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Germanite mineral

Germanite is the copper-iron-germanium sulfide mineral species Cu13Fe2Ge2S16, listed by IMA-CNMNC in September 2026 as grandfathered, with 1922 as the original-description year rather than an IMA approval number. The 1984 powder-XRD study of Tsumeb material uses the equivalent doubled formula Cu26Ge4Fe4S32 and supports a cubic structure, while explicitly retaining intergrown impurities and unresolved cation-site assignments. Its ideal formula does not establish the composition or purity of every specimen. The Handbook describes occurrence in dolostone-hosted hydrothermal copper-lead-zinc ore at Tsumeb and association with renierite and other sulfides. These are geological observations, not current production or recovery-performance claims. Germanite is distinct from germanium element, a mixed ore feed and renierite; no microbial mechanism or inherited criticality designation is assigned. The Handbook's printed F-43n space-group label conflicts with P-43n in the primary refinement, so it is not silently treated as confirming that primary space-group assignment.

Sources & References

  1. ima_2026_09: IMA-CNMNC. The New IMA List of Minerals, September 2026; definitions on PDF page 1 and Germanite row on PDF page 82.
    https://cnmnc.units.it/files/editor/IMA_Master_List_(2026-09).pdf (accessed 2026-10-12)
  2. handbook_germanite: Handbook of Mineralogy. Germanite, version 1, copyright 2001-2005 Mineral Data Publishing; one-page entry, Crystal Data, Cell Data, Chemistry, Occurrence and Association. Printed space-group discrepancy is retained rather than normalized without explanation.
    https://handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/germanite.pdf (accessed 2026-10-12)
  3. tettenhorst1984: Tettenhorst RT and Corbato CE (1984). Crystal structure of germanite, Cu26Ge4Fe4S32, determined by powder X-ray diffraction. American Mineralogist 69:943-947; experimental/refinement sections, Tables 1-4 and discussion of impurities and site-assignment limits.
    https://msaweb.org/AmMin/AM69/AM69_943.pdf (accessed 2026-10-12)

Curation History

Timestamp Curator Action Summary
2026-10-12T02:34:45Z Codex (GPT-6; codex) create Created the distinct mineral identity from the dated IMA authority, Handbook and primary mineralogical evidence; retained source limits without transferring element criticality or microbial feed claims.

Record source: data/records/germanite.yaml