Cassiteriitti

Cassiteriitti is a fictional mineral described in a hypothetical geology reference. The name is rendered in the tradition of mineral nomenclature and is said to honor a fictional researcher named Cassiteri, with the -itti suffix indicating a mineral species in this imaginary framework.

Occurrence and formation are described as taking place in late-stage hydrothermal veins within granitic and pegmatitic host rocks. In the imagined setting, cassiteriitti commonly appears together with cassiterite, rutile, and quartz and is proposed to crystallize under reducing conditions at moderate temperatures, approximately 250 to 350°C.

Physical properties attributed to cassiteriitti in the fictional account include a monoclinic crystal system with granular to prismatic habits. The color range is stated as dark gray to bronze, and the luster as vitreous. Hardness is given as 5.5 to 6 on the Mohs scale, with indistinct cleavage and an uneven fracture. The mineral is described as having a dense composition, with an estimated density around 6.5 to 7.0 g/cm3.

Composition is described in broad terms as tin-rich, dominated by SnO2 with minor substitutions of SiO2, Fe2O3, and CaO. This composition would impart a tin-oxide character to cassiteriitti, contributing to a pale gray streak in typical tests.

Status and usage notes indicate cassiteriitti is not recognized by major mineral databases and does not correspond to any real mineral species. It serves primarily as a hypothetical example in discussions of mineral naming and speculative geology. See also: cassiterite, stannite, tin minerals.