Mineralpedia Details for Calaverite

Named for the type locality at the type locality in the Stanislaus mine in Calaveras County in California, USA. Additional localities for this uncommon mineral include others in the USA, Mexico, Chile, Canada, Australia, Japan, Fiji, the Philippines, and Russia, among several others. Generally, Calaverite occurs in low-temperature hydrothermal deposits in veins, although it can occur in hydrothermal deposits of all temperatures. Associated minerals include altaite, coloradoite, krennerite, rickardite, other tellurides, pyrite, arsenopyrite, tetrahedrite, tennantite, sphalerite, stibnite, and other sulfides.

Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/calaverite.pdf

Formula

AuTe₂ 

Crystal System

Monoclinic 

Crystal Habit

Striated, Massive, Crystalline - Fine 

Cleavage

None, None, None 

Luster

Metallic 

Color

yellow, yellowish white 

Streak

green 

Class

Monoclinic - Prismatic 

Fracture

Brittle - Conchoidal 

Hardness

2.5 

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Mindat

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Bladed, striated, dark brown Calaverite crystals to 0.5mm on Fluorite.

A rather rich specimen with elongated, striated bleded crystals to 6mm. Very rich specimen with also two appearant octahedrally shapped crystals, which at first glance seems to be orthorhombic which points to the possibility of Krennerite. Although studying these you might conclude they are just odd-shaped or twinned crystals.

Goldish yellow to silvery crystal plates of Calaverite from 5-8mm exposed along a quartz vein of intrusive-volcanic rock.  A good rich specimen with six spots showing nice, lamellar/platy crystals of brittle Calaverite. The Indendence mine, north of Victor,  is located on the southeast edge of Newmont's open pit Cripple Creek mine. 

Excellent prismatic crystals of Calaverite with a outer layer of alteration and brassy interior. 2mm.