Named in 1967 by John Leslie Jambor in honor of John Playfair [March 10, 1748 Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom - July 20, 1819 Burntisland, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom] mathematician, physicist, and geologist, Professor of Mathematics and Natural History (1785-1819), University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He is known for his pioneering work on geomorphology, but is best known for his explanation of James Hutton's Theory of the Earth.

Type Locality:

ⓘ Taylor Pit, Huntingdon Township, Centre Hastings Municipality, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada

This page provides mineralogical data about Playfairite.

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Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:

3239

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:3239:7

GUID
(UUID V4):

8340e8cc-9a46-47bc-97f5-eb5800b0a0db

IMA Classification of PlayfairiteHide

IMA status:

Approved

Approval year:

1966

Type description reference:

Jambor, John Leslie (1967) New lead sulfantimonides from Madoc, Ontario. Part 2 - mineral descriptions. The Canadian Mineralogist, 9 (2) 191-213

Classification of PlayfairiteHide

Strunz-mindat (2024):

2.LB.30

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
L : Unclassified Sulfosalts
B : With essential Pb

Dana 8th ed.:

3.6.4.1

3 : SULFOSALTS
6 : 2 < ø < 2.49

Hey's CIM Ref.:

5.6.12

5 : Sulphosalts - Sulpharsenites and Sulphobismuthites (those containing Sn, Ge,or V are in Section 6)
6 : Sulpharsenites etc. of Pb alone

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Symbol	Source	Reference
Pyf	IMA–CNMNC	Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43

Physical Properties of PlayfairiteHide

Lustre:

Metallic

Transparency:

Opaque

Colour:

Lead gray to black

Streak:

Black

Hardness:

3½ - 4 on Mohs scale

Hardness:

VHN₅₀=154 kg/mm² - Vickers

Cleavage:

Perfect
on {100}

Density:

5.72 g/cm³ (Calculated)

Chemistry of PlayfairiteHide

Mindat Formula:

Pb₁₆(Sb,As)₁₉S₄₄Cl

Originally assumed to be Pb₁₆Sb₁₈S₄₃.

Elements listed:

As, Cl, Pb, S, Sb - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Common Impurities:

Crystallography of PlayfairiteHide

Crystal System:

Monoclinic

Cell Parameters:

a = 45.12 Å, b = 8.29 Å, c = 21.45 Å
β = 92.53°

Ratio:

a:b:c = 5.443 : 1 : 2.587

Unit Cell V:

8,015.44 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Morphology:

Tabular crystals

Twinning:

Very fine twin lamellae

Comment:

Point Group: 2, m, or 2/m; Space Group: P2, Pm, P2/m, P21 or P21/m

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
3.39 Å	(100)
3.32 Å	(100)
2.785 Å	(70)
2.086 Å	(60)
3.98 Å	(40)
3.49 Å	(40)
2.97 Å	(40)

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):

Paragenetic Mode	Earliest Age (Ga)
High-𝑇 alteration and/or metamorphism
33 : Minerals deposited by hydrothermal metal-rich fluids (see also [#12])

Geological Setting:

Dolomitic and calcitic marbles. Coating sulfosalt minerals.

Type Occurrence of PlayfairiteHide

Type Locality:

ⓘ Taylor Pit, Huntingdon Township, Centre Hastings Municipality, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada

General Appearance of Type Material:

Tabular crystals

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

Canadian Geological Survey, Ottawa, 12168; Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada.

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Zinkenite	Semseyite	Robinsonite	Madocite	Launayite
Jamesonite	Geocronite	Boulangerite	Baumhauerite

Reference:

Jambor, John Leslie (1967) New lead sulfantimonides from Madoc, Ontario. 2. Mineral descriptions. Canadian Mineralogist, 9, 191-213.

Synonyms of PlayfairiteHide

IMA1966-019

Other Language Names for PlayfairiteHide

German:Playfairit

Spanish:Playfairita

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide

2.LB.	Ciriottiite	Cu(Cu,Ag)₃Pb₁₉(Sb,As)₂₂(As₂)S₅₆	Mon. 2/m
2.LB.	Hayyanite	Cu₅Ag₁₁Pb₇₆Sb₇₁As₁₇(As²⁺)₈S₂₂₄	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
2.LB.05	Miharaite	Cu₄FePbBiS₆	Orth.
2.LB.30	Ardaite	Pb₁₉Sb₁₃S₃₅Cl₇	Mon.
2.LB.30	Launayite	CuPb₁₀(Sb,As)₁₂S₂₀	Mon.
2.LB.30	Madocite	Pb₁₉(Sb,As)₁₆S₄₃	Orth.
2.LB.30	Sorbyite	CuPb₉(Sb,As)₁₁S₂₆	Mon. 2/m : B2/m
2.LB.30	Sterryite	Cu(Ag,Cu)₃Pb₁₉(Sb,As)₂₂(As-As)S₅₆	Mon. 2/m
2.LB.35	Larosite	(Cu,Ag)₂₁PbBiS₁₃	Orth.
2.LB.40	Petrovicite	Cu₃HgPbBiSe₅	Orth.
2.LB.40	Mazzettiite	Ag₃HgPbSbTe₅	Orth.
2.LB.45	Crerarite	Pt_2-x(Bi,Pb)₁₁(S,Se)₁₁	Tric. 1 : P1
2.LB.50	Quijarroite	Cu₆HgPb₂Bi₄Se₁₂	Orth. mm2 : Pmn2₁
2.LB.55	Znamenskyite	Pb₄In₂Bi₄S₁₃	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbam

Fluorescence of PlayfairiteHide

In UV light:

Not fluorescent in UV

Other InformationHide

Health Risks:

No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

Internet Links for PlayfairiteHide

mindat.org URL:

https://www.mindat.org/min-3239.html
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Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project

References and PDF downloads at RRUFF project

American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database

Handbook of Mineralogy page PDF

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References for PlayfairiteHide

Reference List:

Jambor, John Leslie (1967) New lead sulfantimonides from Madoc, Ontario. Part 1. The Canadian Mineralogist, 9 (1) 7-24

Jambor, John Leslie (1967) New lead sulfantimonides from Madoc, Ontario. Part 2 - mineral descriptions. The Canadian Mineralogist, 9 (2) 191-213

Jambor, John Leslie (1968) New lead sulfantimonides from Madoc, Ontario. Part 3-syntheses, paragenesis, origin. The Canadian Mineralogist, 9 (4) 505-521

Jambor, John L., Laflamme, J. H. G., Walker, D. A. (1982) A Re-examination of the Madoc [Ontario] Sulfosalts. The Mineralogical Record, 13 (2) 93-100

(2023) Playfairite. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America

Localities for PlayfairiteHide

This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the

symbol to view information about a locality. The

symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.

Locality ListHide

- This locality has map coordinates listed.

- This locality has estimated coordinates. ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence. ? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.

- Good crystals or important locality for species.

- World class for species or very significant. (TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species. (FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties). ~~Struck out~~ - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).

All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.


Canada (TL)
Ontario Hastings County Centre Hastings Municipality Huntingdon Township ⓘ Taylor Pit (TL)	Jambor (1967) +3 other references

France
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Hautes-Alpes Gap Orpierre ⓘ Les Cougnasses mine	Y. Moelo et al. : "Playfairite (chlorosulfosel de plomb)

Kyrgyzstan
Batken Region Kadamjay District ⓘ Khaidarkan Sb-Hg deposit	Anthony et al. (1990)

USA
Nevada Lander County ⓘ Reese River Mining District	Castor et al. (2004)

Playfairite