Cassiterite & Muscovite

Cassiterite – SnO2
Elements: Tin, Oxygen
Class: Oxides
Crystal System: Tetragonal
Hardness: 6-7
Quartz
Talc (1)Diamond (10)
Scratches glass. Harder than a steel knife.
Muscovite – KAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2
Class: Silicates – Phyllosilicates
Crystal System: Hexagonal
Hardness: 2-2.5
Gypsum
Talc (1)Diamond (10)
Soft. A fingernail can scratch it.
Origin: Mt Xuebaoding, Pingwu, Schuan Province – Peru
Did you know?

Cassiterite is the main ore of tin, the metal that turned the Stone Age into the Bronze Age. Securing it pushed early peoples to build trade routes thousands of miles long, among the first long-distance supply lines in history.

Muscovite splits into thin, clear, heat-resistant sheets, and old Russia exported them as window panes known as Muscovy glass, the source of the mineral's name.