Physical Properties |
|
| Chemical formula | FeS2 |
| Class | Sulfide |
| Crystal system | Cubic |
| Habit | Cubes Pyritohedra Octahedra Striated faces, combinations of forms, and penetration twinning are common. |
| Color | Brass yellow |
| Hardness | 6 to 6.5 |
| Specific gravity | 5.1 |
| Cleavage | Poor {100} |
| Fracture | Subconchoidal |
| Luster | Metallic |
| Transparency | Opaque |
| Streak | Greenish black to greenish gray |
| after Perkins, 362 |
Pyrite in Hand Sample
Pyrite
Pyrite in greenschist
Pyrite in phyllite
Pyrite and coal
Pyrite with fibrous “tails” or “beards”
Pyrite in Archean-aged (!) conglomerate
Pyritized plant tissue (how cool is that‽) in Rockwell Formation diamictite
Pyrite in Thin Section
Like every other metallic mineral, pyrite is just opaque and black in thin section. However, unlike most other metallic minerals, it can often be identified as pyrite by its cubic shape.
