The Probert Encyclopaedia of Rocks & Minerals

MOLYBDENITE

Molybdenite is a grey, metallic-looking mineral with the formulae MoS2 and a relative hardness of 2. It is the main ore of molybdenum and resembles graphite but has a higher specific gravity and a slight blue tint. Molybdenite is formed by hydrothermals in sulphide ore bodies, and also in re-crystallised granitic rocks such as marble, granite and pegmatite. It is frequently found in association with chalcopyrite, fluorite, pyrite, quartz, scheelite, and wolframite. Molybdenite was identified in 1778 by the Swedish chemist Carl Scheele.
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