Tombstoneite

Where it forms, where it's found

Type locality: Grand Central Mine
Contention-Grand Central Mine group
Tombstone Mining District
Cochise County
Arizona
USA
31.7025°, -110.0619°

1recorded occurrences

Source · OpenStreetMap

Safety & handling

Physical

Colour: Green
Streak: Pale green
Tenacity: brittle
Cleavage: Perfect
on (001)
Fracture: Irregular/Uneven
Density: 5.680 g/cm³

Optical

Optical type: Uniaxial (-)
Pleochroism: Weak
O = green, E = light yellow green; O > E

Crystallography

Crystal system: Trigonal
Space group: P3 2 1
Cell parameters: a = 9.1377(9) Å · c = 12.2797(9) Å
Unit cell volume: 887.96 Å³
Z: 1
Morphology: Pseudohexagonal tablets, up to 100 μm across and 20 μm thick.
Type-locality form: As green pseudohexagonal tablets, up to 100 μm across and 20 μm thick in cavities in quartz matrix.

Crystal structure

Chemical composition

Constituent elements: Mass composition breakdown
Element Atoms At. mass g/mol Mass g/mol Mass share
52TeTellurium Tellurium 8 127.600 1020.800
33.67%
82PbLead Lead 3.5 207.200 725.200
23.92%
8OOxygen Oxygen 41 15.999 655.959
21.64%
29CuCopper Copper 6 63.546 381.276
12.58%
34SeSelenium Selenium 2 78.971 157.942
5.21%
16SSulfur Sulfur 2 32.060 64.120
2.12%
20CaCalcium Calcium 0.5 40.078 20.039
0.66%
1HHydrogen Hydrogen 6 1.008 6.048
0.20%
Total 3031.384 100.00%
Mass share = atoms × atomic mass ÷ molar mass × 100
From IMA formula

Mass composition breakdown
Element	Atoms	At. mass g/mol	Mass g/mol	Mass share
52TeTellurium	Tellurium	8	127.600	1020.800	33.67%
82PbLead	Lead	3.5	207.200	725.200	23.92%
8OOxygen	Oxygen	41	15.999	655.959	21.64%
29CuCopper	Copper	6	63.546	381.276	12.58%
34SeSelenium	Selenium	2	78.971	157.942	5.21%
16SSulfur	Sulfur	2	32.060	64.120	2.12%
20CaCalcium	Calcium	0.5	40.078	20.039	0.66%
1HHydrogen	Hydrogen	6	1.008	6.048	0.20%
	Total	3031.384	100.00%

Synonyms

IMA2021-053
Tombstoneiet

In other languages

German: IMA 2021-053 · Tombstoneit

Classification

Strunz

10th ed.

4.JN

4OxidesClass
4.JArsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites; iodatesDivision
4.JNTellurites with additional anions, with H₂OGroup
4.JNTombstoneiteSpecies

Literature, links & citation

Citations

2021Miyawaki, Ritsuro, Hatert, Frédéric, Pasero, Marco, Mills, Stuart J. (2021) IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) Newsletter 63 – CORRIGENDUM. Mineralogical Magazine, 85 (6) 926 doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.91DOI: 10.1180/mgm.2021.91
2021Miyawaki, Ritsuro, Hatert, Frédéric, Pasero, Marco, Mills, Stuart J. (2021) IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) CNMNC Newsletter No 63. Mineralogical Magazine, 85 (6) 910-915 doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.74 DOI: 10.1180/mgm.2021.74
2022(2022) Tombstoneite. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America
2023Kampf, Anthony R., Mills, Stuart J., Housley, Robert M., Ma, Chi, Thorne, Brent (2023) Tombstoneite, a new mineral from Tombstone, Arizona, USA, with a pinwheel-like Te⁶⁺O₃(Te⁴⁺O₃)₃ cluster. Mineralogical Magazine, 87 (1) 10-17 doi:10.1180/mgm.2022.98DOI: 10.1180/mgm.2022.98

Cite this entry

@misc{mineral2026,
  author    = {Mineral Index editorial board},
  title     = {Tombstoneite — Mineral Index},
  year      = {2026},
  url       = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/tombstoneite-55605},
  note      = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}