Stichtite from Tasmania

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Unit: gram

Rare. It's rarely found, usually in combination with atlantisite (serpentine with stichtite). A unique mineral.

Description

Stichtite is a mineral, a carbonate of chromium and magnesium; formula Mg6Cr2CO3(OH)16.4H2O. Its color ranges from pink to lilac to a rich purple. It is formed as an alteration product of chromium-bearing serpentine. 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, and was named after Robert Carl Sticht, the mine manager. Stichtite is found near the Adelaide Mine, Dundas, east of Zeehan, as well as on the southern shore of Macquarie Harbour. It is exhibited at the West Coast Pioneers Museum in Zeehan. Barbertonite is a polytype of stichite.