Metallic crystal aggregates of the extremely rare Fe telluride mineral frohbergite from Gold Hill, Bowie area, Cochise County, Arizona, United States of America. Ex Vandenbroucke Museum collection from Waregem, Belgium. — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY 4.0
Frohbergite
A rare hydrothermal iron telluride — FeTe₂ — named for mineralogist Max Hans Frohberg.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Frohbergite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the sulfide class, with the chemical formula FeTe₂.
It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system (space group Pmnn). It is a member of the Marcasite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 3–4; specific gravity 8.057; Metallic luster.
IMA symbol Frb, grandfathered status — known before the IMA’s founding, named in 1947.
Found in hydrothermal ore deposits, rimming chalcopyrite grains, and as inclusions in gold, petzite, or chalcopyrite.
It is found associated with Chalcopyrite, altaite, gold, melonite, petzite, montbrayite, sylvanite, tellurobismuthite, pyrite, sphalerite, marcasite, chalcocite, covellite.
The mineral was named to honor Dr. Max Hans Frohberg (1901–1970), Canadian mining geologist, Toronto, Canada.