Where it forms, where it's found
- Type locality
- Lengenbach Quarry
- Fäld
- Binn
- Goms
- Valais
- Switzerland
46.3653°, 8.2205°
13recorded occurrences
Safety & handling
Physical
Crystallography
- Cell parameters
- a = 9.103(2) Å · b = 9.860(3) Å · c = 9.111(2) Å
- Cell angles
- α = 90.27(2) ° · β = 109.53(2) ° · γ = 107.58(2) °
- Ratio a:b:c
- 1 : 1.083 : 1.001
- Unit cell volume
- 729.6 ų
- Z
- 2
- Twinning
Crystals are twinned complexly; principal laws are twin planes (010) and (110).
- Type-locality form
A small crystal.
- Comment
Small pseudo-orthorhombic subcell: a = 3.72, b = 3.70, c = 5.24 Å (Marumo & Nowacki, 1964).
Crystal structure
Chemical composition
Synonyms
- IMA1964-020
- Sinneriet
- Tellit
- Tellita
- Tellite
In other languages
- German
- IMA 1964-020 · Sinnerit
- Italian
- Sinnerite
Classification
Strunz
10th ed.2.GC.10
- 2Sulfides and SulfosaltsClass
- 2.GSulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthitesDivision
- 2.GCPoly-sulfarsenitesGroup
- 2.GC.10SinneriteSpecies
Dana
8th ed.03.06.14.01
- 03SulfosaltsClass
- 03.062 < ø < 2.49Type
- 03.06.14— unnamed intermediate level —Group
- 03.06.14.01SinneriteSpecies
CIM
—5.1.1
- 5Sulphosalts - Sulpharsenites and Sulphobismuthites (those containing Sn, Ge,or V are in Section 6)Class
- 5.1Sulpharsenites etc. of CuGroup
- 5.1.1SinneriteSpecies
Literature, links & citation
Citations
- 1964Marumo, F., Nowacki, W. (1964) The crystal structure of lautite and of sinnerite, a new mineral from the Lengenbach Quarry. Schweizerische Mineralogische und Petrographische Mitteilungen: 44: 439-454. https://rruff.info/rruff_1.0/uploads/SMPM44_439.pdf
- 1964Nowacki, W., Marumo, F., Takeuchi, Y. (1964) Untersuchungen an Sulfiden aus dem Binnatal (Kt. Wallis, Schweiz). Schweizerische Mineralogische und Petrographische Mitteilungen: 44(1): 5-9.
- 1972Makovicky, Emil, Skinner, Brian J. (1972) Studies of the sulfosalts of copper. II The crystallography and composition of sinnerite, Cu6As4S9. American Mineralogist, 57 (5-6) 824-834
- 1975Makovicky, Emil, Skinner, Brian J. (1975) Studies of the sulfosalts of copper. IV. Structure and twinning of sinnerite, Cu6As4S9. American Mineralogist, 60 (11-12) 998-1012
- 1999Harlov, Daniel E. (1999) Thermochemistry of Ag-Cu exchange equilibria between proustite, sinnerite, and pearceite: Constraints on Ag-Cu and As-Sb mixing in pyrargyrite-proustite. European Journal of Mineralogy, 11 (4) 709-720 doi:10.1127/ejm/11/4/0709DOI: 10.1127/ejm/11/4/0709
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
author = {Mineral Index editorial board},
title = {Sinnerite — Mineral Index},
year = {2026},
url = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/sinnerite-3675},
note = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}