Wolframite
Wolframite group
Uncommon · (Fe,Mn)WO₄
Iron manganese tungstate and, with scheelite, one of the two main ores of tungsten. It forms in high-temperature hydrothermal veins and greisens around granites, and its great density makes it gather in alluvial and eluvial placers.
Identity
- Formula
- (Fe,Mn)WO₄
- Chemical class
- Oxide
- Members
- Ferberite, Hübnerite
- Also known as
- Ferberite (iron-rich end), Hübnerite (manganese-rich end)
- Ore of
- Tungsten
Crystallography
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Habits
- Tabular, Prismatic, Massive
- Fracture
- Uneven
Physical properties
- Mohs hardness
- 4.5
- Density
- 7.3 g/cm³
- Luster
- Metallic, Submetallic
- Colors
- black, brownish black, reddish brown
- Streak
- black to reddish brown
- Transparency
- Opaque
Geology
- Origins
- Hydrothermal, Igneous
- Host rocks
- Granite
- Associated minerals
- Cassiterite, Scheelite, Quartz, Arsenopyrite
- Found in
- Hydrothermal vein (lode), Pegmatite deposit, Placer deposit
- Geography
- China, Bolivia, Portugal, Peru, United Kingdom
Classification
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Gem quality
- No
Sources
- Wolframite. Mindat.org (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy).
- M. Pasero and others, IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, The New IMA List of Minerals, updated September 2026. International Mineralogical Association (CNMNC), 2026.
- J. W. Anthony, R. A. Bideaux, K. W. Bladh, M. C. Nichols, Ferberite. Mineral Data Publishing, Handbook of Mineralogy, 2001.
- J. W. Anthony, R. A. Bideaux, K. W. Bladh, M. C. Nichols, Hübnerite. Mineral Data Publishing, Handbook of Mineralogy, 2001.
- S. H. Saloum, Tungsten, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. U.S. Geological Survey, 2026.
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