cakowite

Cakowite is a hypothetical mineral species used in geoscience education and in introductory mineralogy to illustrate the process of mineral identification and classification. It is not an officially recognized mineral and there are no verified specimens described in the scientific literature.

In teaching models, cakowite is described as a hydrous calcium aluminosilicate with a simplified chemical formulation. It is typically assigned to the monoclinic crystal system and is said to form in hydrothermal or metamorphic environments where calcium-rich fluids interact with silica-alumina sources.

Physical properties (in the teaching model) include a vitreous to subvitreous luster, color ranging from colorless to pale yellow, hardness around 6 on the Mohs scale, and transparent to translucent crystals up to several centimeters in length.

Occurrence and locality: purely hypothetical; used in textbooks and online resources; no natural occurrences.

Etymology: the name cakowite is a constructed term derived from the fictional locality 'Cako' used in educational materials.

See also: fictional minerals, mineral classification, teaching specimens.