Sphalerite is ideally a zinc sulfide; however, there is usually some quantity of iron substituting for zinc in the structure. Sphalerite is the most important ore mineral of zinc.
Pronunciation: SVAL•er•ite (accent on capitalized syllable)
Color: colorless, green, yellow, brown to black
Streak: white to yellow and brown; streak is ligher in tone than the darker mineral
Luster: usually nonmetallic, resinous; occasionally adamantine
Diaphaneity: transparent to translucent, but may appear opaque in hand specimen
Hardness: 3.5-4
Specific gravity: 3.9-4.1
Cleavage/fracture: 6 directions
Other distinguishing properties: Sphalerite has a sulfur "match-stick" odor when it is scratched. Its 6 directions of cleavage is characteristic. Sphalerite commonly has a resinous luster, and is commonly found in association with galena.
Klein, C., and Hurlbut, C.S., Jr., 1999, Manual of Mineralogy (after James D. Dana) [21st edition, revised]: New York, John Wiley & Sons, 682 p.
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, The Photo Atlas of Minerals: nhm.org/pam/
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