Galena

What is galena? Galena is lead sulfide (PbS). It is a mineral in the sulfide group. Its hardness is 2.3 and its specific gravity is 7.4-7.6.

Galena is mined for lead: hardness.1.5; specific gravity 11.3

Where is it found geographically? Galena is found in scattered sites in east Tennessee.

When was it deposited? It was deposited in veins mostly in the Knox Formation (late Cambrian-early Ordovician Periods.

Quaternary

Tertiary

Cretaceous

Jurassic

Triassic

Permian

Pennsylvanian

Mississippian

Devonian

Silurian

Ordovician

Cambrian

Proterozoic

How is it mined and used? Galena is dug from pit or underground mines. It was used as a weight, as an ingredient in solder, as an ingredient in paint, and as an additive in gasoline to make engines run more smoothly.

History of mining of galena in Tennessee Since the Revolutionary war lead has been mined locally to make bullets. There have never been mines in Tennessee that mined exclusively galena. It was mined with zinc in Jefferson and Smith Counties and with copper in Polk County

Environmental consequences of lead. In the past generation we have learned that lead is very toxic to people. As a result, lead has been removed from paint and gasoline.