Djerfisherite

K6(Fe,Cu,Ni)25S26Cl
IMA status
  • Approved
IMA symbol
Djr
Discovered
1966
IMA approved
1965
Also known as
  • Djerfisheriet
  • Gertfisherit
  • Gertfisherita
  • +2 more

Where it forms, where it's found

Geological setting

Enstatite chondrite meteorites.

Meteorites, hydrothermal Ni-Cu ores, pegmatites, kimberlites, mafic alkalic diatreme.

Type locality
Kota-Kota meteorite (Marimba meteorite)
  1. Nkhotakota
  2. Central Region
  3. Malawi

-13.0167°, 34.2000°

61recorded occurrences
Source · OpenStreetMap

Physical

Hardness
123456789103.5/ 10 MOHS
  1. 1Talc
  2. 2Gypsum
  3. 3Calcite
  4. 4Fluorite
  5. 5Apatite
  6. 6Orthoclase
  7. 7Quartz
  8. 8Topaz
  9. 9Corundum
  10. 10Diamond
Transparency
Opaque
Colour
Greenish yellow · khaki · to olive drab

Optical

Reflectance R%
(17.5) 400, (18.3) 420, (19.1) 440, (20.0) 460, (20.8) 480, (21.6) 500, (22.3) 520, (22.9) 540, (23.5) 560, (24.0) 580, (24.5) 600, (24.9) 620, (25.2) 640, (25.5) 660, (25.8) 680, (25.9) 700
Reflected-light panel
22.6 %isotropic · single curve
Specimen sRGB 183, 122, 58
White reference100 % reflector under same lamp

Crystallography

Crystal system
Isometric
Space group
Pm-3m
Cell parameters
a = 10.465 Å
Z
2
Morphology

Rounded grains to 0.4 mm.

Type-locality form

Grains, 0.02-0.4 mm in diameter.

Crystal structure

Chemical composition

Constituent elements
Mass composition breakdown
ElementAtoms At. mass g/mol Mass g/molMass share
29CuCopperCopper2563.5461588.650
28.60%
28NiNickelNickel2558.6931467.325
26.41%
26FeIronIron2555.8451396.125
25.13%
16SSulfurSulfur2632.060833.560
15.00%
19KPotassiumPotassium639.098234.588
4.22%
17ClChlorineChlorine135.45035.450
0.64%
Total5555.698100.00%

Mass share = atoms × atomic mass ÷ molar mass × 100

From IMA formula

Impurities
  • Na
  • Mg

Synonyms

  • Djerfisheriet
  • Gertfisherit
  • Gertfisherita
  • Gertfisherite
  • IMA1965-028

In other languages

French
Djerfisherite
German
Djerfisherit · IMA 1965-028
Italian
Djerfisherite
Chinese
硫铁铜钾矿
Russian
Джерфишерит

Classification

Strunz
10th ed.

2.FC.05

  • 2Sulfides and SulfosaltsClass
  • 2.FSulfides of arsenic, alkalies; sulfides with halide, oxide, hydroxide, H2ODivision
  • 2.FCWith Cl, Br, I (halide-sulfides)Group
  • 2.FC.05DjerfisheriteSpecies
Dana
8th ed.

02.15.02.01

  • 02SulfidesClass
  • 02.15Chlor-sulfidesType
  • 02.15.02Djerfisherite GroupGroup
  • 02.15.02.01DjerfisheriteSpecies
CIM

6.5.11

  • 6Sulphosalts - Sulphostannates, Sulphogermanates,Sulpharsenates, Sulphantimonates, Sulphovanadates and SulphohalidesClass
  • 6.5SulphohalidesGroup
  • 6.5.11DjerfisheriteSpecies

Group, growth & confusion

In the same group
4 members
Often grow together
1 mineral

Literature, links & citation

Citations
  1. Geologiya Rudnykh Mestorozhdeniy: 11(5): 57-64.
  2. 1966Fleischer, Michael (1966) New Mineral Names. American Mineralogist, 51 (11-12) 1815-1820
  3. 1966Fuchs, L. H. (1966) Djerfisherite, Alkali Copper-Iron Sulfide: A New Mineral from Enstatite Chondrites. Science, 153 (3732). 166-167 doi:10.1126/science.153.3732.166DOI: 10.1126/science.153.3732.166
  4. 1970Fleischer, Michael (1970) New Mineral Names. American Mineralogist, 55 (5-6) 1067-1073
  5. 1976Dmitrieva, M.T., Ilyukhin, V.V. (1976) Crystal structure of jerfisherite. Soviet Physics - Doklady: 20: 469-470.
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
  author    = {Mineral Index editorial board},
  title     = {Djerfisherite — Mineral Index},
  year      = {2026},
  url       = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/djerfisherite-1299},
  note      = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}