Mindat Logo
Home Page Log In Message Board The Mindat Directory
Register Search Pages Chat Now! (2 online) Mindat Auctions

Smythite

Big Photo

Bloomington Crushed Stone Co. Quarry, Bloomington, Monroe Co., Indiana, USA
© T. Kennedy 2002

Show Smythite Photos (11)
Formula:
(Fe,Ni)
 
9
S
 
11
System:TrigonalColour:brownish black, ...
Hardness:4½
Name:Named after Charles Henry Smyth, Jr. (1867-1937), Professor of Economic Geology, Princeton University, New Jersey (USA)


Pyrrhotite Group.

An iron(-nickel) sulphide visually very similar to pyrrhotite and troilite.

Classification of Smythite

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Explanation of status:May be a trigonal polytype of Pyrrhotite
Strunz 8th edition ID:2/C.19-50
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:2.CC.10

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
C : Metal Sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)
C : With Ni, Fe, Co, PGE, etc.
Dana 8th edition ID:2.8.10.2

2 : SULFIDES
8 : AmXp, with m:p = 1:1
Hey's CIM Ref.:3.9.7

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
9 : Sulphides etc. of Fe
mindat.org URL:http://www.mindat.org/min-3691.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

Type Occurrence of Smythite

Type Locality:Bloomington Crushed Stone Co. Quarry, Bloomington, Monroe Co., Indiana, USA
Year of Discovery:1956

Physical Properties of Smythite

Lustre:Metallic
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Opaque
Colour:brownish black, bronze-yellow
Streak:dark grey
Hardness (Mohs):4½
Cleavage:Perfect

Crystallography of Smythite

Crystal System:Trigonal
Cell Parameters:a = 3.47Å, c = 34.5Å
Ratio:a:c = 1 : 9.942
Unit Cell Volume:V 359.76 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Chemical Properties of Smythite

Formula:
(Fe,Ni)
 
9
S
 
11
Essential elements:Fe, S
All elements listed in formula:Fe, Ni, S

Relationship of Smythite to other Species

Member of Group:
Pyrrhotite Group:
Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- +
2.CC.05Achavalite
FeSe
2.CC.05Breithauptite
NiSb
2.CC.05Freboldite
CoSe
2.CC.05Kotulskite
Pd(Te,Bi)
 
1-2
2.CC.05Langisite
(Co,Ni)As
2.CC.05Nickeline
NiAs
2.CC.05Sederholmite
NiSe beta-NiSe
2.CC.05Sobolevskite
PdBi
2.CC.05Stumpflite
Pt(Sb,Bi)
2.CC.05Sudburyite
(Pd,Ni)Sb
2.CC.05Jaipurite
CoS
2.CC.05Zlatogorite
NiCuSb
 
2
2.CC.10Pyrrhotite
Fe
 
7
S
 
8
, (-4M), also given as Fe
 
1-x
S (x = 0 - 0.2)
2.CC.10Troilite
FeS
2.CC.15Cherepanovite
RhAs
2.CC.15Modderite
(Co,Fe)As
2.CC.15Ruthenarsenite
(Ru,Ni)As
2.CC.15Westerveldite
(Fe,Ni,Co)As
2.CC.20Millerite
NiS
2.CC.20Mäkinenite
γ-NiSe
2.CC.20UM1990-38-S:CuFeIrNiPtRh
(Ir,Pt,Ni,Fe)S
2.CC.25Mackinawite
(Fe,Ni)
 
9
S
 
8
2.CC.30Hexatestibiopanickelite
Ni(Te,Sb)
2.CC.30Vavřínite
Ni
 
2
SbTe
 
2
2.CC.35aBraggite
(Pt,Pd,Ni)S
2.CC.35bCooperite
(Pt,Pd,Ni)S
2.CC.35aVysotskite
(Pd,Ni)S
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
3.9.1Pyrrhotite
Fe
 
7
S
 
8
, (-4M), also given as Fe
 
1-x
S (x = 0 - 0.2)
3.9.3Pyrite
FeS
 
2
3.9.4Marcasite
FeS
 
2
3.9.5Greigite
Fe
2+
 
Fe
3+
2
S
 
4
3.9.6Mackinawite
(Fe,Ni)
 
9
S
 
8
3.9.8Achavalite
FeSe
3.9.9Ferroselite
FeSe
 
2
3.9.10Frohbergite
FeTe
 
2
3.9.11Löllingite
FeAs
 
2
3.9.12Arsenopyrite
FeAsS - (Fe
 
0.90
Co
 
0.10
)AsS
3.9.13Gudmundite
FeSbS

Other Names for Smythite

Other Languages:
German:Smythit
Russian:Смизит
Spanish:Smythita

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 Smythite

Reference List:J. Chem. Soc., London (1956), 78, 2017.

American Mineralogist (1957): 42: 309-333.

American Mineralogist (1970): 55: 1650-1658.

American Mineralogist (1972): 57: 1571-1577.

American Mineralogist (1995): 80: 188.

European Journal of Mineralogy (1994): 6: 265-278.

Internet Links for Smythite

Search Engines:
  • Look for Smythite on Google
  • Look for Smythite images on Google
    • External Links:
  • Look for Smythite on Webmineral
  • Look for Smythite on Athena Mineralogy
  • Look for Smythite on Wikipedia
  • Look for Smythite on Mineralien Atlas
  • Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project
  • American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database
  • Search for Smythite in the Natural History Museum (London) online catalogue
  • Smythite details from Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF)
    • Mineral Dealers:
  • Buy Fine Minerals from mineralsweb.com
  • Fine Minerals from Dan Weinrich Minerals
  • DAKOTA MATRIX offers Cabinet and Rare Species from Worldwide Localities.
  • The Arkenstone - Fine Minerals
  • Buy from David K Joyce minerals
  • Buy fine minerals and gemstones from Pala International
  • Search for - Smythite - on e-Rocks Mineral Sales & Auctions
  • Wilensky Fine Minerals
  • Buy minerals from Mineralium.com
  • Find Smythite on www.crystalclassics.co.uk
  • Wendel Minerals - Auktion & Shop
  • rare and unusual minerals mainly crystallized
    • Jobs:
  • Mining & Geology Jobs

    • Page Sponsor

    Sponsorship:This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.

    Localities for Smythite

    Show Locality List (45 Items)
    The 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.
    Mineral and/or Locality
    Google
     
    www.mindat.org Web
    Copyright © Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau 1993-2009. Site Map. Locality, mineral & photograph data are the copyright of the individuals who submitted them.Further information contact the Site hosted & developed by Jolyon Ralph. Mindat.org is an online information resource dedicated to providing free mineralogical information to all. Mindat relies on the contributions of hundreds of members and supporters. If you would like to add information to improve the quality of our database, then click here to register. Current server date and time: 4th Nov 2009 19:25:22