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Cassiterite

A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
This page kindly sponsored by Keith Compton
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About CassiteriteHide

Formula:
SnO2
Colour:
Black, yellow, brown, red or white.
Lustre:
Adamantine, Greasy, Sub-Metallic
Hardness:
6 - 7
Specific Gravity:
6.98 - 7.01
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Member of:
Name:
The mineral name is derived from the term “Cassiterides” which was applied to 'islands off the western coast of Europe' in pre-Roman times. The exact location of these 'islands' has been hotly debated over the years. Current thought is that the source was probably mainland Spain and that even 2000 years ago, traders had a habit of providing misleading locality information to protect their sources.
Isostructural with:
The primary ore of Tin. This mineral is found in hydrothermal veins and pegmatites associated with granite intrusions. Because of its durability, it is also frequently found concentrated in alluvial placer deposits, sometimes in large enough quantities to be commercially exploitable, as in Malaysia, for example.

May precipitate from volcanic gas, as shown by experiments of Africano et al. (2002), in which it deposits in the 550-240oC range.




Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:
917
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:917:7
GUID
(UUID V4):
e022653d-c8b2-4498-8bcd-94ae84134e7a

IMA Classification of CassiteriteHide

Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)

Classification of CassiteriteHide

4.DB.05

4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
D : Metal: Oxygen = 1:2 and similar
B : With medium-sized cations; chains of edge-sharing octahedra
4.4.1.5

4 : SIMPLE OXIDES
4 : AX2
7.11.2

7 : Oxides and Hydroxides
11 : Oxides of Sn and Pb

Mineral SymbolsHide

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

Please only use the official IMA–CNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.

SymbolSourceReference
CstIMA–CNMNCWarr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43
CstKretz (1983)Kretz, R. (1983) Symbols of rock-forming minerals. American Mineralogist, 68, 277–279.
CstSiivolam & Schmid (2007)Siivolam, J. and Schmid, R. (2007) Recommendations by the IUGS Subcommission on the Systematics of Metamorphic Rocks: List of mineral abbreviations. Web-version 01.02.07. IUGS Commission on the Systematics in Petrology. download
CstWhitney & Evans (2010)Whitney, D.L. and Evans, B.W. (2010) Abbreviations for names of rock-forming minerals. American Mineralogist, 95, 185–187 doi:10.2138/am.2010.3371
CstThe Canadian Mineralogist (2019)The Canadian Mineralogist (2019) The Canadian Mineralogist list of symbols for rock- and ore-forming minerals (December 30, 2019). download

Pronunciation of CassiteriteHide

Pronunciation:
PlayRecorded byCountry
Keith ComptonAustralia

Physical Properties of CassiteriteHide

Adamantine, Greasy, Sub-Metallic
Transparency:
Transparent, Translucent, Opaque
Colour:
Black, yellow, brown, red or white.
Streak:
Brownish white, white, greyish
Hardness:
6 - 7 on Mohs scale
Hardness:
VHN200=1239 - 1467 kg/mm2 - Vickers
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
Imperfect/Fair
{100} imperfect, {110} indistinct.
Parting:
More or less distinct on {111} or {011}.
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven, Sub-Conchoidal
Density:
6.98 - 7.01 g/cm3 (Measured)    6.993 g/cm3 (Calculated)

Optical Data of CassiteriteHide

Type:
Uniaxial (+)
RI values:
nω = 1.990 - 2.010 nε = 2.093 - 2.100
Max Birefringence:
δ = 0.103
Image shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness)
and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Surface Relief:
Very High
Anisotropism:
Strong
Reflectivity:
WavelengthR1R2
400nm11.7%13.2%
420nm11.6%13.0%
440nm11.5%12.8%
460nm11.4%12.6%
480nm11.3%12.5%
500nm11.2%12.4%
520nm11.0%12.2%
540nm11.0%12.1%
560nm10.9%12.0%
580nm10.9%12.0%
600nm10.8%12.0%
620nm10.8%12.0%
640nm10.7%12.0%
660nm10.7%12.0%
680nm10.6%12.0%
700nm10.6%12.0%

Reflectance graph
Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Top of box is 100%. Peak reflectance is 13.2%.
R1 shown in black, R2 shown in red
Colour in reflected light:
Light gray
Internal Reflections:
white to brownish
Pleochroism:
Weak
Comments:
Pleochroic haloes have been observed. Dichroic in yellow, green, red, brown, usually weak, or absent, but strong at times.
Comments:
Anomalously biaxial.

Chemistry of CassiteriteHide

Mindat Formula:
SnO2
Common Impurities:
Fe,Ta,Nb,Zn,W,Mn,Sc,Ge,In,Ga

Age distributionHide

Recorded ages:
Mesoarchean to Jurassic : 2974 ± 59 Ma to 156 ± 4 Ma - based on 13 recorded ages.

Crystallography of CassiteriteHide

Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Class (H-M):
4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) - Ditetragonal Dipyramidal
Space Group:
P42/mnm
Cell Parameters:
a = 4.7382(4) Å, c = 3.1871(1) Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 0.673
Unit Cell V:
71.55 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
2
Morphology:
Untwinned crystals usually short prismatic [001] with {110} and {100} prominent. Long prismatic at times, or with acute terminations. Less commonly pyramidal. Faces {001} and {110} frequently uneven; faces in zone [10_1] and in zone [001] often striated parallel to their intersections. Fibrous, botryoidal crusts or concretionary masses. Granular, coarse to fine.
Twinning:
1. On {011}, very common. Both contact and penetration twins; often repeated producing complex forms. Stellate fivelings at times. 2. Reported on {031}.

Crystallographic forms of CassiteriteHide

Crystal Atlas:
Image Loading
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Cassiterite no.1 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Cassiterite no.19 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Cassiterite no.175 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Cassiterite no.177 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Cassiterite no.178 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Cassiterite no.207 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
3d models and HTML5 code kindly provided by www.smorf.nl.

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Crystal StructureHide

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IDSpeciesReferenceLinkYearLocalityPressure (GPa)Temp (K)
0009162CassiteriteBaur W H (1956) Uber die verfeinerung der kristallstrukturbestimmung einiger vertreter des rutiltyps: TiO2, SnO2, GeO2 und MgF2 Acta Crystallographica 9 515-52019560293
0009406CassiteriteBaur W H, Khan A A (1971) Rutile-type compounds. VI. SiO2, GeO2 and a comparison with other rutile-type structures Acta Crystallographica B27 2133-213919710293
0019242CassiteriteBolzan A A, Fong C, Kennedy B J, Howard C J (1997) Structural studies of rutile-type metal dioxides Acta Crystallographica B53 373-3801997synthetic0293
0011761CassiteriteWyckoff R W G (1963) Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York Rutile structure Crystal Structures 1 239-44419630293
CIF Raw Data - click here to close

Epitaxial Relationships of CassiteriteHide

Epitaxial Minerals:
QuartzSiO2
NordenskiöldineCaSn4+[BO3]2
Epitaxy Comments:
Oriented overgrowths of cassiterite on nordenskiöldine; oriented growths of quartz on cassiterite.

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Image Loading

Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Powder Diffraction Data:
d-spacingIntensity
3.347 Å(100)
2.6427 Å(75)
1.7641 Å(57)
2.3690 Å(21)
1.6750 Å(14)
1.4155 Å(14)
1.4392 Å(12)
Comments:
Synthetic.

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):
Paragenetic ModeEarliest Age (Ga)
Stage 4a: Earth’s earliest continental crust>4.4-3.0
19 : Granitic intrusive rocks
Near-surface Processes
26 : Hadean detrital minerals
High-𝑇 alteration and/or metamorphism
31 : Thermally altered carbonate, phosphate, and iron formations
Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks>3.0
34 : Complex granite pegmatites
Stage 5: Initiation of plate tectonics<3.5-2.5
38 : Ophiolites
40 : Regional metamorphism (greenschist, amphibolite, granulite facies)
Geological Setting:
In medium- to high-temperature hydrothermal veins and greisens, alluvial placers.

Synonyms of CassiteriteHide

Other Language Names for CassiteriteHide

Varieties of CassiteriteHide

AinaliteA variety of cassiterite containing up to 10% FeTa2O6.
Probably a mixture.

Originally reported from Penikoja (Pennikoja), Somero, Southwestern Finland Region, Finland
Dough tin'Dough Tin', a Cornish variety of cassiterite, owns its name for the white colouration and texture giving it an appearance of uncooked bread dough.
Needle TinCassiterite of acicular habit, consisting of a thin prism of square cross-section, terminated by a pyramid. Unlike the more classic cassiterite crystals, needle tin crystals are usually not twinned, and are usually not black, ranging from light brown to y...
Tantalum-bearing cassiterite
Toad's Eye TinA variety of the Wood Tin form of cassiterite.
Toads Eye Tin is genrally charcterised by discrete spherical structures showing a radiating fibrous and colour banded structure.
Originally considered to resemble the eye of a toad hence the name.
Wood TinA variety of cassiterite showing a fibrous and often banded structure resembling the texture of wood.
Related to cassiterite in a similar manner to the way agate is related to quartz.
Most commonly as a low-temperature hydrothermal deposit in acid volca...

Relationship of Cassiterite to other SpeciesHide

Member of:
Other Members of this group:
ArgutiteGeO2Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
ParatelluriteTeO2Tet. 4 2 2
PlattneritePbO2Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
PyrolusiteMn4+O2Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
RutileTiO2Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
StishoviteSiO2Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
TripuhyiteFe3+Sb5+O4Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
UM2000-35-O:FeNbScTaTi(Sc,Fe2+,Fe3+,Mn)(Ti,Sn,Zr)1.5(Nb,Ta,W)1.33O8

Common AssociatesHide

Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:
1,937 photos of Cassiterite associated with QuartzSiO2
558 photos of Cassiterite associated with MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
319 photos of Cassiterite associated with TourmalineAD3G6 (T6O18)(BO3)3X3Z
227 photos of Cassiterite associated with PyriteFeS2
190 photos of Cassiterite associated with Chlorite Group
177 photos of Cassiterite associated with SideriteFeCO3
170 photos of Cassiterite associated with ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
165 photos of Cassiterite associated with ArsenopyriteFeAsS
138 photos of Cassiterite associated with FluoriteCaF2
127 photos of Cassiterite associated with AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

4.DB.NioboheftetjerniteScNbO4Mon. 2/m : P21/b
4.DB.Shakhdaraite-(Y)ScYNb2O8Mon. 2/m : P2/b
4.DB.Nioboixiolite-(Mn2+)(Nb0.67Mn2+0.33)O2Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbcn
4.DB.Nioboixiolite-([])(Nb0.80.2)4+O2Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbcn
4.DB.05ArgutiteGeO2Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
4.DB.05PlattneritePbO2Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
4.DB.05PyrolusiteMn4+O2Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
4.DB.05RutileTiO2Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
4.DB.05TripuhyiteFe3+Sb5+O4Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
4.DB.05TugarinoviteMoO2Mon. 2/m : P21/b
4.DB.05Varlamoffite(Sn,Fe)(O,OH)2
4.DB.10ByströmiteMgSb2O6Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P4/nmm
4.DB.10Tapiolite-(Fe)Fe2+Ta2O6Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
4.DB.10Tapiolite-(Mn)Mn2+Ta2O6Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
4.DB.10OrdoñeziteZnSb2O6Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
4.DB.10TredouxiteNiSb2O6Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P42/mnm
4.DB.15bAkhtenskiteε-Mn4+O2Hex. 6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) : P63/mmc
4.DB.15cNsutite(Mn4+,Mn2+)(O,OH)2Hex.
4.DB.15aParamontroseiteV4+O2Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
4.DB.15aRamsdelliteMn4+O2Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
4.DB.20Scrutinyiteα-PbO2Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbcn
4.DB.25IshikawaiteU4+Fe2+Nb2O8Mon.
4.DB.25Samarskite-(Y)YFe3+Nb2O8Mon. 2/m : P2/b
4.DB.25SrilankiteZrTi2O6Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbcn
4.DB.25Yttrocolumbite-(Y)Y(U4+,Fe2+)Nb2O8
4.DB.25Calciosamarskite(Ca,U4+)Fe3+(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O8Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
4.DB.25Samarskite-(Yb)YbFe3+(Nb,Ta)2O8Mon. 2/m : P2/b
4.DB.25Ixiolite-(Fe2+)(Ta0.67Fe2+0.33)O2Orth.
4.DB.25Ixiolite-(Mn2+)(Ta0.67Mn2+0.33)O2Orth.
4.DB.30FerberiteFeWO4Mon. 2/m : P2/b
4.DB.30HübneriteMnWO4Mon. 2/m : P2/b
4.DB.30Sanmartinite(Zn,Fe)WO4Mon. 2/m : P21/b
4.DB.30KrasnoselskiteCoWO4Mon.
4.DB.30HeftetjerniteScTaO4Mon. 2/m : P2/b
4.DB.30HuanzalaiteMgWO4Mon. 2/m : P2/b
4.DB.30 vaWolframite Group
4.DB.30Rossovskyite(Fe3+,Ta)(Nb,Ti)O4Mon. 2/m : P2/b
4.DB.35Columbite-(Fe)Fe2+Nb2O6Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbcn
4.DB.35Tantalite-(Fe)Fe2+Ta2O6Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbcn
4.DB.35Columbite-(Mn)Mn2+Nb2O6Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbcn
4.DB.35Tantalite-(Mn)Mn2+Ta2O6Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbcn
4.DB.35Columbite-(Mg)(Mg,Fe,Mn)(Nb,Ta)2O6Orth.
4.DB.35Qitianlingite(Fe,Mn)2(Nb,Ta)2WO10Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
4.DB.35Tantalite-(Mg)(Mg,Fe2+)(Ta,Nb)2O6Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbcn
4.DB.35Tantalaeschynite-(Ce)Ce(TiTa)O6Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnma
4.DB.40FerrowodginiteFe2+Sn4+Ta2O8Mon. 2/m : B2/b
4.DB.40LithiotantiteLiTa3O8Mon. 2/m : P21/b
4.DB.40LithiowodginiteLiTa3O8Mon. 2/m : B2/b
4.DB.40TitanowodginiteMn2+TiTa2O8Mon. 2/m : B2/b
4.DB.40WodginiteMn2+Sn4+Ta2O8Mon. 2/m : B2/b
4.DB.40FerrotitanowodginiteFe2+TiTa2O8Mon. 2/m : B2/b
4.DB.40Tantalowodginite(Mn2+0.50.5)TaTa2O8Mon. 2/m : B2/b
4.DB.40WolframowodginiteMn(Mn,Sn,Fe,Ta)(W,Ta,Nb)2O8
4.DB.45TivaniteV3+TiO3(OH)Mon. 2/m : P21/b
4.DB.50Carmichaelite(Ti,Cr,Fe)[O2-x(OH)x]Mon. 2/m : P21/b
4.DB.55AlumotantiteAlTaO4Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbcn
4.DB.60Biehlite((Sb,As)O)2[MoO4]Mon. 2/m : B2/b

Fluorescence of CassiteriteHide

Cassiterite will rarely show fluorescence, and only under SW UV, showing a yellow glow.

See the caption and the child photos of:

https://www.mindat.org/photo-693927.html

https://www.mindat.org/photo-583447.html

https://www.mindat.org/photo-915970.html

See also: https://www.fluomin.org/uk/fiche.php?id=277

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.

Cassiterite in petrologyHide

Internet Links for CassiteriteHide

References for CassiteriteHide

Localities for CassiteriteHide

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 ListShow

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