What is "calaverite"

Calaverite \Ca`la*ve"rite\, n. (Min.) A bronze-yellow massive mineral with metallic luster; a telluride of gold; -- first found in Calaveras County California.

n. (context mineral English) A mineral form of gold telluride AuTe₂.

Calaverite, or gold telluride, is an uncommon telluride of gold, a metallic mineral with the chemical formula AuTe, with approximately 3% of the gold replaced by silver. It was first discovered in Calaveras County, California in 1861, and was named for the county in 1868.

The mineral often has a metallic luster, and its color may range from a silvery white to a brassy yellow. It is closely related to the gold- silver telluride mineral sylvanite, which, however, contains significantly more silver. Another AuTe mineral (but with a quite different crystal structure) is krennerite. Calaverite and sylvanite represent the major telluride ores of gold, although such ores are minor sources of gold in general. As a major gold mineral found in Western Australia, calaverite played a major role in the 1890s gold rushes in that area.