Information about Emplectite

Appearance

An interesting mineral which grows in needle-like prismatic crystals, often in association with other bismuth or copper minerals in hydrothermal veins.

Uses and History

Emplectite is primarily of interest to mineral collectors and doesn’t really seem to occur in large enough quantities to be important as a copper or bismuth ore.

It was first identified in Tannebaum Mine, Erzgebirgskreis, Germany, and named after the Greek word ’emplektos’, meaning ‘interwoven’ – a reference to its fibrous nature.

Mineralogy

Hazards and Warnings

Mineral collectors should wash their hands after handling specimens, to avoid any exposure to potential toxins.
Almost all rocks, minerals (and, frankly, almost all other substances on earth) can produce toxic dust when cutting, which can cause serious respiratory conditions including silicosis. When cutting or polishing rocks, minerals, shells, etc, all work should be done wet to minimise the dust, and a suitable respirator or extraction system should be used.

Translations

Further Reading / External Links

• http://webmineral.com/data/Emplectite.shtml
• https://www.mindat.org/min-1378.html
• https://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/emplectite.pdf