Prospecting in Nova Scotia

Minerals of Nova Scotia

Minerals of Nova Scotia

The following slides present photographs and properties of Nova Scotia minerals of interest to prospectors.

The mineral properties described here relate to those defined in the “Identifying Minerals” module and it is recommended that you view that module first.

Nova Scotia Minerals• Arsenopyrite• Barite• Calcite and dolomite• Cassiterite• Chalcopyrite• (Native) copper • Galena• Gold• Gypsum• Hematite• Limonite

• Magnetite• Molybdenite• Pyrite• Pyrolusite• Pyrrhotite• Quartz • Salt• Scheelite• Sphalerite• Stibnite• Zeolites

• Hardness: (5) Can scratch with knife; brittle, forms powder when struck

• Shape: Forms prisms, diamonds • Colour: Steel gray to silver white• Lustre: Metallic • Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: Black• Other: Garlic-like smell when struck,

striations on surfaces are characteristic• Location: Common at gold occurrences

Arsenopyrite (FeAsS)

Barite: (BaSO4)Barium sulfate• Hardness (3-3.5): Scratch with knife, brittle• Shape: Massive, Forms blades• Colour: White, Colorless, light blue, yellow,

grey, brown• Lustre: Vitreous• Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: White• Other: Heavy (SG 4.8), Used for drilling

muds in oil exploration• Localities: Walton, Lake Ainslie

Cassiterite: (SnO2) Tin ore• Hardness (6-7): Can not scratch with knife;

brittle, powder brown to white• Shape: Forms prisms, needles • Colour: Black, brownish black, reddish

brown, red, yellow, gray, white; rarely colorless

• Lustre: Lustre like diamond • Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: brownish white• Other: Heavy (SG 7)• Localities: granites; East Kemptville

Chalcopyrite (Chalk-o-pyrite) (CuFeS2) Copper Ore• Hardness: Scratch with knife; brittle,

forms powder when struck• Shape: Forms triangular crystals• Colour: Bronze-honey yellow,

surface tarnishes to rainbow colours• Lustre: Metallic • Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: Weakly magnetic, powder

sticks to magnet • Streak: Greenish black streak• Other: Common Copper ore• Location: Copper Lake

• ;

Chalcopyrite tarnished

Chalcopyrite

Pyrite

Copper Lake

Native Copper (Cu)• Hardness:can be easily scratched by needle,

penknife. Malleable: edges bend.• Shape: Hackly: rough jagged surface• Colour: Copper, tarnishes green or black• Lustre: Metallic • Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: Copper• Location: Common in North Mountain and around

Bay of Fundy – Minas Basin; in dark volcanic rocks; with zeolites and quartz

Galena (PbS) Lead Ore• Hardness: Can be scratched by copper coin,

very brittle• Shape: Forms cubes, masses• Colour: Lead gray, silvery • Lustre: Metallic • Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: Greenish black streak• Other: Heavier than fools gold • Localities: Dunbrack Mine, Musquodoboit;

Gays River, Hants County; Yava Mine, Cape Breton; Jubilee, Cape Breton

Gays River, Hants County

Galena

• Hardness: Soft, easily scratched with a knife, malleable.

• Shape: Generally irregular, hackly • Colour: Bright gold yellow, • Lustre: Metallic • Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: gold• Other: Very heavy;19 times heavier than

water; 7 times heavier than rock; 4 times heavier than fools gold

• Location: Common on Eastern Shore

Gold (Au)

Gypsum (CaSO4) Calcium Sulphate• Hardness (1): Very soft; can be scratched

by fingernail• Shape: Massive, long and prismatic crystals• Colour: Colourless to white• Lustre: Dull to Vitreous• Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: White• Other: Flexible; used in plaster & fertilizer• Localities: Windsor, Carrols Corner

Hematite (Fe2O3) Ore of Iron • Hardness (6): Same as knife; brittle, powder

red-brown• Shape: Forms flakes, kidney-shaped masses• Colour: Metallic gray to dark red• Lustre: Metallic• Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: After heating• Streak: Reddish brown• Other: Heavy (SG 5) An ore of iron, used as

red pigment• Localities: Found near Nictaux Falls,

Torbrook, Bridgeville, Londonderry

Limonite, (rust) FeO(OH)·nH2O• Hardness (1-5): Scratch with knife; brittle, • Shape: Massive• Colour: Yellowish brown• Lustre: Dull to earthy• Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: Yellowish brown• Other: Heavy (SG 5) Used as pigment.

Rusting of iron sulfides at surface (gossans) can be a guide to sulfide mineralization

• Localities: Once mined at Londonderry

• Hardness (5.5-6.5): Same as knife knife; brittle, powder black

• Shape: Blocky or massive• Colour: Grey - Black• Lustre: Metallic• Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: Yes, strongly • Streak: Black• Other: Heavy (SG 5)• Localities: Found in Economy

Mountain

Magnetite (Fe3O4) Ore of iron

Molybdenite: (MoS2) Molybdenum Ore• Hardness: (1) Soft, scratch with fingernail,

brittle• Shape: usually platy form• Colour: Lead grey• Lustre: metallic• Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: Greenish grey• Other: Can write on paper (like graphite),

black powder with greasy feel• Localities: In granites in southern Nova

Scotia and at Coxheath in Cape Breton

Coxheath, NS

Pyrite (FeS2)• Hardness: (6.6.5) Can’t scratch with

knife; brittle, forms black powder when struck

• Shape: Forms cubes • Colour: Brass yellow• Lustre: Metallic • Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: Greenish Black• Other: Strike with hammer creates hot

spark, smells like sulfur• Location: Very common in NS

Pyrolusite (MnO2)Manganese OreHardness (6): Same as knife; brittle, Shape: grains, kidney-shaped radial massesColour: Steel greyLustre: Sub-MetallicReaction with acid: NoMagnetic: NoStreak: Reddish brownOther: Heavy (SG 5)Localities: New Ross, Noel shore

Pyrolusite,

Pyrrhotite (Pee-rho-tite) (FeS)• Hardness: Scratch with knife; brittle, forms

powder when struck• Shape: Forms prisms, plates, also in masses• Colour: Bronze colour, surface tarnishes to

brown• Lustre: Metallic • Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: Magnetic, powder sticks to

magnet • Streak: Grey Black• Other: Common in mainland NS in slates and

gold districts

Quartz (SiO2)• Hardness: (7) Very hard, scratches

glass, brittle• Shape: 6-sided prism ending in 6-sided

pyramid, fine-grained to massive• Colour: Transparent, white, yellow, tan,

pink to purple (amethyst)• Lustre: Glassy to greasy • Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: White• Other: Quartz veins with gold common

in NS gold depositsQuartz Vein, Dufferin Mine

Salt (Halite) (NaCl) Sodium Chloride• Hardness (2.5): Scratched by fingernail

brittle, breaks in to small cubes• Shape: Massive, cubic crystals• Colour: Colourless, white, blue, pink• Lustre: Vitreous• Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: White• Other: Road Salt, table salt; salty taste• Localities: Pugwash

Scheelite Ca (WO4) Tungsten Ore• Hardness (4-5): Scratch with knife, brittle,

powder white• Shape: Usually platy form• Colour: White-pale yellow-browish yellow• Lustre: Glassy• Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: white• Other: Fluoresces (shines) under black light

(UV lamp)• Localities: Common in quartz-gold veins

Sphalerite: (ZnS) Zinc Ore• Hardness: Can be scratched by copper

coin, very brittle• Shape: Colour: brown, yellow, green,

reddish• Lustre: Resinous, greasy• Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: Brownish white• Localities: Gays River, Hants County;

Jubilee, Cape Breton

Stibnite: (Sb2S3) Antimony Ore• Hardness (2): Very soft: scratch with by

fingernail• Shape: Forms prisms, needles • Colour: Black-grey• Lustre: Metallic • Reaction with acid: Decomposed with acid• Magnetic: No• Streak: Blackish grey• Other: Toxic• Localities: West Gore

Zeolites• Hardness (2): Very soft; can be scratched

with fingernail• Shape: Form needles, radial groups• Colour: White to pink• Lustre: Vitreous to pearly• Reaction with acid: No• Magnetic: No• Streak: White• Other: Heated on flame with tweezers

releases steamLocalities: North Mountain

• Stilbite is Nova Scotia’s Mineral

Prospecting in Nova Scotia

Minerals of Nova Scotia