Galena-pyrite-sphalerite-calcite from the Oligocene of Kosovo. (Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA)

Silvery-gray = galena Near-black = sphalerite (ZnS - zinc sulfide) Brassy gold = pyrite (FeS2 - iron sulfide) Off-white = calcite (CaCO3 - calcium carbonate)

A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 4900 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.

The sulfide minerals contain one or more sulfide anions (S-2). The sulfides are usually considered together with the arsenide minerals, the sulfarsenide minerals, and the telluride minerals. Many sulfides are economically significant, as they occur commonly in ores. The metals that combine with S-2 are mainly Fe, Cu, Ni, Ag, etc. Most sulfides have a metallic luster, are moderately soft, and are noticeably heavy for their size. These minerals will not form in the presence of free oxygen. Under an oxygen-rich atmosphere, sulfide minerals tend to chemically weather to various oxide and hydroxide minerals.

Galena is a lead sulfide mineral (PbS). It has a metallic luster, silvery-gray color, cubic crystals, cubic cleavage, is moderately soft, and has a very high specific gravity (it's very heavy for its size).

Galena is the most important lead ore mineral. It's principally found in hydrothermal vein systems and in Mississippi Valley-type deposits. Silver (Ag) can fall into the lead position as an impurity, sometimes in relatively high proportions. This results in argentiferous galena, (Pb,Ag)S.

Historically, lead from galena has been used as a gasoline additive, a paint ingredient, and for making bullets. Lead is also used to make various metal products, batteries, and radiation shielding.

The specimen shown above is from Kosovo's Trepca Lead-Zinc-Silver Skarn Deposit. It has several sulfide minerals mixed with whitish calcite. The silvery-gray material is the galena. The Trepca Skarn Deposit is hosted in Upper Triassic recrystallized limestones. Mineralization occurred during the Late Oligocene, at about 23 to 26 million years ago, during a time of andesite-dacite volcanism and shallow, sub-volcanic intrusive activity. The limestones were contact metamorphed and metasomatized by interaction with the andesitic-dacitic magmas.

Locality: Trepca Mining Complex, Vardar Zone, Kosovo, southeastern Europe

Photo gallery of galena: www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=1641

Some geologic info. synthesized from: