Cassiterite Mineral Data (original) (raw)

General Cassiterite Information

Help on Chemical Formula: Chemical Formula:

SnO2

Help on Composition: Composition:

Molecular Weight = 150.71 gm

Tin 78.77 % Sn 100.00 % SnO2

Oxygen 21.23 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Help on Empirical Formula: Empirical Formula:

SnO2

Help on Environment: Environment:

Granite pegmatites and alluvial placer deposits.

Help on IMA Status: IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1832

Help on Locality: Locality:

Cornwall, Wales, Great Britain. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Help on Name Origin: Name Origin:

From the Greek kassiteros - "tin."

Help on Name Pronunciation: Name Pronunciation:

Cassiterite + Pronunciation Say CASSITERITE

Help on Synonym: Synonym:

ICSD 39173

PDF 41-1445

Staringite - Mixture with ferrotapiolite

Tin Ore

Wood Tin

Cassiterite Image

Click Here for Larger Cassiterite Image in a New Browser Window Images:

Click Here for Larger Cassiterite Image Cassiterite Comments: Very brilliant black crystals of cassiterite on white mica. Location: Xue Bao Diang, Sichuan, China.Scale: Size Not Given. © Fabre Minerals

Click Here for Larger Cassiterite Image in a New Browser Window Images:

Click Here for Larger Cassiterite Image Cassiterite Comments: Gemmy, doubly terminated cassiterite on quartz-mica matrix. Location: Langcangjiang river area, Yunnan, China.Scale: 2.7 x 2.2 x 1.8 cm. © Fabre Minerals

Cassiterite Crystallography

Help on Axial Ratios: Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:0.65808

Help on Cell Dimensions: Cell Dimensions:

a = 4.738, c = 3.118, Z = 2; V = 69.99 Den(Calc)= 7.15

Help on Crystal System: Crystal System:

Tetragonal - Ditetragonal DipyramidalH-M Symbol (4/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: P 4/mnm

Help on X Ray Diffraction: X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/Io): 3.351(1), 2.644(0.81), 1.765(0.63),

Help on Forms: Forms:

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| | Forms:( 1 1 0) ( 1 1 1) ( 1 0 0) ( 1 0 1) Warning: this large pop-up is very compute intensive and may not work well with some computers. | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

Click Here for Large Cassiterite Structure Window Crystal Structure:

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| | Baur W H , Acta Crystallographica , 9 (1956) p.515-520, Uber die verfeinerung der kristallstrukturbestimmung einiger vertreter, des rutiltyps: TiO2, SnO2, GeO2 und MgF2 View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Cassiterite [1] [2] | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

Physical Properties of Cassiterite

Help on Cleavage: Cleavage:

{100} Perfect, {110} Indistinct

Help on Color: Color:

Brown, Brownish black, Colorless, Green, Gray.

Help on Density: Density:

6.8 - 7, Average = 6.9

Help on Diaphaneity: Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent to opaque

Help on Fracture: Fracture:

Irregular - Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an irregular pattern.

Help on Habit: Habit:

Botryoidal - "Grape-like" rounded forms (e.g.. malachite).

Help on Habit: Habit:

Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.

Help on Habit: Habit:

Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).

Help on Hardness: Hardness:

6-7 - Orthoclase-Quartz

Help on Luminescence: Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Help on Luster: Luster:

Adamantine

Help on Streak: Streak:

brownish white

Optical Properties of Cassiterite

Help on Dichroism (e): Dichroism (e):

yellow.

Help on Dichroism (w): Dichroism (w):

red brown.

Help on Gladstone-Dale: Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.062 (Fair) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.025 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1466,KPDmeas= 0.1519,KC= 0.143
Ncalc = 1.97 - 2.02

Help on Optical Data: Optical Data:

Uniaxial (+), w=1.99-2.01, e=2.093-2.1, bire=0.0900-0.1030.

Help on RL Anisotrophism: RL Anisotrophism:

Strong.

Help on RL Color: RL Color:

Light gray with white to brownish internal reflections.

Help on RL Pleochroism: RL Pleochroism:

Strong to very weak.

Help on Reflectivity Reflectivity

Standardized Intensity (100%) Reflection Spectra of Cassiterite in Air

λ R1 R 2 ∑ R1(λ) ∑ R2(λ)
400 nm 11.70 13.20
420 nm 11.60 13.00
440 nm 11.50 12.80
460 nm 11.40 12.60
480 nm 11.30 12.50
500 nm 11.20 12.40
520 nm 11.00 12.20
540 nm 11.00 12.10
560 nm 10.90 12.00
580 nm 10.90 12.00
600 nm 10.80 12.00
620 nm 10.80 12.00
640 nm 10.70 12.00
660 nm 10.70 12.00
680 nm 10.60 12.00
700 nm 10.60 12.00

Calculated Relative Intensity Colors of Cassiterite in Air

RelativeIntensity 0% 90% 100% 180% 270% 360% 450% 540% 630% 720% 810%
R1
R2

Calculated Properties of Cassiterite

Help on Electron Density: Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=6.26 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Cassiterite =7.15 gm/cc.

Help on Fermion Index: Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.13
Boson Index = 0.87

Help on Photoelectric: Photoelectric:

PECassiterite = 247.66 barns/electron
U=PECassiterite x rElectron Density=1,550.92 barns/cc.

Help on Radioactivity: Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Cassiterite is Not Radioactive

Cassiterite Classification

Help on Dana Class: Dana Class:

04.04.01.05 (04)Simple Oxides

(04.04)with a cation charge of 4+ (A++++ O2)

(04.04.01)Rutile group (Tetragonal: P4/mnm)

04.04.01.01 Rutile TiO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.04.01.02 Ilmenorutile (Ti,Nb,Fe)O2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.04.01.03 Struverite? (Ti,Ta,Fe)O2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.04.01.04 Pyrolusite MnO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.04.01.05 Cassiterite SnO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.04.01.06 Plattnerite PbO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.04.01.07 Argutite GeO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.04.01.08 Squawcreekite? (Fe,Sb,W)O4•(H2O) P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.04.01.09 Stishovite SiO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

Help on Strunz Class: Strunz Class:

04.DB.05 04 - OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodate

04.D - Metal:Oxygen = 1:2 and similar

04.DB -With medium-sized cations; chains of edge-sharing octahedra

04.DB.05 Argutite GeO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.DB.05 Cassiterite SnO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.DB.05 Rutile TiO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.DB.05 Pyrolusite MnO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.DB.05 Plattnerite PbO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.DB.05 Varlamoffite* (Sn,Fe)(O,OH)2 P 41/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.DB.05 Squawcreekite? (Fe,Sb,W)O4•(H2O) P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

04.DB.05 Tugarinovite MoO2 P 21/n 2/m

04.DB.05 Tripuhyite FeSbO4 P 41/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

Other Cassiterite Information

Help on References: References:

NAME( Duda&Rejl90) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(AntBidBlaNic1)

Help on See Also: See Also:

Links to other databases for Cassiterite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - EUROmin Project
5 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
6 - GeoScienceWorld
7 - Glendale Community College
8 - Google Images
9 - Google Scholar
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
11 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
12 - HyperPhysics
13 - MinDAT
14 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
15 - Online Mineral Museum
16 - Philatelic Mineralogy
17 - QUT Mineral Atlas
18 - Ruff.Info
19 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
20 - Tradeshop.com - The Rainbow of Gems
21 - University of Colorado - Mineral Structure Data
22 - WWW-MINCRYST
23 - theimage

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Ask about Cassiterite here :
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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Cassiterite Specimen Label here :

Cassiterite

SnO2
Dana No: 04.04.01.05 Strunz No: 04.DB.05
Locality:

Notes: