| Other names: | Black jack, zinc blende, blende, mock lead |
| Mineral class: | Sulfide |
| Composition: | Zinc sulfide, ZnS |
| Hardness: | 3.5 - 4 |
| Luster: | Resinous (brilliant, adamantine, almost metallic) |
| Color: | Black, Brown, Colorless, Dark red, Yellow, white, green |
| Streak: | White to reddish brown, lighter than specimen |
| Cleavage: | Perfect, 6 planes at 60 degrees |
| Crystal form: | Triangular pyramids or granular masses |
| Environment: | Hydrothermal veins |
| Uses: | Zinc ore |
| Comments: | Can be scratched by knife but not penny or fingernail. Identified by cleavage and luster. Breaks into 12-sided blocks. Evolves hydrogen sulfide gas (rotten egg smell) in warm hydrochloric acid.
![[sphalerite.jpg]](sphalerite.jpg) |