoNi2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Cadmoindite | CdIn2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Kalininite | ZnCr2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Violarite | Fe2+Ni3+2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Nickeltyrrellite | CuNi2Se4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Linnaeite | Co2+Co3+2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Carrollite | CuCo2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Cuproiridsite | (Cu,Fe)Ir2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Cuprorhodsite | (Cu1+0.5Fe3+0.5)Rh3+2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Berndlehmannite | Cu(CrV)S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Polydymite | Ni2+Ni3+2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Trüstedtite | Ni3Se4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Daubréelite | Fe2+Cr3+2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Cuprokalininite | CuCr2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Greigite | Fe2+Fe3+2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Joegoldsteinite | MnCr2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Bornhardtite | Co2+Co3+2Se4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Tyrrellite | Cu(Co,Ni)2Se4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Indite | FeIn2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Xingzhongite | Pb2+Ir3+2S4 |
| 2.DA.05 | Malanite | Cu1+(Ir3+Pt4+)S4 |
| 2.DA.10 | Rhodostannite | Cu1+(Fe2+0.5Sn4+1.5)S4 |
| 2.DA.10 | Toyohaite | Ag1+(Fe2+0.5Sn4+1.5)S4 |
| 2.DA.15 | Heideite | (Fe,Cr)1.15(Ti,Fe)2S4 |
| 2.DA.20 | Konderite | Cu3Pb(Rh,Pt,Ir)8S16 |
| 2.DA.20 | Inaglyite | Cu3Pb(Ir,Pt)8S16 |
| 2.DA.25 | Kingstonite | (Rh,Ir,Pt)3S4 |
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Industrial Uses:
None.
Internet Links for Brezinaite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-768.html
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References for Brezinaite
Localities for Brezinaite
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Australia | |
| Mittlefehldt et al. (1998) |
Germany | |
| Kołodziej et al. (2025) |
Mexico | |
| Buchwald (1975) |
Namibia | |
| Petaev (1997, March) |
Northwest Africa Meteorites | |
| Bunch et al. (2008) | |
Russia | |
| Pavel.M. Kartashov (n.d.) |
| Victor V. Sharygin analytical data |
USA (TL) | |
| Bunch et al. (1969) +1 other reference |
| Isa et al. (2016) |
| Shkurenko +3 other references |
| Mineralogical Society of America - ... |
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Sikhote-Alin meteorite, Paseka, Krasnoarmeysky District, Primorsky Krai, Russia