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Pyrite is so common in the earth's crust that it is found in almost every possible environment.
Sulfuric acid is formed by oxidation when coal-containing pyrite is burned, making it a major cause of
acid rain
.
Pyrite is one of the minerals that make up lapis lazuli
.
Stone used in buildings must be pyrite-free because in weathering, pyrite deteriorates, releasing corrosive iron sulfates that discolor and eventually destroy the stone. |
all that glitters is not gold...
With its brassy golden yellow color, pyrite is often mistaken for gold.
A favorite among rock collectors, pyrite is by far the most common of the shiny brassy yellow minerals, and it is certainly the one with the highest disappointment factor.
However gold and pyrite are quite different and it is not that difficult to differentiate between the tow. Pyrite is distinguished from gold by its streak and powder: pyrite's streak is greenish-black and its powder is black or grayish while gold streaks gold and its powder is gold. Pyrite is also harder than gold.
Important commercially as a source of sulfur, when pyrite is melted, the iron and sulfur in it separates. The resulting sulfur is used to make sulfuric acid, the kind of acid in car batteries.
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symbolic attributes
| metaphysical | |
|---|---|
| energy | projective / yang |
| planet | Mars |
| element | fire |
- abalone
- almandine garnet
- amber
- amethyst
- ametrine
- apatite
- aquamarine
- boulder opal
- calcite
- carnelian
- chalcedony
- chrysoprase
- cinnabar
- citrine
- coral
- druse
- fire opal
- fluorite
- fossilized shell
- garnet
- green garnet
- hematite
- hessonite
- iolite
- jasper
- labradorite
- lapis lazuli
- malachite
- milky quartz
- moldavite
- moonstone
- mother-of-pearl
- obsidian
- onyx
- opal-common
- paua
- peridot
- peruvian opal
- prehnite
- pyrite
- quartz
- rose quartz
- rutilated quartz
- serpentine
- shells
- smoky quartz
- tanzanite
- tourmalinated quartz





Pyrite is so common in the earth's crust that it is found in almost every possible environment.