See Also: cinnabar(dictionary)
cinnabar(encyclopedia)

cinnabar (sh)




Mercury sulfide (HgS), the chief ore mineral of mercury.

It is commonly encountered with pyrite, marcasite, and stibnite in veins near recent volcanic rocks and in hot-springs deposits. It has been used as a bright orange-red pigment in stage makeup (now known to be toxic), painting, and Chinese lacquerwork.


Cinnabar from Red Devil Mine, north of Homer, Alaska

By courtesy of the MacFall Collection; photograph, Mary A. Root