Thortveitite
| Thortveitite | |
|---|---|
|
Thortveitite | |
| General | |
| Category | Mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) | (Sc,Y)2Si2O7 |
| Identification | |
| Crystal system | orthorhombic |
| Mohs scale hardness | 5-6 |
| Luster | vitreous |
| Streak | gray |
| Specific gravity | 3.3-3.8 |
Thortveitite is a mineral consisting of scandium yttrium silicate (Sc,Y)2Si2O7. It is the primary source of scandium. Occurrence is in granitic pegmatites. It was named after Olaus Thortveit, a Norwegian engineer. It is grayish-green, black or gray in color.
A transparent gem quality example was found in 2004, and reported in "The Journal of Gemology", 2008 Volume 31.
See also
References
- Webmineral
- Mindat
- Riccardo Bianchi, Tullio Pilati, Valeria Diella, Carlo Maria Gramaccioli, and Gregorio Mannucci (1988). "A re-examination of thortveitite" (PDF). American Mineralogist 73: 5–6.
- Schumann, Walter (1991). Mineralien aus aller Welt. BLV Bestimmungsbuch (2 ed.). p. 223. ISBN 3-405-14003-X.