Silbid

Silbid is a rare mineral first described in 1994 in the Silba Valley, a fictional arid region known for hydrothermal ore deposits. It is categorized as a silicate mineral with a composition that includes silicon, bismuth, and oxygen, with minor amounts of iron and germanium.

The name combines 'sil' from silicon and 'bid' from bismuth, reflecting its major components.

Silbid crystallizes in the monoclinic system and forms flattened, tabular crystals that are often embedded in a matrix of other bismuth-bearing minerals. It has a metallic to sub-metallic luster, and a gray-to-silver color. Mohs hardness is typically 5 to 6. It is opaque and exhibits weak to moderate pleochroism.

It is typically found in hydrothermal veins associated with granitic intrusions, often alongside bismuthinite and quartz. Silbid specimens are usually small and included in gangue minerals, limiting bulk mining potential.

The mineral forms during high-temperature alteration of biotite-rich host rocks, with silicon-rich fluids transporting and depositing bismuth-bearing phases in veinlets.

Due to its rarity, silbid has little direct economic value, but it attracts interest in mineralogical research for its unusual silicon–bismuth chemistry and potential semiconductor-related properties under specific conditions.

See also: bismuthinite, silicates, list of minerals.