Stannite
Mineral
Stannite is a mineral, a sulfide of copper, iron, and tin, in the category of thiostannates.
01Background
The chemical formula is Cu2Fe Sn S4. Zinc commonly occurs with the iron and trace germanium may be present. Stannite is used as an ore of tin, consisting of approximately 28% tin, 13% iron, 30% copper, 30% sulfur by mass. It is found in tin-bearing, hydrothermal vein deposits occurring with chalcopyrite, sphalerite, tetrahedrite, arsenopyrite, pyrite, cassiterite, and wolframite.
It is also known as bell metal ore as tin is an important constituent of bell metal. It is thought the exploitation of tin deposits in Cornwall led to an expansion in bell founding.
The name comes from the Latin for tin: stannum. It was first described in 1797 for an occurrence in Wheal Rock, St. Agnes, Cornwall, England.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Stannite”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Stannite-Chalcopyrite-Quartz-168837.jpg by Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
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