The opaque minerals of Albania belong mainly to the mineralizations related to two main facies of Variscian and Alpine tectogenesis,the magmatism of Paleozoic,the Upper and Middle Triassic,Alpine continental rifting,Lower Jurassic sinrifting and Middle Jurassic represented by Albanian ophiolitic complex of MORB and SSZ types,also telethermal activity post Paleogenic.
Some particular minerals of this mineralizations are selected to be presented:Different varietes of chromite,some PGM,different pentlandite and cobaltite varieties,alloclasite,niccolite and maucherite assemblage,hedleyite and dowsonite-realgar-orpigment assemblage too.
The chromite is the most common mineral in Albania,because of the presence of a wide ultrabasic nappe,chiefly of harzburgite-dunitic Mg-rich rocks.Besides the usual chromite of Cr or Al types,are determined also the particular ones as very high Cr-rich and Fe-rich types, Fe-Ti-rich and up to Ti-magnetite-chromite intermedian type:Fe(Fe,Cr,Ti)2O4.
Some PGM are determined related to chromitite,in particular Pt-Fe,Pt-Rh-Fe-Ni-Co-Cu alloys and sulphide,arsenide-sulphide and even as teluride compositions.The euhedral crystals of PGM are usually as inclusions within host chromite grains.
Some occurences of sulphide mineralizations are situated closely to ultrabasic-gabbro contact wich have conditioned the presence of some special different mineral varieties as result of Ni-extracting from ultrabasic rocks by the hydrothermal fluids.
In the dunitic rocks are situated the niccolite-maucherite assemblage,with diferent Ni:As rations.
Different cobaltite varieties from normal up to Ni-cobaltite and alloclasite are present also.
The pentlandite with high variations of Fe,Ni, and Co contents,from normal up to particular ones as:(Fe,Ni,Co)9S8 and Co(Fe,Ni)9S8,are determined.
In some cases pentlandite is transformed in to mackinawite and valleriite.
A particular very rare mineral is determined as Au-hedleyite.
A very rare mineral in the world,Al and Na hydrous carbonate,dawsonite,in association with realgar and orpiment of telethermal origin is determined related to carbonatic rocks of Paleogene.
