earth science

Jamesonite

Jamesonite is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jamesonite rather than just read about it. In short: Jamesonite (also axotomous antimony glance, domingite, comuccite, pfaffite, grey antimony or feather ore) is a sulphosalt mineral, a lead, iron, antimony sulphide with formula Pb4FeSb6S14. With the addition of manganese it forms a series with benavidesite.

Key takeaways

Jamesonite belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Jamesonite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Jamesonite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jamesonite (also axotomous antimony glance, domingite, comuccite, pfaffite, grey antimony or feather ore) is a sulphosalt mineral, a lead, iron, antimony sulphide with formula Pb4FeSb6S14. With the addition of manganese it forms a series with benavidesite. It is a dark grey metallic mineral which forms acicular prismatic monoclinic crystals. It is soft with a Mohs hardness of 2.5 and has a specific gravity of 5.5 – 5.6. It is one of the few sulphide minerals to form fibrous or needle like crystals. It can also form large prismatic crystals similar to stibnite with which it can be associated. It is usually found in low to moderate temperature hydrothermal deposits. It was named for Scottish mineralogist Robert Jameson (1774–1854). It was first identified in 1825 in Cornwall, England. It is also reported from South Dakota and Arkansas, US; Zacatecas, Mexico; and Romania. Jamesonite generally has a very large number of synonyms, as well as regional and trivial names, which is unusual even for such noticeable minerals from a practical point of view. First of all, this is the already mentioned above domingite, comuccite, pfaffite, gray antimony or feather ore. In addition, jamesonite is also known by its English names: warrenite, wolfsbergite, plumite, rosellan, rosenite, sakharovaite, bleiantimonit, antimonial radiant glance, falkmanite... In the old German mineralogical literature the following names for jamesonite were also found: lumpenerz, stahlantimonglanz, spiessglasfedererz, chalybinglanz, zundererz. Moreover, the term “axotomous antimony glance” until the beginning of the 19th century was considered scientific in the mineralogical environment and was predominant.

References

External links Mineral galleries

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jamesonite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jamesonite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jamesonite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jamesonite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jamesonite

In research: Jamesonite appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Jamesonite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Jamesonite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Glances, Iron(II) minerals, Lead minerals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jamesonite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Jamesonite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jamesonite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Jamesonite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jamesonite in simple terms?

Why does Jamesonite matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jamesonite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jamesonite.