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Skutterudite

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Bou Azer District (Bou Azzer District), Tazenakht, Ouarzazate Province, Souss-Massa-Draâ Region, Morocco
© Rob Lavinsky

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Formula:
(Co,Fe,Ni)As
 
2-3
System:IsometricColour:Tin-white to ...
Hardness:5½ - 6
Name:Named after its discovery locality.


Skutterudite Group. Nickelskutterudite-Skutterudite Series.
The cobalt analogue of Ferroskutterudite and Nickelskutterudite.

Classification of Skutterudite

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Strunz 8th edition ID:2/D.29-10
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:2.EC.05

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
E : Metal Sulfides, M: S <= 1:2
C : M:S = 1:>2
Dana 8th edition ID:2.12.17.1

2 : SULFIDES
12 : AmBnXp, with (m+n):p = 1:2
Hey's CIM Ref.:3.10.12

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
10 : Sulphides etc. of Co
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Type Occurrence of Skutterudite

Type Locality:Skuterud Mines (Skutterud Mines; Modum Cobalt Mines), Modum, Buskerud, Norway
Year of Discovery:1845

Occurrences of Skutterudite

Geological Setting:Moderate to high temperature hydrothermal veins

Physical Properties of Skutterudite

Lustre:Metallic
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Opaque
Colour:Tin-white to silver-gray, gray (tarnished)
Streak:Black
Hardness (Mohs):5½ - 6
Hardness (Vickers):VHN100=810 - 915 kg/mm2
Cleavage:Distinct/Good
Distinct on {001}{111} in traces on {011}
Fracture:Irregular/Uneven, Conchoidal
Density (measured):6.5 g/cm3
Density (calculated):6.821 g/cm3

Crystallography of Skutterudite

Crystal System:Isometric
Class (H-M):m3 (2/m 3) - Diploidal
Space Group:Im3 {I2/m 3}
Cell Parameters:a = 8.204Å
Unit Cell Volume:V 552.18 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:8
Morphology:Cubic crystals
Twinning:On {112} as sixlings, reported on {011}
Crystal Atlas:
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Skutterudite no.1 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

About Crystal Atlas

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The mindat.org Crystal Atlas allows you to view a selection of crystal drawings of real and idealised crystal forms for this mineral and, in certain cases, 3d rotating crystal objects. You need Java to see these. You can download Java for free - click here to download Java

The 3d models and java code are kindly provided by www.smorf.nl. You can control the movement of the models by holding down the left mouse-button over the 3d model and moving your mouse. Keyboard controls are:

: default positions
t/T: decrease/increase transparency x/X: next/previous texture
b/B: next/previous background w: toggle wireframe
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X-Ray Powder Diffraction:
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Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Horizontal Axis: ° to ° Vertical Axis: % Source Data: Filtered Data:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

Chemical Properties of Skutterudite

Formula:
(Co,Fe,Ni)As
 
2-3
Essential elements:As, Co
All elements listed in formula:As, Co, Fe, Ni
Analytical Data:Fe,Ni,S
Common Impurities:S,Bi,Cu,Pb,Zn,Ag,Fe,Ni
Relationship of Skutterudite to other Species
Series:Forms a series with Nickelskutterudite (see here)
Structurally related to group(s):
Skutterudite Group
Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- + 
2.EC.05Kieftite
CoSb
 
3
2.EC.05Nickelskutterudite
NiAs
 
2-3
2.EC.05Ferroskutterudite
(Fe,Co)As
 
3
2.EC.10Patrónite
VS
 
4
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- + 
3.10.1Cobaltpentlandite
(Co,Ni,Fe)
 
9
S
 
8
3.10.2Linnaeite
Co
2+
 
Co
3+
2
S
 
4
3.10.3Cattierite
CoS
 
2
3.10.4Freboldite
CoSe
3.10.5Bornhardtite
Co
2+
 
Co
3+
2
Se
 
4
3.10.6Trogtalite
CoSe
 
2
3.10.7Hastite
3.10.8Mattagamite
CoTe
 
2
3.10.9Modderite
(Co,Fe)As
3.10.10Safflorite
CoAs
 
2
3.10.11Clinosafflorite
CoAs
 
2
3.10.13Cobaltite
CoAsS
3.10.14Paracostibite
CoSbS
3.10.15Costibite
CoSbS
3.10.16Alloclasite
Co
 
1-x
Fe
 
x
AsS
3.10.17Glaucodot
(Co
 
0.50
Fe
 
0.50
)AsS
3.10.18Carrollite
Cu(Co,Ni)
 
2
S
 
4
Other Names for Skutterudite
Synonyms:
ModumiteTesseral-Kies
Other Languages:
Dutch:Skutterudiet
French:Skutterudite
German:Skutterudit
Arsenikkobaltkies
Fabrikenkobold
Hartkobalterz
Hartkobaltkies
Tesseralkies
Italian:Skutterudite
Polish:Skutterudyt
Russian:Скуттерудит
Simplified Chinese:方砷钴矿
方钴矿
Spanish:Skutterudita
Traditional Chinese:方砷鈷礦
Varieties:
BismutosmaltinSmaltite
Other Information
Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
References for Skutterudite
Reference List:

- + 
Breithaupt, A. (1827): Ueber eine neue Kies-Spezies von Skutterud. Annalen der Physik und Chemie 9: 115-116 [Tesseralkies, Hartkobaltkies] 



Scheerer, T. (1837): Ueber zwei norwegische Kobalterze von den Skutteruder Gruben. Annalen der Physik und Chemie 42: 546-555. [Arsenik-kobaltkies] 



Hausmann, J. F. L. (1847): Handbuch der Mineralogie. Zweiter Theil. System und Geschichte der Mineralkörper, 2nd edition. p. 69. [Hartkobalterz] 



Haidinger, W. (1845): Handbuch der bestimmenden Mineralogie, enthaltend die Terminologie, Systematik, Nomenklatur und Charakteristik der Naturgeschichte des Mineralreiches, 650 pp. Braumüller & Seidel, Wien, p. 560. [Skutterudit] 



Nicol, J. (1849): Manual of Mineralogy or the Natural History of the Mineral Kingdom. Adam and Black, Edinburg, p. 457. [Modumite] 



Oftedal, I. (1926): The crystal structure of skutterudite and related minerals. A preliminary paper. Norsk Geologisk Tidsskrift 8: 250-257 + plate.



Oftedal, I. (1928): Die Kristallstruktur von Skutterudit und Speiskobalt-Chloanthit. Zeitschrift für Kristallographie 66: 517-546.



Palache, Charles, Harry Berman & Clifford Frondel (1944), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana Yale University 1837-1892, Volume I: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts, Oxides. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 7th edition, revised and enlarged: 342-347.



Klemm, D.D. (1965): Untersuchungen mit der Elektronenmikrosonde über die natürlichen Mischkristallbereiche der Skutterudite. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 11, 323-333.



Radcliffe, D. (1968): Structural formula and composition of skutterudite. Can. Mineral. 9, 559-563.



Canadian Mineralogist (1971): 9: 559.



Acta Crystallographica: B27: 2288-2289.


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