Prague, Aug 30 (CTK) – Czech scientists have found a new mineral based on silver sulfide, which they named “staroceskeite” in the historical ore mine Kank near Kutna Hora, central Bohemia, Czech Natural History Museum director Ivo Macek said on Wednesday.
From the chemical point of view, it is a rare sulfide of silver and lead with antimony and bismuth, and the balanced representation of the last two elements makes the mineral unique, Macek said.
The first to reveal the tiny grains (up to half a millimetre) with a metallic shine was Richard Pazout, from the Prague University of Chemistry and Technology (VSCHT). Chemical analyses confirmed that it is a new mineral.
Its name, staroceskeite, refers to the area where it was found, the Staroceske (Old Czech) zone, in which ores were mined from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
The staroceskeite is now part of the Czech National Museum mineral collection.
