Häkli, T. A., Vuorelainen, Y. and Sahama, Th. G. (1965) Kitkaite (NiTeSe), a new mineral from Kuusamo, northeast Finland. American Mineralogist: 50: 581-586.

Strunz-mindat (2023):

2.EA.20

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
E : Metal Sulfides, M: S <= 1:2
A : M:S = 1:2 - With Cu, Ag, Au

Dana 8th ed.:

2.12.14.2

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

Hey's CIM Ref.:

3.11.23

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

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
Kk	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 KitkaiteHide

Transparency:

Opaque

Colour:

silver-white, pale yellow

Hardness:

3½ on Mohs scale

Hardness:

VHN₁₀₀=110 - Vickers

Cleavage:

Distinct/Good
Parallel to (001). Often visible.

Density:

7.22 g/cm³ (Measured) 7.19 g/cm³ (Calculated)

Optical Data of KitkaiteHide

Anisotropism:

Distinct, from pale gray to pink or purple.

Reflectivity:

Wavelength	R₁	R₂
400nm	49.4%	53.0%
420nm	50.3%	52.0%
440nm	51.5%	51.6%
460nm	52.9%	51.6%
480nm	54.4%	52.2%
500nm	55.9%	52.9%
520nm	57.4%	54.0%
540nm	58.9%	55.2%
560nm	60.2%	56.5%
580nm	61.4%	57.8%
600nm	62.5%	59.1%
620nm	63.3%	60.2%
640nm	64.1%	61.1%
660nm	64.6%	61.8%
680nm	65.2%	62.4%
700nm	65.7%	62.9%

Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Top of box is 100%. Peak reflectance is 65.7%.
R₁ shown in black, R₂ shown in red

Pleochroism:

Strong

Comments:

Pale gray to pink or purple.

Chemical Properties of KitkaiteHide

Formula:

NiTeSe

Elements listed:

Ni, Se, Te - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Common Impurities:

Co,Cu,Ag,Bi,S

Crystallography of KitkaiteHide

Crystal System:

Trigonal

Class (H-M):

3m (3 2/m) - Hexagonal Scalenohedral

Space Group:

P3m1

Setting:

P3m1

Cell Parameters:

a = 3.71 Å, c = 5.12 Å

Ratio:

a:c = 1 : 1.38

Unit Cell V:

61.03 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Twinning:

None observed.

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
2.729 Å	(100)
2.007 Å	(45)
1.510 Å	(35)
2.567 Å	(25)
1.860 Å	(25)
1.535 Å	(20)
5.13 Å	(15)

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):

Paragenetic Mode	Earliest Age (Ga)
High-? alteration and/or metamorphism
33 : Minerals deposited by hydrothermal metal-rich fluids (see also [#12])

Type Occurrence of KitkaiteHide

Type Locality:

ⓘ Kitka River Valley, Kuusamo, North Ostrobothnia, Finland

General Appearance of Type Material:

Massive and as crystals up to 5 mm.

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, number 120267.

Geological Setting of Type Material:

In carbonate-bearing veinlets in albitite. Intimately connected with a low-grade uranium and selenium mineralization in an albite diabase area.

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Reference:

Häkli, T. A., Vuorelainen, Y. and Sahama, Th. G. (1965) Kitkaite (NiTeSe), a new mineral from Kuusamo, northeast Finland. American Mineralogist: 50: 581-586.

Download:

http://rruff.info/rruff_1.0/uploads/AM50_581.pdf

Other Language Names for KitkaiteHide

German:Kitkait

Russian:Киткаит

Spanish:Kitkaita

Relationship of Kitkaite to other SpeciesHide

Member of:

Melonite Group

Other Members of this group:

Berndtite	SnS₂	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : P3m1
Melonite	NiTe₂	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : P3m1
Merenskyite	PdTe₂	Trig. 3m : P3m1
Moncheite	Pt(Te,Bi)₂	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : P3m1
Shuangfengite	IrTe₂	Trig. 3m : P3m1
Sudovikovite	PtSe₂	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : P3m1

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide

2.EA.	Radvaniceite	GeS₂	Mon. m : Pb
2.EA.05	Sylvanite	AgAuTe₄	Mon. 2/m : P2/b
2.EA.10	Calaverite	AuTe₂	Mon.
2.EA.15	Kostovite	CuAuTe₄	Orth.
2.EA.15	Krennerite	Au₃AgTe₈	Orth. mm2 : Pma2
2.EA.20	Berndtite	SnS₂	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : P3m1
2.EA.20	Melonite	NiTe₂	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : P3m1
2.EA.20	Merenskyite	PdTe₂	Trig. 3m : P3m1
2.EA.20	Moncheite	Pt(Te,Bi)₂	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : P3m1
2.EA.20	Shuangfengite	IrTe₂	Trig. 3m : P3m1
2.EA.20	Sudovikovite	PtSe₂	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : P3m1
2.EA.20	Ognitite	NiBiTe	Trig. 3m : P3m1
2.EA.25	Verbeekite	PdSe₂	Mon.
2.EA.30	Drysdallite	MoSe₂	Hex. 6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) : P6₃/mmc
2.EA.30	Jordisite	MoS₂	Amor.
2.EA.30	Molybdenite	MoS₂	Hex. 6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) : P6₃/mmc
2.EA.30	Tungstenite	WS₂	Trig. 3m : R3m
2.EA.40	Pampaloite	AuSbTe	Mon. 2/m : B2/b

Other InformationHide

Notes:

Negative for etching with HCl, FeCl, KCN, and KOH. HNO3 positive with effervescence, HgCl2 positive with slow reaction inducing a brown tarnish.

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 KitkaiteHide

mindat.org URL:

https://www.mindat.org/min-2219.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

Search Engines:

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External Links:

Look for Kitkaite on Webmineral

Look for Kitkaite on Wikipedia

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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 KitkaiteHide

Reference List:

Häkli, T. A., Vuorelainen, Y. and Sahama, Th. G. (1965) Kitkaite (NiTeSe), a new mineral from Kuusamo, northeast Finland. American Mineralogist: 50: 581-586.

Vobornik, I., Sarkar, A.B., Zhang, L., Boukhvalov, D.W., Ghosh, B., Piliai, L., Kuo, C.N., Mondal, D., Fujii, J., Lue, C.S. and Vorokhta, M. (2021) Kitkaite NiTeSe, an Ambient‐Stable Layered Dirac Semimetal with Low‐Energy Type‐II Fermions with Application Capabilities in Spintronics and Optoelectronics. Advanced Functional Materials, 31(52), 2106101.

Localities for KitkaiteHide

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.


Finland
North Ostrobothnia ⓘ Kuusamo	Econ Geol (1997) 92:468-484
ⓘ Kitka River Valley (TL)	Häkli, T. A., Vuorelainen, Y. and Sahama, Th. G. (1965) Kitkaite (NiTeSe), a new mineral from Kuusamo, northeast Finland. American Mineralogist: 50: 581-586. HB1 (1990)

Kitkaite

About KitkaiteHide

Unique IdentifiersHide

Classification of KitkaiteHide