Tin

minerals

cassiterite

franckeite

jeanbandyite

Images

Formula: Sn
Native element
Specific gravity: 7.31
Hardness: 1½ to 2
Streak: Grey-white
Colour: Tin-white
Solubility: Dissolves in acids and bases.
Abundance: Earth’s crust: 2.3 parts per million by weight, 0.4 parts per million by moles. Solar system: 9 parts per billion by weight, 0.1 parts per billion by moles (ChC)
Melting point: 231.928^oC
Boiling point: 2620^oC
Environments

Placer deposits rarely

Native tin occurs rarely as greyish metallic grains and nuggets to 1 cm in some placers, kimberlite pipes or seafloor spreading zones (Mindat, HOM).
In compounds tin is usually divalent, Sn²⁺ or tetravalent Sn⁴⁺ (ChC).
Associated minerals include platinum, gold, copper, sorosite and cassiterite (HOM).

Localities

At Oued Berkou, Algeria, native tin occurs in greisen (Dana).

At Oban, Australia, native tin occurs in placer sands (Dana, Webmin).

At Beaverlodge, Canada, native tin occurs in calcite as discrete grains (Webmin).

Tin-bearing minerals include:

Alloys
paolovite
rustenburgite
sluzhenikinite
stistaite

Sulphides
berndtite
canfieldite
cernýite
herzenbergite
hocartite
kësterite
mawsonite
pirquitasite
suredaite
teallite

Arsenides
palarstanide

Selenides
svetlanaite

Sulphosalts
cylindrite
franckeite
lévyclaudite

Oxides
cassiterite
jeanbandyite
romarchite
varlamoffite
wodginite

Hydroxides
burtite
natanite
schoenfliesite
tetrawickmanite
wickmanite

Hydroxyhalides
abhurite

Arsenates
yurgensonite

Nesosilicates
malayaite

Sorosilicates
kristiansenite

Inosilicates
stokesite

Phyllosilicates
eakerite

Cyclosilicates
pabstite

Back to Minerals