Date unknown / Navajun, La Rioja (Spain) / Private collection

Pyrite is a sulfide mineral of iron. It shows hexahedron, octahedron and pentagonal dodecahedron forms, as well as their possible combinations. It can be found commonly in various regions, and its value as a raw material is low. That is because it cannot constitute a source of iron, due to the difficulty in separating iron and sulfur completely. In the past, pyrite was extracted in order to produce sulfuric acid, but as sulfur is now derived from petroleum, its volume of extraction considerably decreased. As the relationship between its diverse forms and the conditions of its formation is still unclear, it has sufficient value as a research material.

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