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Stichtite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  Mg₆Cr₂(OH)₁₆(CO₃)·4(H₂O)

Discovered in 1910;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
Named after Robert Stich, General Manager of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, Dundas, Tasmania.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Carbonates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

5/E.03-20

5 : Nitrates, Carbonates & Borates
E : Water-bearing carbonates with unfamiliar anions
03 : Hydrotalcite group

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Trigonal - Hexagonal Scalenohedral

Crystal Habit:

As aggregates of fibers or plates, commonly matted, contorted; as cross-fiber veinlets and micaceous scales.

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[0001] Perfect

Fracture:

Uneven

Tenacity:

Laminae flexible, not elastic; greasy feel

Moh's Hardness:

1.5 - 2.0

Density:

2.16 - 2.20 (g/cm³)

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Lilac to Rose pink

Transparency:

Opaque

Luster:

Pearly, Waxy, Resinous, (greasy feel)

Refractive Index:

1.516 - 1.542  Uniaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.0260

Dispersion:

n/a

Pleochroism:

Weak; O = dark rose-pink to lilac; E = light rose-pink to lilac

Occurances

Geological Setting:

An alteration product of chromite in serpentinite.

Type Locality:

Stichtite Hill, Dundas mineral field, Zeehan District, Tasmania, Australia

Year Discovered:

1910

View mineral photos:

Stichtite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Stichtite is a beautiful cabochon type gem. Massive material is occassionally cut as cabochons but more often carved and polished as decorative items such as bookends, etc. The color is usually lilac to pink or even purple and sometimes veined with green serpentine or other contrasting minerals. This color combination is very attractive. Main sources are Black Lake, Quebec, Canada; Dundas, Tasmania, Australia; Urals Region, Russia; Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces, South Africa.
 

  
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