About
Sulfur is soft, light in weight, and very brittle. Care must be exercised when handling and storing specimens. When kept moist or not allowed to dry when wet, hydrogen will mix with the Sulfur, forming hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which causes the deterioration of a specimen. To prevent this, Sulfur should not be stored under humid conditions. It is best not to wash Sulfur specimens, as warm water can dissolve them. Sulfur also has the tendency to crack when exposed to mild heat, including body heat. It should be handled as little as possible, and kept out of light to avoid cracking.
The earthy, massive, specimens usually come from volcanic sulfur springs, and have small, bubbly holes throughout. These specimens usually have a greasy feel, and exhibit a strong "rotten-egg" odor.
Much of the fine natural Sulfur crystals are destroyed by mining operations. In mining, underground Sulfur deposits are flooded with hot water, causing the Sulfur to melt into a brine. The brine is pumped to the surface, where the water is evaporated and the sulfur recovered. Such mining operations destroy all specimens.
Sulfur crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, but an uncommon monoclinic form of sulfur also exists. This monoclinic form is scientifically considered a different mineral than Sulfur, and is scientific name is Rosickyite.
Crystal Forms & Aggregates
Other ID Marks
2) Dissolves in warm water
3) May have a greasy feel
4) Gives off a mild, sulfuric odor. Odor becomes strong if heated.
Complex Tests
Striking Features
Environment
Varieties
✓ common · ✗ uncommon
- Rosickyite— Uncommon polymorph of Sulfur. Rosikyite crystallizes in the monoclinic system, whereas Sulfur crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. Other than that, they share the same properties. Since Rosickyite and Sulfur crystallize differently, they are scientifically classified as separate minerals.
Polymorphs
Uses
Sulfur has many industrial uses. It is used in the manufacture of black powder, matches and explosives. It is also used to create rubber, in dyes, and as an insecticide and fungicide. It is also used in the manufacturing of sulfuric acid.
Noteworthy Localities
The Conil Mine in Cadiz Province, Andalusia, Spain, is an historical European locality that had once produced exceptional Sulfur crystals. Two other classic European localities are the Machów mine, Tarnobrzeg, Poland; and the Vodinskoye Deposit, Samarskaya Russia.
Bolivia has recently been producing an unending source of fabulous Sulfur specimens from the remote El Desierto mine in Potosí Department. Specimens include crystal plates on a crumbly matrix as well as some fairly large sized crystals. A well-known Mexican occurrence is San Felipe, in Baja California Norte.
In the U.S. fine Sulfur specimens have been found at Maybee, Monroe Co., Michigan; Steamboat Springs, Washoe Co., Nevada; and at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The salt domes of Texas and Louisiana also contain vast Sulfur deposits, but the industrial mining methods destroys all crystals. A few drill cores from mining operations deep into the earth have in Texas and Louisiana have been found with fine Sulfur crystals on them, indicating that indeed excellent crystals within the earth are all but destroyed by the mining operations.
Common Mineral Associations
Distinguishing Similar Minerals
Photos
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