brustit

Brustit is a mineral species described in fictional or illustrative mineralogy as a bromine-bearing sulfide. In the assumed context, Brustit forms in high-temperature hydrothermal veins and is associated with quartz, chlorite, and minor copper sulfides. It is used in teaching and hypothetical case studies to explore bromine chemistry in minerals.

Etymology and naming: The name Brustit honors the hypothetical Brust Ridge and follows the common mineral suffix -ite. The proposed nomenclature reflects its bromine-rich character and its imagined occurrence in a defined geological setting.

Composition and structure: The idealized formula is BrFeS3, with bromine occupying halide sites and iron and sulfur forming a metal-sulfide framework. It is described as crystallizing in the monoclinic system, with prismatic crystals and a metallic to submetallic luster. Color ranges from brassy to dark bronze. Hardness is estimated around 4 to 5 on the Mohs scale.

Occurrence: In the fictional setting, Brustit forms in high-temperature, reduced hydrothermal environments within a serpentinized ultramafic belt and is locally concentrated along vein networks. It is typically intergrown with quartz and chlorite and occurs with trace copper sulfides.

Discovery and status: Brustit was first described in a teaching resource published in the 21st century; it has not undergone formal approval by major mineralogical authorities in the real world and is generally treated as an illustrative example rather than a cataloged mineral species.

Significance: Brustit serves as a model to discuss halide-bearing mineral chemistry, crystallography, and the challenges of defining bromine-containing sulfides in mineralogy.