wolframite

mineral
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/science/wolframite
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

wolframite, chief ore of tungsten, commonly associated with tin ore in and around granite. Such occurrences include Cornwall, Eng.; northwestern Spain and northern Portugal; eastern Germany; Myanmar (Burma); the Malay Peninsula; and Australia.

Wolframite consists of a mixture in varying proportions of the tungstates of iron and manganese, FeWO4 and MnWO4; varieties with dominant iron (Fe:Mn⋜4:1) are called ferberite, and those with dominant manganese (Mn:Fe⋜4:1) are called hübnerite. Wolframite’s colour is brown to black, and it has a submetallic to metallic lustre and a perfect cleavage. The Mohs hardness is 5–5 1/2; specific gravity, 7–7.5; and crystal system, monoclinic.