Romarchite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Romarchite
Royal Ontario Museum logo
Formula:
SnO
Colour:
black
Lustre:
Adamantine, Sub-Metallic
Hardness:
4
Specific Gravity:
6.374 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Name:
Tin pannikins, lost from the overturned canoe of a voyageur between 1811 and 1821, were recovered 15 feet below the surface of the water at Boundary Falls, Winnipeg River, Ontario. Some of the surfaces of the pannikins have a thin crust of alteration products consisting of white crystals and black crystals.
The black crystals were named "romarchite", referring to the Royal Ontario Museum Archaeology section, where the mineral was first studied. The white crystals were named "hydroromarchite" because it is a hydrated tin oxide chemically related to the anhydrous romarchite (Organ & Mandarino, 1971).
The type material of both minerals is clearly anthropogenic, but the species were accepted before the current IMA CNMMN rules excluding such species came into effect.
The black crystals were named "romarchite", referring to the Royal Ontario Museum Archaeology section, where the mineral was first studied. The white crystals were named "hydroromarchite" because it is a hydrated tin oxide chemically related to the anhydrous romarchite (Organ & Mandarino, 1971).
The type material of both minerals is clearly anthropogenic, but the species were accepted before the current IMA CNMMN rules excluding such species came into effect.
This page provides mineralogical data about Romarchite.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3442
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3442:1
IMA Classification of Romarchite
Approved
IMA Formula:
Sn2+O
Approval year:
1969
Classification of Romarchite
4.AC.20
4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
A : Metal: Oxygen = 2:1 and 1:1
C : M:O = 1:1 (and up to 1:1.25); with large cations (+- smaller ones)
4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
A : Metal: Oxygen = 2:1 and 1:1
C : M:O = 1:1 (and up to 1:1.25); with large cations (+- smaller ones)
4.2.5.1
4 : SIMPLE OXIDES
2 : AX
4 : SIMPLE OXIDES
2 : AX
7.11.1
7 : Oxides and Hydroxides
11 : Oxides of Sn and Pb
7 : Oxides and Hydroxides
11 : Oxides of Sn and Pb
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Rom | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Romarchite
Adamantine, Sub-Metallic
Transparency:
Opaque
Colour:
Black
Streak:
Clove brown
Hardness:
4 on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
None Observed
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven
Density:
6.374 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Chemistry of Romarchite
Mindat Formula:
SnO
Elements listed:
Crystallography of Romarchite
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Class (H-M):
4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) - Ditetragonal Dipyramidal
Space Group:
P4/mmm
Setting:
P4/mmm
Cell Parameters:
a = 3.8014(3) Å, c = 4.8559(6) Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 1.277
Unit Cell V:
70.17 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
2
Comment:
from powder
Crystal Structure
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0013417 | Romarchite | Izumi F (1981) Pattern-fitting structure refinement of tin(II) oxide Journal of Solid State Chemistry 38 381-385 | 1981 | synthetic | 0 | 293 | |
| 0009724 | Romarchite | Pannetier J, Denes G (1980) Tin(II) oxide: structure refinement and thermal expansion Acta Crystallographica B36 2763-2765 |  | 1980 | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 2.98 Å | (10) |
| 1.601 Å | (9) |
| 1.799 Å | (7) |
| 2.679 Å | (6) |
| 1.491 Å | (6b) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event | <2.4 |
| 47h : [Near-surface oxidized, dehydrated minerals] | |
| Stage 10b: Anthropogenic minerals | <10 Ka |
| 57 : Other minerals formed by human processes |
Type Occurrence of Romarchite
General Appearance of Type Material:
lustrous euhedral crystals between 10 to 50 μm in diameter
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada, M28744
Geological Setting of Type Material:
oxidation on pewter panikins
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Romarchite
Other Language Names for Romarchite
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 1 photo of Romarchite associated with Native Gold | Au |
| 1 photo of Romarchite associated with Cerussite | PbCO3 |
| 1 photo of Romarchite associated with Native Tin | Sn |
| 1 photo of Romarchite associated with Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| 1 photo of Romarchite associated with Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 4.AC.05 | Swedenborgite | NaBe4Sb5+O7 |
| 4.AC.10 | Brownmillerite | Ca2Fe3+AlO5 |
| 4.AC.10 | Shulamitite | Ca3TiFe3+AlO8 |
| 4.AC.10 | Sharyginite | Ca3TiFe2O8 |
| 4.AC.10 | Srebrodolskite | Ca2Fe3+2O5 |
| 4.AC.15 | Montroydite | HgO |
| 4.AC.20 | Litharge | PbO |
| 4.AC.25 | Massicot | PbO |
| 4.AC.30 | Nataliakulikite | Ca4Ti2(Fe3+,Fe2+)(Si,Fe3+,Al)O11 |
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Romarchite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3442.html
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References for Romarchite
Reference List:
Pannetier, J., Denes, G. (1980) Tin(II) oxide: structure refinement and thermal expansion. Acta Crystallographica Section B Structural Crystallography and Crystal Chemistry, 36 (11) 2763-2765 doi:10.1107/s0567740880009934
Izumi, F. (1981) Pattern-fitting structure refinement of tin(II) oxide. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 38. 381-385 doi:10.1016/0022-4596(81)90068-2
Dunkle, S. E., Craig, J. R., Rimstidt, J. D., Lusardi, W. R. (2003) Romarchite, hydroromarchite and abhurite formed during the corrosion of pewter artifacts from the Queen Anne's Revenge (1718) The Canadian Mineralogist, 41 (3) 659-669 doi:10.2113/gscanmin.41.3.659
Ramik, R. A., Organ, R. M., Mandarino, J. A. (2003) On type romarchite and hydroromarchite from Boundary Falls, Ontario, and notes on other occurrences. The Canadian Mineralogist, 41 (3). 649-657 doi:10.2113/gscanmin.41.3.649
Localities for Romarchite
Showing 17 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Bolivia | |
| Ramik et al. (2003) |
Canada (TL) | |
| ORGAN et al. (1971) |
China | |
| Pavel Kartashov | |
Indonesia | |
| MacLeod et al. (2001) |
Jamaica | |
| Dunkle (2002) |
Russia | |
| Pavel M. Kartashov analytical data 2018 |
| Pavel M. Kartashov analytical data (2005) | |
| Pavel M. Kartashov (n.d.) |
Saudi Arabia | |
| rruff.geo.arizona.edu (n.d.) +1 other reference |
USA | |
| Dunkle (2002) |
| Ramik et al. (2003) |
| Ramik et al. (2003) |
| Dunkle (2002) +1 other reference |
| Smith (1991) |
| Alminas +2 other references |
| Alminas +2 other references |
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Neiva River alluvials, Alapayevsk Urban Okrug, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia