Galena

Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most
important ore of lead and an important source of silver.[5]

Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the
cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms. It is often associated with the minerals
sphalerite, calcite and fluorite.

Occurrence

Galena with baryte and pyrite from

Cerro de Pasco, Peru; 5.8 cm × 4.8 cm
× 4.4 cm (2.3 in × 1.9 in × 1.7 in)

Galena is the main ore of lead, used since ancient times,[6] since lead can be smelted from
galena in an ordinary wood fire.[7] Galena typically is found in hydrothermal veins in association
with sphalerite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, cerussite, anglesite, dolomite, calcite, quartz, barite, and
fluorite. It is also found in association with sphalerite in low-temperature lead-zinc deposits
within limestone beds. Minor amounts are found in contact metamorphic zones, in pegmatites,
and disseminated in sedimentary rock.[8]

In some deposits, the galena contains up to 0.5% silver, a byproduct that far surpasses the main
lead ore in revenue.[9] In these deposits significant amounts of silver occur as included silver
sulfide mineral phases or as limited silver in solid solution within the galena structure. These
argentiferous galenas have long been an important ore of silver.[6][10] Silver-bearing galena is
almost entirely of hydrothermal origin; galena in lead-zinc deposits contains little silver.[8]

Galena deposits are found worldwide in various environments.[4] Noted deposits include those at
Freiberg in Saxony;[2] Cornwall, the Mendips in Somerset, Derbyshire, and Cumberland in England;
the Linares mines in Spain were worked from before the Roman times until the end of the 20th
century;[11] the Madan and Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria; the Sullivan Mine of British Columbia;
Broken Hill and Mount Isa in Australia; and the ancient mines of Sardinia.
In the United States, it occurs most notably as
Galena
lead-zinc ore in the Mississippi Valley type
deposits of the Lead Belt in southeastern
Missouri, which is the largest known deposit,[2]
and in the Driftless Area of Illinois, Iowa and
Wisconsin, providing the origin of the name of
Galena, Illinois, a historical settlement known
for the material. Galena also was a major
mineral of the zinc-lead mines of the tri-state
district around Joplin in southwestern
Missouri and the adjoining areas of Kansas
Galena with minor pyrite
and Oklahoma.[2] Galena is also an important
ore mineral in the silver mining regions of General
Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Montana. Of the
Category Sulfide mineral
latter, the Coeur d'Alene district of northern
Idaho was most prominent.[2] Formula PbS
(repeating unit)
Australia is the world's leading producer of
lead as of 2021, most of which is extracted as IMA symbol Gn[1]

galena. Argentiferous galena was accidentally

Strunz classification 2.CD.10
discovered at Glen Osmond in 1841, and
Dana classification 2.8.1.1
additional deposits were discovered near
Broken Hill in 1876 and at Mount Isa in Crystal system Cubic
[12]
1923. Most galena in Australia is found in
Crystal class Hexoctahedral
hydrothermal deposits emplaced around 1680
(m3m)
million years ago, which have since been 4
[13]
H–M symbol: ( 3
heavily metamorphosed. m
2
)
m
The largest documented crystal of galena is
Space group Fm3m
composite cubo-octahedra from the Great
Laxey Mine, Isle of Man, measuring 25 cm Unit cell a = 5.936 Å; Z = 4
[14]
× 25 cm × 25 cm (10 in × 10 in × 10 in).
Identification

Importance Color Lead gray and silvery

Crystal habit Cubes and octahedra,

Galena is the official state mineral of the U.S.
blocky, tabular and
states of Kansas,[15] Missouri,[16] and
sometimes skeletal
[17]
Wisconsin; the former mining communities crystals
[18][19] [20]
of Galena, Kansas, Galena, Illinois,
Galena, South Dakota and Galena, Alaska,[21] Twinning Contact, penetration
take their names from deposits of this mineral. and lamellar

Cleavage Cubic perfect on

Structure {001}, parting on
{111}
Galena belongs to the octahedral sulfide group
of minerals that have metal ions in octahedral Fracture Subconchoidal

positions, such as the iron sulfide pyrrhotite

Tenacity Brittle
and the nickel arsenide niccolite. The galena
group is named after its most common Mohs scale hardness 2.5–2.75

member, with other isometric members that Luster Metallic on cleavage

include manganese bearing alabandite and planes
[8][4]
niningerite.
Streak Lead gray
Divalent lead (Pb) cations and sulfur (S)
Diaphaneity Opaque
anions form a close-packed cubic unit cell
much like the mineral halite of the halide Specific gravity 7.2–7.6

mineral group. Zinc, cadmium, iron, copper,

Optical properties Isotropic and opaque
antimony, arsenic, bismuth and selenium also
occur in variable amounts in galena. Selenium Fusibility 2

substitutes for sulfur in the structure

Other characteristics Natural
constituting a solid solution series. The lead semiconductor
telluride mineral altaite has the same crystal
[2][3][4]
structure as galena.[8] References

Geochemistry

Within the weathering or oxidation zone galena alters to anglesite (lead sulfate) or cerussite
(lead carbonate).[8] Galena exposed to acid mine drainage can be oxidized to anglesite by
naturally occurring bacteria and archaea, in a process similar to bioleaching.[22]

Uses

Galena cat's whisker detector

One of the oldest uses of galena was to produce kohl, an eye cosmetic now regarded as toxic
due to the risk of lead poisoning.[23] In Ancient Egypt, this was applied around the eyes to reduce
the glare of the desert sun and to repel flies, which were a potential source of disease.[24]

In pre-Columbian North America, galena was used by indigenous peoples as an ingredient in

decorative paints and cosmetics, and widely traded throughout the eastern United States.[25]
Traces of galena are frequently found at the Mississippian city at Kincaid Mounds in present-day
Illinois.[26] The galena used at the site originated from deposits in southeastern and central
Missouri and the Upper Mississippi Valley.[25]

Galena is the primary ore of lead, and is often mined for its silver content.[6] It is used as a source
of lead in ceramic glaze.[27]

Galena is a semiconductor with a small band gap of about 0.4 eV, which found use in early
wireless communication systems. It was used as the crystal in crystal radio receivers, in which it
was used as a point-contact diode capable of rectifying alternating current to detect the radio
signals. The galena crystal was used with a sharp wire, known as a "cat's whisker", in contact
with it.[28]

In modern times, galena is primarily used to extract its constituent minerals. In addition to silver,
it is the most important source of lead, for uses such as in lead-acid batteries.[9]

See also

List of minerals

Lead smelter

References

1. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols" (https://doi.org/10.1180%2Fm

gm.2021.43) . Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W (h
ttps://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021MinM...85..291W) . doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 (htt
ps://doi.org/10.1180%2Fmgm.2021.43) . S2CID 235729616 (https://api.semanticscholar.o
rg/CorpusID:235729616) .

2. Anthony, John W.; Bideaux, Richard A.; Bladh, Kenneth W.; Nichols, Monte C., eds. (1990).
"Galena". Handbook of Mineralogy (http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/galena.pdf)
(PDF). Vol. 1. Chantilly, VA: Mineralogical Society of America. ISBN 0962209708.

3. "Galena" (http://www.webmineral.com/data/Galena.shtml) . Webmineral.

4. Galena (http://www.mindat.org/min-1641.html) . Mindat.org

 5. Young, Courtney A.; Taylor, Patrick R.; Anderson, Corby G. (2008). Hydrometallurgy 2008:
Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium. SME. ISBN 9780873352666.

6. Lucas, A. (May 1928). "Silver in Ancient Times". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 14
(1): 313–319. doi:10.1177/030751332801400160 (https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0307513328
01400160) . S2CID 192277012 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:192277012) .

7. Winder, C. (1993b). "The history of lead – Part 3" (https://web.archive.org/web/2007083120

0744/http://lead.org.au/lanv2n3/lanv2n3-22.html) . LEAD Action News. 2 (3). ISSN 1324-
6011 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1324-6011) . Archived from the original (http://lea
d.org.au/lanv2n3/lanv2n3-22.html) on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2016.

8. Klein, Cornelis; Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. (1993). Manual of mineralogy (after James D. Dana)
(21st ed.). New York: Wiley. pp. 354–356. ISBN 047157452X.

9. Hobart M. King. "Galena Mineral | Uses and Properties" (https://geology.com/minerals/gale

na.shtml) . geology.com. Retrieved 29 March 2024.

10. Wood, J. R.; Hsu, Y-T.; Bell, C. (2021). "Sending Laurion Back to the Future: Bronze Age Silver
and the Source of Confusion" (https://doi.org/10.11141%2Fia.56.9) . Internet Archaeology.
56 (9). doi:10.11141/ia.56.9 (https://doi.org/10.11141%2Fia.56.9) . S2CID 236973111 (htt
ps://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:236973111) .

11. Calvo, Miguel (2003). Minerales y Minas de España. Vol. II. Sulfuros y sulfosales [Minerals
and mines of Spain] (in Spanish). Spain: Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Alava. pp. 293–
301. ISBN 84-7821-543-3.

12. "Lead" (https://www.ga.gov.au/education/classroom-resources/minerals-energy/australian-

mineral-facts/lead) . Geoscience Australia. Australian Government. 4 March 2018.
Retrieved 26 June 2021.

13. Walters, Stephen; Bailey, Andrew (1998-12-01). "Geology and mineralization of the
Cannington Ag-Pb-Zn deposit; an example of Broken Hill-type mineralization in the eastern
succession, Mount Isa Inlier, Australia". Economic Geology. 93 (8): 1307–1329.
Bibcode:1998EcGeo..93.1307W (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1998EcGeo..93.1307
W) . doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.93.8.1307 (https://doi.org/10.2113%2Fgsecongeo.93.8.130
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14. Rickwood, P. C. (1981). "The largest crystals" (http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM66/AM

66_885.pdf) (PDF). American Mineralogist. 66: 885–907.

15. "2018 Statute Chapter 73 Article 38" (http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/statute/073

_000_0000_chapter/073_038_0000_article/073_038_0001_section/073_038_0001_k/) ,
Official state mineral, Kansas Legislature, retrieved 2019-12-05
16. "Office of the Secretary of State, Missouri – State Symbols" (http://www.sos.mo.gov/symbo
ls/) . State of Missouri. Retrieved 2009-11-12.

17. "Wisconsin State Symbols" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100112222837/http://www.wis

consin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_state_symbols.html) . State of Wisconsin. Archived from
the original (http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_state_symbols.html) on
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18. Rydjord, John (1972) Kansas Place-Names, University of Oklahoma Press. p. 77 ISBN 0-
8061-0994-7

19. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States (https://book
s.google.com/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA133) . Govt. Print. Off. p. 133.

20. Galena Historical Society (June 21, 2006). "History Highlights" (http://galenahistorymuseu
m.org) . Retrieved April 13, 2007.

21. state.ak.us (http://www.dec.state.ak.us/SPAR/CSP/sites/galena.htm)

22. Da Silva, Gabriel (2004). "Kinetics and mechanism of the bacterial and ferric sulphate
oxidation of galena". Hydrometallurgy. 75 (1–4): 99–110. Bibcode:2004HydMe..75...99D (ht
tps://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004HydMe..75...99D) .
doi:10.1016/j.hydromet.2004.07.001 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.hydromet.2004.07.00
1) .

23. "Toxic trends" (https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/XefkNBEAAPuo1KaD) . Wellcome

Collection. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2024.

24. Metropolitan Museum of Art (2005). The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt. New York. p. 10.
ISBN 1-58839-170-1.

25. "Lead pollution from Native Americans attributed to crushing galena for glitter paint,
adornments" (https://news.iu.edu/stories/2019/10/iupui/releases/21-native-american-kinc
aid-mounds-pre-columbian-period-galena.html) . Indiana University–Purdue University
Indianapolis. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.

26. The Glittery Legacy of Lead at a Historic Native American Site (https://www.atlasobscura.co
m/articles/found-precolumbian-glitter-in-illinois) , Atlas Obscura, November 7, 2019

27. Glaze (http://www.thepotteries.org/types/glaze.htm) . thepotteries.org

28. Lee, Thomas H. (2007). "The (Pre-)History of the Integrated Circuit: A Random Walk" (ftp://1
19.235.48.163/BIET/Materials/Journals/ECE/Solid-State_Circuits_Newslette/The_Pre-_Hist
ory_of_the_Integrated_Circuit_A_Random_Walk-C9G.pdf) (PDF). IEEE Solid-State Circuits
Newsletter. 12 (2): 16–22. doi:10.1109/N-SSC.2007.4785573 (https://doi.org/10.1109%2FN
-SSC.2007.4785573) . ISSN 1098-4232 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1098-4232) .
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External links

Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM): Lead Toxicity. (https://web.archive.org/web/

20090605154039/http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HEC/CSEM/lead/)

ToxFAQs: Lead. (https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tfacts13.pdf)

Mineral Information Institute (https://web.archive.org/web/20070415151632/http://www.mii.o

rg/Minerals/photolead.html) entry for lead.

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