7 Photos
Alabandite
Chemical Formula	MnS
Species	Sulfides
Crystal System	Isometric
Mohs Scale	3-4
Specific Gravity	4.053
Color	black, steelgray, brownish-black
Streak	Green
Luster	Sub-Metallic
Refractive Index	n = 2.70
Diaphaneity	Opaque
Cleavage	Perfecton
Fracture	Irregular/Uneven
Crystal Habit：mostly massive or granular; cubic or octahedral crystals to 1 cm
Geological Setting：May occur in large quantities in epithermal polymetallic sulfide veins and especially in low-temperature manganese deposits. An uncommon constituent of a number of meteorites.

Alabandite or alabandine is a rarely occurring manganese sulfide mineral. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system with the chemical composition Mn²⁺S and develops commonly massive to granular aggregates, but rarely also cubic or octahedral crystals to 1 cm.

Etymology and History

Alabandite was first described in 1784 by Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein. The mineral name is derived from its supposed discovery locality at Alabanda (A?din) in Turkey.

Occurrence

Alabandite forms in epithermal polymetallic sulfide veins and low-temperature manganese deposits. It occurs with acanthite, calcite, chalcopyrite, galena, pyrite, quartz, rhodochrosite, rhodonite, sphalerite and native tellurium. Sometimes it was found in meteorites.

Localities are several areas in Antarctica, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, India, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, the USA, Uzbekistan and Yemen. Altogether at present time approximately 220 discovery sites are registered.

Crystal structure

Alabandite crystallizes in the cubic crystal system in the space group Fm3m with the lattice parameter a = 5.22 ? and four formula units per unit cell.