It was named ore mineral of the year 2024. Zinc blende was given its international name, after the Greek "sphaleros" for deceptive, for the same reason as its mining name. It dazzled the miner, its diamond-like shine promising wealth in the dim light underground, but the technique of extracting elemental zinc from this sulphide mineral had been lost over the millennia. Zinc blende remained worthless for a long time until the relevant skills were virtually rediscovered in the 18th century. Together with galena, or galenite, zinc blende can be found in the classic vein deposits of Central Europe. The possibility of incorporating various elements such as indium, gallium, germanium, but also cadmium and iron into the crystal structure is exciting. This variety of elements also provides for the possible color spectrum and in the 20th century, zinc blende with its structure developed into one of the most studied minerals for the semiconductor industry.
This versatile mineral will be presented to young and old mineral enthusiasts at the Mineralogical Collection stand. What shapes can sphalerites form? Why are there such different colors in sphalerite? What do sphalerite and diamond have in common? Where can I find sphalerite? What was and is made from it? Will we still need zinc blende in the future? And with a bit of luck and knowledge, you can even win a mineral in a little quiz.
