Mineral Name Stichtite
First Discovered 1910
Nickel-Strunz Classification 05.DA.50
Dana Classification 16b.06.02.02
ICSD Pre IMA
Mineral Group Carbonates

 

Stichtite is a mineral which is a carbonate of chromium and magnesium. Stichtite was discovered in 1910 in Western Tasmania, Australia, it was first recognized by A.S. Wesley a former chief chemist with the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, it was named after Robert Carl Sticht the  former general manager of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company.

Within the metaphysical realm of minerals, Stichtite is a stone that brings emotional awareness and expansion to the believer. It is a very calming stone that brings tranquility and peace to individuals and to their environment. It helps to be gentle with self and others, and promotes keeping promises, openly sharing opinions, and considering all thoughts with love. It engenders loving companionship of all kinds. For family life, stichtite can help children behave positively.

Please note that MIROFOSS does not suggest in any way that minerals should be used in place of proper medical and psychological care. This information is provided here as a reference only.

Stichtite is used as a very minor ore of chromium, as a mineral specimen for collectors, and as ornamental stone.

Stichtite is an alteration product of serpentine and can be found in serpentine veins.

The colour of Stichtite ranges from pink through lilac, to a rich purple colour. It is formed as an alteration product from chromium containing serpentine. It was observed near the Adelaide Mine, Dundas - east of Zeehan, as well as on the southern shore of Macquarie Harbour. It is exhibited in the West Coast Pioneers Museum in Zeehan. Stichtite is very soft, 1.5 to 2.0 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, which can be compared to Talc-Gypsum.

Other than in the basic mineral form, stichtite can be found in one distinct variety:

Cleavage Perfect
Colour(s) Lilac, Light violet, Pink
Specific Gravity 2.20
Diaphaneity Translucent to Opaque
Fracture Uneven - Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven payyern
Mohs Hardness 1.5 to 2.0
Luminescence Non-fluorescent
Lustre Vitreous
Streak Pale violet blue
Habit(s) Encustations to Nodular to Micaceous
Radioactivity Non-radioactive
Magnetism Non-magnetic

No known health risks have been associated with stichtite. However ingestion of stichtite, as with other naturally occurring minerals, is not recommended.

The following image shows the Elemental breakdown of the mineral stichtite along with the mineral crystal structure.

Crystal System Trigonal
Class Rhombohedral
Axial Ratios a : b : c = 1 : N/A : 7.50485
Morphology Matted or contorted aggregates of plates or fibres.
Optical Data Type Uniaxial (+)
Dichroism (e) Colourless
Dichroism (w) Colourless
Pleochroism Weak
RL Values nω = 1.516 nε = 1.542
2V N/A
Max Birefringence δ = 0.026 (See colour chart at right)
Surface Relief Low
Dispersion N/A

Stichtite can be referenced in certain current and historical texts under the one name:


The mineral stichtite can be translated into the following select languages:

Arabic   Bulgarian   Chinese (Sim)  
Croatian   Czech   Danish  
Dutch stichtiet Esperanto   Estonian  
Finnish   French   German Stichtit
Greek   Hebrew   Hungarian  
Italian   Japanese   Korean  
Latin   Lithuanian   Norwegian  
Persian   Polish stichtyt Portuguese  
Romanian   Russian   Slovak  
Spanish Stichtita Swedish   Tagalog  
Turkish   Ukrainian   Vietnamese  

Stichtite can be found in a few places around the world. The map below shows major documented concentrations of stichtite:

The MIROFOSS database offers free printable geological identification tags for personal and non-profit use. These tags can be used to properly identify mineral samples in your collection. -Click here- to download a full size jpeg image for a stichtite identification tag; which can be printed on paper or used with a plastic laser printer.

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Chemical Composition Ashwal, L.D., and Cairncross, B. (1997): Mineralogy and origin of stichtite in chromite-bearing serpentinites. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 127, 75-86.
Crystallography Mills, S. J., Whitfield, P. S., Wilson, S. A., Woodhouse, J. A., Dipple, G. M., Raudsepp, M. & Francis, C. A. (2011) The crystal structure of stitchtite, re-examination of barbertonite and the nature of polytypism in MgCr hydrotalcites. American Mineralogist, 96(1), 179–187.
History Palache, Charles, Harry Berman & Clifford Frondel (1944), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana Yale University 1837-1892, Volume I: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts, Oxides. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 7th edition, revised and enlarged: 655-656.
Geograpcial Data Mindat.org. Retrieved on 2012-02-21
Physical Identification Webmineral.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-21.
October 05, 2013 The last time this page was updated
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