earth science

Sulfide mineral

Sulfide mineral 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 Sulfide mineral rather than just read about it. In short: The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S2−) or disulfide (S2−2) as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores.

Key takeaways

Sulfide mineral 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 Sulfide mineral to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sulfide mineral from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S2−) or disulfide (S2−2) as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores. The sulfide class also includes the selenides, the tellurides, the arsenides, the antimonides, the bismuthinides, the sulfarsenides and the sulfosalts. Sulfide minerals are inorganic compounds.

Minerals Common or important examples include:

Acanthite Ag2S Chalcocite Cu2S Bornite Cu5FeS4 Galena PbS Sphalerite ZnS Chalcopyrite CuFeS2 Pyrrhotite Fe1–xS Millerite NiS Pentlandite (Fe,Ni)9S8 Covellite CuS Cinnabar HgS Realgar AsS Orpiment As2S3 Stibnite Sb2S3 Pyrite FeS2 Marcasite FeS2 Molybdenite MoS2 Sulfarsenides:

Cobaltite (Co,Fe)AsS Arsenopyrite FeAsS Gersdorffite NiAsS Sulfosalts:

Pyrargyrite Ag3SbS3 Proustite Ag3AsS3 Tetrahedrite Cu12Sb4S13 Tennantite Cu12As4S13 Enargite Cu3AsS4 Bournonite PbCuSbS3 Jamesonite Pb4FeSb6S14 Cylindrite Pb3Sn4FeSb2S14

Nickel–Strunz Classification -02- Sulfides IMA-CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme (Mills et al., 2009). This list uses the Classification of Nickel–Strunz (mindat.org, 10 ed, pending publication).

Abbreviations: "*" - discredited (IMA/CNMNC status). "?" - questionable/doubtful (IMA/CNMNC status). "REE" - Rare-earth element (Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) "PGE" - Platinum-group element (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt) 03.C Aluminofluorides, 06 Borates, 08 Vanadates (04.H V[5,6] Vanadates), 09 Silicates: Neso: insular (from Greek νησος nēsos, island) Soro: grouping (from Greek σωροῦ sōros, heap, mound (especially of corn)) Cyclo: ring Ino: chain (from Greek ις [genitive: ινος inos], fibre) Phyllo: sheet (from Greek φύλλον phyllon, leaf) Tekto: three-dimensional framework Nickel–Strunz code scheme: NN.XY.##x NN: Nickel–Strunz mineral class number X: Nickel–Strunz mineral division letter Y: Nickel–Strunz mineral family letter ##x: Nickel–Strunz mineral/group number, x add-on letter

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sulfide mineral

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sulfide mineral 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 Sulfide mineral 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 Sulfide mineral 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 Sulfide mineral

In research: Sulfide mineral 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 Sulfide mineral 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: Sulfide mineral is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Sulfide minerals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sulfide mineral 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 Sulfide mineral in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sulfide mineral 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 Sulfide mineral out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sulfide mineral in simple terms?

The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S2−) or disulfide (S2−2) as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores.

Why does Sulfide mineral 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 Sulfide mineral?

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 Sulfide mineral.