Pyrite is a common sulfide mineral, which has arisen early interest by its euhedral shape and by its metallic glow similar to gold. However, it is only in our century that we began to understand pyrite crystal growth, considering the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of crystal formation as a function of temperature and concentration of the elements present in the medium. This article reports an analysis by molecular mechanics of 11 surfaces associated to observed morphologies in order to explain the growth of natural and synthesized minerals. The lowest surface and attachment energies (respectively 1.04 J/m² and -20.3 kJ/mol) were obtained for the (001) plane, indicating that it is the most stable surface and that kinetic growth also preferentially occurs on this plane. Less known properties, such as crystal striations along the directions, are also discussed.

Marcasite mineral is a metastable iron sulphide, α-FeS2, less known and less abundant than pyrite β-FeS2. Their chemical compositions are similar, formed by S22- dimers and Fe2+ species, but the marcasite crystal structure is orthorhombic while pyrite is cubic. The thermodynamic stability of a range of selected surfaces and their kinetic growth are analysed with molecular mechanics simulations implemented in METADISE code. The most stable surface of marcasite corresponds to the (101) surface having the lowest surface energy (marcasite γ 101 = 1.06 Jm-2) and the most favoured kinetic growth rate is expected for the [010] direction (the attachment energy of (010) surface is 0.20 |eV|/at). Mirror twinning is another characteristic of the mineral contributing to a distinctive crystal growth forming different shapes such as striated needles or pseudo-pentagonal flowers. Similarities, differences and overgrowth between the two dimorphs are highlighted.

The euhedral shapes of pyrite FeS2 are usually exposing three main surfaces: striated (001), smooth (111), and striated (210), leading to the cubical, octahedral, and pyritohedral morphology, respectively. The macroscopic striations, sometimes called triglyphs on cubic crystals, are parallel on specific surfaces and aligned to the directions. Other types of striated and unstriated (hkl) surfaces can be observed on pyrite crystals from Peru, a country offering a rich diversity of pyrite shapes. A rare specimen from Elba Island (Italy) is a pyritohedron with uncommon directions of striations (so-called “negative” striations, first described in Japanese minerals). The Wulff kinetic growth and the periodic bond chain (PBC) theories were not relevant enough to explain crystal shapes, the texture of the surfaces, and twinning. To bring some new insights on crystal growth, twinning, and anisotropy, pyrite samples are analyzed using XRD, SEM, and EDS techniques coupled with atomistic simulations. A first analysis points out that sulfur terminations play a key role in the growth of striations in distinguishing the six directions. The negative striated pyritohedral pyrite would be, in fact, a special case that has stabilized the {120} surfaces, which are structurally different from the {210} facets. The {120} surface has a slightly higher surface energy than the {210} surface (surface energies of 1.68 and 1.65 J/m2, respectively, calculated with force field methods). {120} pyritohedra from Elba, Italy, are growing next to micaceous iron oxides (a type of hematite), which are also peculiar specimens with magnetic properties. Another specificity is that some rare earth elements have been identified in the pyrite sample from Elba, which leads to a hypothesis that geothermal conditions favor “negative” striations (e.g., discernible in Akita prefecture-Japan, Boyacá-Colombia, and Cassandra-Greece). The striation directions become useful to distinguish (hkl) surfaces and to identify twinning as they follow the same patterns on each interpenetrated crystal. The most common twinning is the “iron cross,” a penetration twin of two crystals defined by a rotation of 90° along an [001] axis with a coincidence in the iron sub-lattice (e.g., twinning by merohedry) and with a twin center. The sulfur network also plays a fundamental role in stabilizing the (001) interface and in keeping the chemical bulk properties at the boundary, as confirmed by additional ab initio simulations. The grain boundary is a 2D defect in which the (001) twinning is relatively stable as it is common. The calculated formation energy of the rotation twinning is 0.8 J/m2. The rotation twinning is associated with an apparent reflection on (110) planes. The formation energy of the (110) mirror grain boundary is 1.7 J/m2, and the interface at the atomic scale is relatively uniform in agreement with experimental observations.