Mineral · Sphalerite group
Sphalerite
ZnS
Sphalerite is zinc sulfide, occurring as brown, black, yellow or red ('ruby jack') tetrahedral crystals with a resinous to adamantine lustre from the Tri-State district, Elmwood (Tennessee), Bulgaria, Spain and Peru. Gem-quality Spanish sphalerite from Áliva is faceted despite its softness. Six directions of cleavage and a pale streak distinguish it from galena.
| Formula | ZnS |
|---|---|
| IMA status | grandfathered |
| Crystal system | Cubic |
| Mohs hardness | 3.5–4 |
| Group | Sphalerite group |
| Type locality | None |
| Streak | Pale yellow to brown |
| Specific gravity | 4.0 |
| Reference list | IMA List of Minerals (RRUFF) — verify formula and status against the current list |
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Sphalerite" (Mineral). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/minerals/sphalerite. Accessed 2026-09-20.
@misc{stratum-sphalerite,
title = {Sphalerite},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/minerals/sphalerite}},
year = {2026},
note = {Mineral article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.