Article
Article
- Earth Science
- Mineralogy and petrology
- Cassiterite
Cassiterite
Article By:
Hurlbut, Cornelius S., Jr. Department of Geological Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Last reviewed:November 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.112500
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- Cassiterite, published June 2014:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
A mineral having the composition SnO2. Cassiterite is the principal ore of tin. Its crystals are of the tetragonal rutile structure type, usually in prisms terminated by dipyramids. Twins with a characteristic notch called visor tin are common. Cassiterite is usually massive granular, but may be in radiating fibrous aggregates with reniform shapes (wood tin). The hardness is 6–7 (Mohs scale), and the specific gravity is 6.8–7.1 (unusually high for a nonmetallic mineral). The luster is adamantine to submetallic. Pure tin oxide is white, but cassiterite is usually yellow, brown, or black because of the presence of iron (see illustration). See also: Oxide and hydroxide minerals; Tin; Tin metallurgy
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