Note: New analyses of the holotype sample of borishanskiite, defined as "Pd_1+x(As,Pb)₂ , x = 0-0.2" (IMA no. 1974-010), show that this mineral is identical to polarite (IMA no. 1969-032).

Compositional similarity to, e.g., urvantsevite and 'UM1981-02-Bi:AsPbPd'.

Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:

3251

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:3251:9

GUID
(UUID V4):

cd32271a-753f-40dd-87cc-9ee35f420170

IMA Classification of PolariteHide

IMA status:

Approved

Classification of PolariteHide

Strunz-mindat (2024):

2.AC.40

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
A : Alloys
C : Alloys of metalloids with PGE

Dana 8th ed.:

2.8.6.1

2 : SULFIDES
8 : A_mX_p, with m:p = 1:1

Hey's CIM Ref.:

3.12.42

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
12 : Sulphides etc. of the platinum metals

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
Plr	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 PolariteHide

Lustre:

Metallic

Transparency:

Opaque

Hardness:

3½ - 4 on Mohs scale

Hardness:

VHN₁₀₀=217 - Vickers

Optical Data of PolariteHide

Anisotropism:

slight color effects from gray to pale brown

Bireflectance:

none

Colour in reflected light:

white with yellowish tint

Chemistry of PolariteHide

Mindat Formula:

Pd(Bi,Pb)

Elements listed:

Bi, Pb, Pd - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Common Impurities:

Pt,Te

Crystallography of PolariteHide

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic

Class (H-M):

mm2 - Pyramidal

Space Group:

Cmc2₁

Cell Parameters:

a = 7.19 Å, b = 8.69 Å, c = 10.68 Å

Ratio:

a:b:c = 0.827 : 1 : 1.229

Unit Cell V:

667.30 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Comment:

Ccm21

Crystal StructureHide

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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure

ID	Species	Reference	Link	Year	Locality	Pressure (GPa)	Temp (K)
0014143	Polarite	Mayer H W, Bhatt Y C, Schubert K (1979) Kristallstrukturen von Pd2PbBi und Pd4PbBi3 Journal of the Less-Common Metals 66 1-9		1979	synthetic	0	293
0015532	Polarite	Zhuravlev N N (1957) Structure of superconductors. X. Thermal, microscopic and x-ray investigation of the bismuth-palladium system Soviet Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics 5 1064-1072		1957	synthetic	0	293

CIF Raw Data - click here to close

data_global
_chemical_name_mineral 'Polarite'
loop_
_publ_author_name
'Mayer H W'
'Bhatt Y C'
'Schubert K'
_journal_name_full 'Journal of the Less-Common Metals'
_journal_volume 66 
_journal_year 1979
_journal_page_first 1
_journal_page_last 9
_publ_section_title
;
 Kristallstrukturen von Pd2PbBi und Pd4PbBi3
;
_database_code_amcsd 0014143
_chemical_compound_source 'Synthetic'
_chemical_formula_sum 'Pd2 Pb Bi'
_cell_length_a 7.150
_cell_length_b 8.681
_cell_length_c 10.535
_cell_angle_alpha 90
_cell_angle_beta 90
_cell_angle_gamma 90
_cell_volume 653.898
_exptl_crystal_density_diffrn     12.779
_symmetry_space_group_name_H-M 'C c m 21'
loop_
_space_group_symop_operation_xyz
  'x,y,z'
  '1/2+x,1/2+y,z'
  '-x,y,1/2+z'
  '1/2-x,1/2+y,1/2+z'
  'x,-y,z'
  '1/2+x,1/2-y,z'
  '-x,-y,1/2+z'
  '1/2-x,1/2-y,1/2+z'
loop_
_atom_site_label
_atom_site_fract_x
_atom_site_fract_y
_atom_site_fract_z
Pda1   0.08200   0.00000   0.26900
Pda2   0.67300   0.00000   0.26400
Pdb   0.11900   0.25600   0.43700
Pbb   0.12000   0.00000   0.00000
Pba   0.63800   0.00000   0.98900
Bib   0.12200   0.27630   0.71000
loop_
_atom_site_aniso_label
_atom_site_aniso_U_11
_atom_site_aniso_U_22
_atom_site_aniso_U_33
_atom_site_aniso_U_12
_atom_site_aniso_U_13
_atom_site_aniso_U_23
Pdb 0.16316 0.03818 0.20241 0.00000 -0.01145 0.00463
Pbb 0.01813 0.14889 0.11808 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
Pba 0.02331 0.13744 0.11808 0.00000 0.01145 0.00000
Bib 0.01813 0.00000 0.03936 -0.00314 -0.00763 0.00463

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
2.65 Å	(10)
2.25 Å	(5)
2.16 Å	(9)
1.638 Å	(5)

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])
Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks	>3.0
37 : Layered igneous intrusions and related PGE minerals

Type Occurrence of PolariteHide

Type Locality:

ⓘ Mayak Mine, Talnakh Cu-Ni Deposit, Noril'sk, Putoran Plateau, Taimyr Peninsula, Taymyrskiy Autonomous Okrug, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Stannopalladinite	Sphalerite	Silver	Platinum	Cubanite
Chalcopyrite	Chalcopyrite

Synonyms of PolariteHide

Borishanskiite

IMA1969-032

Other Language Names for PolariteHide

German:Polarit

Russian:Полярит

Spanish:Polarita

Common AssociatesHide

Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:

6 photos of Polarite associated with Chalcopyrite	CuFeS₂
5 photos of Polarite associated with Tetraferroplatinum	PtFe
4 photos of Polarite associated with Sobolevskite	PdBi
4 photos of Polarite associated with Stannopalladinite	(Pd,Cu)₃Sn
3 photos of Polarite associated with Sperrylite	PtAs₂
2 photos of Polarite associated with Majakite	PdNiAs
2 photos of Polarite associated with Taimyrite	(Pd,Cu,Pt)₃Sn
1 photo of Polarite associated with Dienerite	Ni₃As
1 photo of Polarite associated with Pseudomertieite	Pd₁₁(Sb,As)₄
1 photo of Polarite associated with Altaite	PbTe

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide

2.AC.	Törnroosite	Pd₁₁As₂Te₂	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
2.AC.	Vadlazarenkovite	Pd₈Bi_1.5Te_1.25As_0.25	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : R3c
2.AC.05a	Atheneite	Pd₂As_0.75Hg_0.25	Hex. 6 m2 : P6₂m
2.AC.05b	Vincentite	Pd₃As	Mon.
2.AC.10c	Arsenopalladinite	Pd₈(As,Sb)₃	Tric. 1 : P1
2.AC.10b	Mertieite	Pd₈Sb_2.5As_0.5	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : R3c
2.AC.10a	Stillwaterite	Pd₈As₃	Trig.
2.AC.15a	Isomertieite	Pd₁₁Sb₂As₂	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
2.AC.15b	Pseudomertieite	Pd₁₁(Sb,As)₄	Hex.
2.AC.15a	Miessiite	Pd₁₁Te₂Se₂	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
2.AC.20b	Palarstanide	Pd₅(Sn,As)₂	Hex.
2.AC.20a	Stibiopalladinite	Pd₅Sb₂	Hex.
2.AC.20c	Menshikovite	Pd₃Ni₂As₃	Hex. 6/m : P6₃/m
2.AC.25e	Majakite	PdNiAs	Hex.
2.AC.25a	Palladoarsenide	Pd₂As	Mon. 2/m : P2/m
2.AC.25f	Palladobismutharsenide	Pd₂(As,Bi)	Orth.
2.AC.25c	Palladodymite	(Pd,Rh)₂As	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnma
2.AC.25b	Rhodarsenide	(Rh,Pd)₂As	Orth.
2.AC.25d	Naldrettite	Pd₂Sb	Orth. mm2 : Cmc2₁
2.AC.30	UM1999-02-As:NiRh	(Rh,Ni)₇As₄
2.AC.30	Polkanovite	Rh₁₂As₇	Hex. 6/m : P6₃/m
2.AC.35a	Genkinite	Pt₄Sb₃	Tet. 4 2 2
2.AC.35b	Ungavaite	Pd₄Sb₃	Tet. 4 2 2 : P4₁ 2₁ 2
2.AC.45a	Froodite	α-PdBi₂	Mon. 2/m : B2/m
2.AC.50	Nipalarsite	Ni₈Pd₃As₄	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m)
2.AC.50	Viteite	Pd₅InAs	Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P4/mmm

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 PolariteHide

mindat.org URL:

https://www.mindat.org/min-3251.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

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External Links:

Look for Polarite on Webmineral

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Look for Polarite on Mineralien Atlas

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 PolariteHide

Reference List:

Cabri, L.J. and Traill, R.J. (1966) New palladium minerals from Noril'sk, western Siberia. Canadian Mineralogist: 8: 541-550.

Genkin, A.D., Evstigneeva, T.L., Troneva, N.V., and Vyal'sov, L.N. (1969) Polarite, Pd(Pb,Bi) a new mineral from copper-nickel sulfide ores. Zapiski Vserossiyskogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva: 98: 708-715.

Fleischer M, Nickel E H (1970) New mineral names. American Mineralogist 55, 1810-1818

Mayer, H. (1979) Journal of Less Common Metals: 66: 1-9.

Cabri, L.J., Editor (1981) Platinum group elements: mineralogy, geology, recovery. Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: 130-131.

Bayliss P (1990) Revised unit cell dimensions, space group, and chemical formula of some metallic minerals. The Canadian Mineralogist 28, 751-755

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

Localities for PolariteHide

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
Ontario Greater Sudbury McKim Township ⓘ Copper Cliff North Mine	Ames et al. (2003)
Thunder Bay District Seagull Lake Area Seagull Lake complex ⓘ Nipigon Reefs Project	Wilson et al. (2013)

China
Hebei Chengde Fengning County Boluonuo ⓘ Hongshila Pt-Pd deposit (Hung District)	Keqiao Chen et al. (1981)

Finland
Lapland Sodankylä Viiankiaapa mire area ⓘ Sakattilampi (Sakatti deposit)	Pelayo Barrón Francisco (2020)

Guinea
Kindia Region ⓘ Conakry Igneous Complex	Augé et al. (2018)

Russia
Irkutsk Oblast Uda–Biryusa district ⓘ Ognit complex	Shvedov et al. (2017) +1 other reference
Krasnoyarsk Krai Taymyrskiy Autonomous Okrug Taimyr Peninsula Putoran Plateau ⓘ Noril'sk	Spiridonov et al. (2015)
ⓘ Talnakh Cu-Ni Deposit	February 2009 +3 other references
ⓘ Mayak Mine (TL)	Genkin et al. (1969) +2 other references
ⓘ Oktyabrsky Mine	Razin et al. (1975) +2 other references
ⓘ Kharaelakh lode	2014 Ultramafic-mafic intrusions
ⓘ Southern-2 orebody	Kalugin et al. (2021)
Republic of Karelia Medvezhyegorsky District Zaonezhie peninsula ⓘ Srednyaya Padma mine	American Mineralogist +2 other references

South Africa
Limpopo Waterberg District Municipality Mogalakwena Local Municipality Mogalakwena ⓘ Mokopane	Hutchinson et al. (2005)
ⓘ Akanani prospects	Ramakoloi N (2014)
ⓘ Turfspruit farm	Hutchinson et al. (2005)

USA
Alaska Bethel Census Area Goodnews Bay Salmon River - Red Mountain District ⓘ Fox Gulch	Anthony et al. (1990)

Zimbabwe
Midlands Shurugwi District ⓘ Unki Mine	Allan H. Wilson and Martin D. Prendergast (2001)

Polarite

About PolariteHide