Abhurite is a mineral of tin, oxygen, hydrogen, and chlorine with the formula Sn21O6(OH)14Cl16 or Sn3O(OH)2Cl2. or Its named after its type locality, a shipwreck with tin ingots at Sharm Abhur, a cove near Jeddah in the Red Sea.
This mineral is formed from the reaction of pure tin with sea water, and has exclusively been associated with tin ingots from shipwrecks. If discovered today it would be unlikely this would be accepted as a true mineral.
Abhurite is a mineral of tin, oxygen, hydrogen, and chlorine. The mineral was described in 1977 from a shipwreck near Hidra Island, Norway, where it occurred on pewter plates. However, that report was not recognized by the IMA International Mineralogical Association.
General information:
- Category: Halide mineral
- Formula: Sn21O6(OH)14Cl16
- Crystal system: Trigonal
Identification
- Color: Colorless
- Crystal habit: Platy, thin crystals, cryptocrystalline crusts
- Cleavage: None
- Fracture: Hackly
- Tenacity: Fragile
- Mohs scale hardness: 2
- Streak: White
- Diaphaneity: Transparent
- Specific gravity: 4.42
Physical Properties of Abhurite
- Transparency: Transparent
- Comment: opalescent
- Streak: White
- Tenacity: Fragile
- Cleavage: None Observed
- Fracture: Hackly
- Density:4.42 g/cm3 (Measured) and 4.417 g/cm3 (Calculated)
It forms 1.5 mm diameter hexagonal plates bounded by the negative rhombohedron (0115); is colorless, transparent with opalescent lustre, white streak, hackly fracture, with no cleavage, and H.approx 2; D(calc) 4.34, D(meas) 4.29 g/cm3; epsilon approx 2.11, omega 2.06.
Information Source:
