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Caswellsilverite

A valid IMA mineral species

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Caswellsilverite

Norton County meteorite, Norton County, Kansas, USA

Caswellsilverite

Norton County meteorite, Norton County, Kansas, USA

Caswellsilverite

Norton County meteorite, Norton County, Kansas, USA

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About CaswellsilveriteHide

Caswell Silver

Formula:

NaCrS₂

Colour:

Yellowish-grey, Grey

Lustre:

Metallic

Hardness:

Specific Gravity:

3.23 (Calculated)

Crystal System:

Trigonal

Name:

Named by Akihiko Okada and Klaus Keil in 1982 in honor of Caswell Silver (25 June 1916, New York City, New York, USA – 18 October 1988), geologist and President of the Sundance Oil Company from 1960-1984. He was an alumnus and benefactor of the Department of Geology and Institute of Meteoritics at the University of New Mexico.

Type Locality:

ⓘ Norton County meteorite, Norton County, Kansas, USA

This page provides mineralogical data about Caswellsilverite.

Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:

918

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:918:6

GUID
(UUID V4):

810d26e1-eb20-4e3c-bc6d-c54bab341fc9

IMA Classification of CaswellsilveriteHide

IMA status:

Approved

First published:

1982

Type description reference:

Okada, A., Keil, K. (1982) Caswellsilverite, NaCrS2: a new mineral in the Norton County enstatite achondrite. American Mineralogist: 67: 132-136.

Classification of CaswellsilveriteHide

Strunz-mindat (2024):

2.FB.05

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
F : Sulfides of arsenic, alkalies; sulfides with halide, oxide, hydroxide, H₂O
B : With alkalies (without Cl, etc.)

Dana 8th ed.:

2.9.17.1

2 : SULFIDES
9 : A_mB_nX_p, with (m+n):p = 1:1

Hey's CIM Ref.:

3.8.2

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
8 : Sulphides etc. of Cr, Mo, W an Mn

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Symbol	Source	Reference
Cws	IMA–CNMNC	Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43

Physical Properties of CaswellsilveriteHide

Lustre:

Metallic

Transparency:

Opaque

Colour:

Yellowish-grey, Grey

Hardness:

2 on Mohs scale

Hardness:

VHN₁₅=17 - 45 kg/mm² - Vickers

Comment:

Vickers hardness on synthetic material

Density:

3.23 g/cm³ (Calculated)

Optical Data of CaswellsilveriteHide

Anisotropism:

Strong

Bireflectance:

Strong

Reflectivity:

Wavelength	R₁	R₂
400nm	19.3%	26.7%
420nm	20.1%	26.2%
440nm	21.9%	26.3%
460nm	21.5%	27.4%
480nm	21.7%	30.0%
500nm	22.0%	31.6%
520nm	22.0%	32.3%
540nm	21.8%	32.8%
560nm	21.7%	33.0%
580nm	21.3%	32.5%
600nm	20.8%	32.2%
620nm	20.5%	31.4%
640nm	20.5%	30.7%
660nm	20.1%	29.4%
680nm	18.1%	26.7%
700nm	18.0%	28.8%

Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Top of box is 100%. Peak reflectance is 33.0%.
R₁ shown in black, R₂ shown in red

Colour in reflected light:

Yellow-gray to light gray

Pleochroism:

Visible

Comments:

Pale yellow to gray in air, pale yellow with greenish tint to gray in oil.

Chemistry of CaswellsilveriteHide

Mindat Formula:

NaCrS₂

Elements listed:

Cr, Na, S - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Common Impurities:

Fe,Ca,Mg,Mn,Ti

Crystallography of CaswellsilveriteHide

Crystal System:

Trigonal

Class (H-M):

3m (3 2/m) - Hexagonal Scalenohedral

Space Group:

R3m

Setting:

R3m

Cell Parameters:

a = 3.54 Å, c = 19.35 Å

Ratio:

a:c = 1 : 5.466

Unit Cell V:

210.00 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Morphology:

Anhedral grains to 1mm

Twinning:

Lamellar twinning (may be result of pressure induce deformation)

Crystal StructureHide

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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure

ID	Species	Reference	Link	Year	Locality	Pressure (GPa)	Temp (K)
0013300	Caswellsilverite	Engelsman F M R, Wiegers G A, Jellinek F, VanLaar B (1973) Crystal structures and magnetic structures of some metal chromium(III) sulfides and selenides Journal of Solid State Chemistry 6 574-582		1973	synthetic	0	293
0013301	Caswellsilverite	Engelsman F M R, Wiegers G A, Jellinek F, VanLaar B (1973) Crystal structures and magnetic structures of some metal chromium(III) sulfides and selenides Journal of Solid State Chemistry 6 574-582		1973	synthetic	0	293

CIF Raw Data - click here to close

data_global
_chemical_name_mineral 'Caswellsilverite'
loop_
_publ_author_name
'Engelsman F M R'
'Wiegers G A'
'Jellinek F'
'VanLaar B'
_journal_name_full 'Journal of Solid State Chemistry'
_journal_volume 6 
_journal_year 1973
_journal_page_first 574
_journal_page_last 582
_publ_section_title
;
 Crystal structures and magnetic structures of some metal chromium(III) sulfides and selenides
 Sample: T = 4.2 K
;
_database_code_amcsd 0013300
_chemical_compound_source 'Synthetic'
_chemical_formula_sum 'Na Cr S2'
_cell_length_a 3.5561
_cell_length_b 3.5561
_cell_length_c 19.3650
_cell_angle_alpha 90
_cell_angle_beta 90
_cell_angle_gamma 120
_cell_volume 212.078
_exptl_crystal_density_diffrn      3.268
_symmetry_space_group_name_H-M 'R -3 m'
loop_
_space_group_symop_operation_xyz
  'x,y,z'
  '2/3+x,1/3+y,1/3+z'
  '1/3+x,2/3+y,2/3+z'
  'x,x-y,z'
  '2/3+x,1/3+x-y,1/3+z'
  '1/3+x,2/3+x-y,2/3+z'
  'y,x,-z'
  '2/3+y,1/3+x,1/3-z'
  '1/3+y,2/3+x,2/3-z'
  '-x+y,y,z'
  '2/3-x+y,1/3+y,1/3+z'
  '1/3-x+y,2/3+y,2/3+z'
  '-x,-x+y,-z'
  '2/3-x,1/3-x+y,1/3-z'
  '1/3-x,2/3-x+y,2/3-z'
  '-y,-x,z'
  '2/3-y,1/3-x,1/3+z'
  '1/3-y,2/3-x,2/3+z'
  'x-y,-y,-z'
  '2/3+x-y,1/3-y,1/3-z'
  '1/3+x-y,2/3-y,2/3-z'
  'y,-x+y,-z'
  '2/3+y,1/3-x+y,1/3-z'
  '1/3+y,2/3-x+y,2/3-z'
  '-x+y,-x,z'
  '2/3-x+y,1/3-x,1/3+z'
  '1/3-x+y,2/3-x,2/3+z'
  '-x,-y,-z'
  '2/3-x,1/3-y,1/3-z'
  '1/3-x,2/3-y,2/3-z'
  '-y,x-y,z'
  '2/3-y,1/3+x-y,1/3+z'
  '1/3-y,2/3+x-y,2/3+z'
  'x-y,x,-z'
  '2/3+x-y,1/3+x,1/3-z'
  '1/3+x-y,2/3+x,2/3-z'
loop_
_atom_site_label
_atom_site_fract_x
_atom_site_fract_y
_atom_site_fract_z
Na   0.00000   0.00000   0.50000
Cr   0.00000   0.00000   0.00000
S   0.00000   0.00000   0.26670

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
2.60 Å	(100)
2.07 Å	(80)
1.910 Å	(80)
1.779 Å	(80)
6.49 Å	(70)
1.465 Å	(60)
1.134 Å	(60)

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):

Paragenetic Mode	Earliest Age (Ga)
Stage 1: Primary nebular phases	4.567-4.561
4 : Primary chondrule phases	4.566–4.561
Stage 2: Planetesimal differentiation and alteration	4.566-4.550
5 : Primary asteroid phases	4.566–4.560

Geological Setting:

Meteorites

Type Occurrence of CaswellsilveriteHide

Type Locality:

ⓘ Norton County meteorite, Norton County, Kansas, USA

General Appearance of Type Material:

Opaque inclusions within enstatite crystals as well as in the brecciated matrix of the meteorite.

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

n.d.

Geological Setting of Type Material:

Enstatite achondrite

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Reference:

Okada, A., Keil, K. (1982) Caswellsilverite, NaCrS2: a new mineral in the Norton County enstatite achondrite. American Mineralogist: 67: 132-136.

Download:

https://rruff.info/rruff_1.0/uploads/AM67_132.pdf

Synonyms of CaswellsilveriteHide

IMA1981-012

Other Language Names for CaswellsilveriteHide

German:Caswellsilverit

Russian:Касуэллсилверит

Simplified Chinese:硫钠铬矿

Spanish:Caswellsilverita

Traditional Chinese:硫鈉鉻礦

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide

2.FB.05	Schöllhornite	Na_0.3CrS₂ · H₂O	Trig.
2.FB.05	Cronusite	Ca_0.2CrS₂ · 2 H₂O	Trig. 3m : R3m
2.FB.10	Chvilevaite	Na(Cu,Fe,Zn)₂S₄	Trig. 3m : R3m
2.FB.15	Orickite	2CuFeS₂ · H₂O	Hex.
2.FB.20	Rasvumite	KFe₂S₃	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Cmcm
2.FB.20	Pautovite	CsFe₂S₃	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Cmcm
2.FB.25	Colimaite	K₃VS₄	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnma

Other InformationHide

Health Risks:

No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

Internet Links for CaswellsilveriteHide

mindat.org URL:

https://www.mindat.org/min-918.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

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External Links:

Look for Caswellsilverite on Webmineral

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Look for Caswellsilverite on Mineralien Atlas

Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project

References and PDF downloads at RRUFF project

American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database

Handbook of Mineralogy page PDF

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References for CaswellsilveriteHide

Reference List:

Engelsman, F.M.R., Wiegers, G.A., Jellinek, F., van Laar, B. (1973) Crystal structures and magnetic structures of some metal(I) chromium(III) sulfides and selenides. Journal of Solid State Chemistry: 6: 574-582.

Okada, A., Keil, K. (1982) Caswellsilverite, NaCrS2: a new mineral in the Norton County enstatite achondrite. American Mineralogist: 67: 132-136.

Fleischer, Michael, Chao, George Y., Mandarino, Joseph A. (1982) New mineral names. American Mineralogist, 67. 854-860 p.854

Okada, A., Keil, K. (1982) Caswellsilverite, NaCrS2: a new mineral in the Norton County enstatite achondrite. American Mineralogist: 67: 132-136.

(2023) Caswellsilverite. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America

Localities for CaswellsilveriteHide

This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the

symbol to view information about a locality. The

symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.

Locality ListHide

- This locality has map coordinates listed.

- This locality has estimated coordinates. ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence. ? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.

- Good crystals or important locality for species.

- World class for species or very significant. (TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species. (FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties). ~~Struck out~~ - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).

All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.


Antarctica
Eastern Antarctica Queen Maud Land Queen Fabiola Mts ⓘ Yamato 691 meteorite	Brearley, A. J. & Jones, R. H. (1998): Chondritic Meteorites. In: Planetary Materials (Papike, J. J., Editor): Chapter 3, 398 pages. Mineralogical Society of America: Washington, DC, USA. (1998)

China
Guizhou Guiyang Qingzhen County ⓘ Qingzhen meteorite	Mineralogical Society of America - Handbook of Mineralogy

India
Bihar Muzaffarpur District ⓘ Parsa meteorite	Nehru, C. E., Prinz, M., Weisberg, M. K. & Delaney, J. S. (1984) Parsa: an Unequilibrated Enstatite Chondrite (uec) with an Aubrite-Like Impact Melt Clast (abstract), Lunar and Planetary Science XV, 597-598. (March 1984)

Israel
Southern District (HaDarom District) Tamar Regional Council Hatrurim Basin ⓘ Halamish wadi (Ẕuq Tamrur)	Galuskin, E.V., Galuskina, I.O., Vapnik, Y., Zieliński, G. (2023): Discovery of “meteoritic” layered disulphides ACrS2 (A = Na, Cr, Ag) in terrestrial rock. Minerals, 13, 381. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13030381

North Africa
Sahara Desert ⓘ Sahara 97096 meteorite	Piani, L., Marrocchi, Y., Libourel, G., & Tissandier, L. (2016). Magmatic sulfides in the porphyritic chondrules of EH enstatite chondrites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 195, 84-99.

Northwest Africa Meteorites
ⓘ Northwest Africa 5217 meteorite (NWA 5217)	Bunch, T.E., Irving, A.J., Wittke, J.H., Kuehner, S.M. (2008) Zincian Brezinaite and Other Rare Minerals in Two Cumulate-textured Aubrites from Northwest Africa. 71st Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, July 28-August 1, 2008, Matsue, Japan. Meteoritics and Planetary Science Supplement: 43: paper id. 5309.

USA (TL)
Kansas Norton County ⓘ Norton County meteorite (TL)	Okada, A., Keil, K. (1982) Caswellsilverite, NaCrS2: a new mineral in the Norton County enstatite achondrite. American Mineralogist: 67: 132-136. Okada, A., Keil, K., Leonard, B. F., & Hutcheon, I. D. (1984). Schöllhornite, Na0. 3 (H2O) 1 [CrS2] a New Mineral in the Norton County Enstatite Achondrite. Meteoritics, 19, 284.
Texas Brewster County Marathon Gage Ranch ⓘ Pena Blanca Spring meteorite	Fahey, A., Gary R. Huss, Gerald J. Wasserburg & Katherina Lodders (1995). REE Abundances and CR Isotopic Composition of Oldhamite and Associate Minerals from the Pena Blanca Spring Aubrite. Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, vol. 26, p. 385.

Caswellsilverite

About CaswellsilveriteHide

Unique IdentifiersHide

IMA Classification of CaswellsilveriteHide

Classification of CaswellsilveriteHide

Mineral SymbolsHide

Physical Properties of CaswellsilveriteHide

Optical Data of CaswellsilveriteHide

Chemistry of CaswellsilveriteHide

Crystallography of CaswellsilveriteHide

Crystal StructureHide

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Geological EnvironmentHide

Type Occurrence of CaswellsilveriteHide

Synonyms of CaswellsilveriteHide

Other Language Names for CaswellsilveriteHide

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

Other InformationHide

Internet Links for CaswellsilveriteHide

References for CaswellsilveriteHide

Localities for CaswellsilveriteHide

Locality ListHide

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide