Skutterudite
Mineral CoAs3
Also called Smaltite
Take care.
- Contains arsenic: Wash your hands after handling it, don't make dust, and never heat it.
About it
Tin-white cubes and cuboctahedrons, often with a pink bloom of erythrite on weathered pieces; a cobalt ore. Named for Skuterud, Norway; fine crystals from Bou Azzer, Morocco, and Cobalt, Ontario.
- Type
- Mineral
- Group
- Arsenide, skutterudite group
- Formula
- CoAs3
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 5.5–6
- Specific gravity
- 6.1–6.9
- Streak
- black
- Lustre
- metallic
- Crystal system
- Isometric (cubic)
- Colours
- tin white to silver grey, iridescent tarnish
- Transparency
- opaque
- Cleavage and fracture
- distinct cubic; conchoidal to uneven fracture
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.