On Paragenetic Relation of Mercurial Minerals with Antimony and Arsenic Minerals, with Reference to some Mercury Deposits in Alaska, British Borneo and Japan

Abstract

Stibnite, cinnabar and realgar are well known as the epithermal low temperature minerals. It is said that stibnite crystallizes at deeper place, at higher temperature, and in earlier atage than cinnabar, and realgar shallower, lower, and later than cinnabar.
On the basis of the samples from Alaska, Sarawak (British Borneo), and Hokkaido (Japan), the writers have learned the following points:
1. The general tendency of the order of crystallization of the abovementioned minerals is believed tobe, stibnite→cinnabar→realgar.
2. Writers have found, however, a case where cinnabar crystallizes in an earlier stage than stibnite and a case where it crystallizes in the same stage as stibnite and realger. This means that the condition of crystallization of cinnabar has a wider range than that presumed before.
3. As far as judged from iron sulfide minerals, the ore solution is supposed to change its pH during crystallization of these minerals, from alkaline to acidic. But as to the change of pH at the stage of clay mineral formation, further geochemical examinations are required.