| Rosickyite | |
| Category: | Native element mineral |
| Formula: | S |
| Imasymbol: | Rký[1] |
| Strunz: | 1.CC.05 |
| System: | Monoclinic |
| Class: | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Symmetry: | P2/c |
| Unit Cell: | a = 8.455(3) Å, b = 13.052(2) Å c = 9.267(3) Å; β = 124.89(3)°; Z = 4 |
| Color: | Colorless to pale yellow, green tinge |
| Habit: | Equidimensional to thin tabular crystals, efflorescences |
| Twinning: | On, with twin lamellae parallel to [010] |
| Cleavage: | None |
| Mohs: | 2 - 3 |
| Luster: | Adamantine |
| Diaphaneity: | Transparent to translucent |
| Gravity: | 2.07 |
| Opticalprop: | Biaxial (-) |
| References: | [2] [3] [4] |
Rosickyite is a rare native element mineral that is a polymorph of sulfur. It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system and is a high temperature, high density polymorph. It occurs as soft, colorless to pale yellow crystals and efflorescences.[2] [3]
It was first described in 1930 for an occurrence in Havirna, near Letovice, Moravia, Czech Republic. It was named for Vojtĕch Rosický (1880–1942), of Masaryk University, Brno.[2] [3]
Rosickyite occurs as in Death Valley within an evaporite layer produced by a microbial community. The otherwise unstable polymorph was produced and stabilized within a cyanobacteria dominated layer.[5]