Baumhauerite
Baumhauerite from Lengenbach Quarry, Im Feld, Binn Valley, Wallis, Switzerland
General
Category	Sulfosalt mineral
Formula (repeating unit)	Pb3As4S9
IMA symbol	Bha[1]
Strunz classification	2.HC.05b
Crystal system	Triclinic
Crystal class	Pedial (1) (same H-M symbol)
Space group	P1
Identification
Color	Gray-black to blue-gray
Twinning	Polysynthetic, on
Cleavage	Perfect on
Fracture	Conchoidal
Mohs scale hardness	3
Luster	Metallic to dull
Streak	chocolate brown
Specific gravity	5.33
References	[2][3][4]

Baumhauerite (Pb₃As₄S₉) is a rare lead sulfosalt mineral. It crystallizes in the triclinic system, is gray-black to blue-gray and its lustre is metallic to dull. Baumhauerite has a hardness of 3.

Baumhauerite occurs as small crystals embedded in dolomitic marble. It is found primarily in the Lengenbach Quarry, Binnental, in the Valais region of Switzerland, the mineral is named after German mineralogist Heinrich Adolph Baumhauer (1848–1926), who discovered it at Lengenbach, famous among mineralogists for its array of rare minerals, in 1902. Baumhauerite has also been reported at Sterling Hill, New Jersey, United States, typically in association with molybdenite, and in aggregates at Hemlo, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

See also

• List of minerals
• List of minerals named after people

References

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