STM study on micromorphology of pyrite and dynamic significance of ore-formation

A careful scanning tunneling microscope (STM) observation has been made on the micromorphology structure of the crystal faces for a group of pyrites w hich include two types of pyrite specimens: natural pyrites, from the diffe rent stage of hydrothermal ore deposits and artificial crystal of pyrite. I t has been discovered that there is a set of micromorphological structures on the surfaces of pyrite crystals, including pisolitic hillocks, lotus roo t-like hillocks and spiral steps. This study reveals that the micromorpholo gy of pyrite crystals, which are closely related to thermodynamic condition s and dynamic environment of the ore-forming systems, carries a lot of gene tic information.