Shattuckite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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About Shattuckite
Formula:
Cu5(Si2O6)2(OH)2
Colour:
Light to dark blue.
Lustre:
Silky
Hardness:
3½
Specific Gravity:
4.11
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Name:
Named after its discovery locality, the Shattuck Mine, Bisbee, Arizona, USA.
Type Locality:
A rare secondary copper silicate.
May be confused with Plancheite.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Shattuckite.
May be confused with Plancheite.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Shattuckite.Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3634
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3634:0
IMA Classification of Shattuckite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
IMA Formula:
Cu2+5(SiO3)4(OH)2
First published:
1915
Type description reference:
Classification of Shattuckite
9.DB.40
9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
B : Inosilicates with 2-periodic single chains, Si2O6; Pyroxene-related minerals
9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
B : Inosilicates with 2-periodic single chains, Si2O6; Pyroxene-related minerals
65.1.7.1
65 : INOSILICATES Single-Width,Unbranched Chains,(W=1)
1 : Single-Width Unbranched Chains, W=1 with chains P=2
65 : INOSILICATES Single-Width,Unbranched Chains,(W=1)
1 : Single-Width Unbranched Chains, W=1 with chains P=2
14.2.2
14 : Silicates not Containing Aluminum
2 : Silicates of Cu
14 : Silicates not Containing Aluminum
2 : Silicates of Cu
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sha | 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 Shattuckite
Silky
Transparency:
Translucent
Colour:
Light to dark blue.
Hardness:
3½ on Mohs scale
Cleavage:
Perfect
on {010} {100}
on {010} {100}
Density:
4.11 g/cm3 (Measured) 4.128 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Shattuckite
Type:
Biaxial (+)
RI values:
nα = 1.753(3) nβ = 1.782(3) nγ = 1.815(3)
2V:
Calculated: 88°
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.062
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
Very High (positive)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized biaxial acute bisectrix (Bxa) interference figure
- the conoscopic view for a grain cut perpendicular to the acute bisectrix, using
this mineral's 2V. The two small white dots mark the melatopes - the points
where the two optic axes emerge - and are shown only when they fall within the
field of view. The coloured bands are isochromatics, and the dark bands are
isogyres.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Dispersion:
distinct to strong
Optical Extinction:
Orientation: X = b; Y = a; Z = c.
Pleochroism:
Visible
Comments:
X= very pale blue
Y= pale blue
Z= deep blue
Y= pale blue
Z= deep blue
Chemistry of Shattuckite
Mindat Formula:
Cu5(Si2O6)2(OH)2
Element Weights:
Elements listed:
Common Impurities:
Fe,Mn,Mg,Ca,H2O
Crystallography of Shattuckite
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mmm(2/m2/m2/m) - Dipyramidal
Cell Parameters:
a = 9.885(1) Å, b = 19.832(2) Å, c = 5.3825(8) Å
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.498 : 1 : 0.271
Unit Cell V:
1,055.18 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
4
Morphology:
Elongated prismatic crystals. Aggregates of spherulitic masses composed of acicular crystals. Forms include {100}, {010}, {110}.
Comment:
Space Group: Pcab:
Crystal Structure
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CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
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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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0000578 | Shattuckite | Evans H T, Mrose M E (1977) The crystal chemistry of the hydrous copper silicates, shattuckite and plancheite American Mineralogist 62 491-502 |  | 1977 | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Loading XRD data...
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 4.42 Å | (100) |
| 4.96 Å | (90) |
| 3.50 Å | (80) |
| 3.30 Å | (80) |
| 2.745 Å | (70) |
| 1.627 Å | (70) |
| 2.400 Å | (60) |
| 2.94 Å | (50) |
| 2.472 Å | (50) |
| 9.92 Å | (40) |
| 1.793 Å | (40) |
| 1.567 Å | (40) |
| 2.786 Å | (30) |
| 2.366 Å | (30) |
| 1.940 Å | (30) |
Comments:
XRD Ajo, Arizona, USA. Data from Newberg (1964).
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event | <2.4 |
| 47a : [Near-surface hydration of prior minerals] |
Geological Setting:
Oxidation zone in copper deposits
Type Occurrence of Shattuckite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Pseudomorphs after malachite and as small spherulites.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, R4871-R4874, 87447, 93891, 95727.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
A secondary mineral in an oxidized copper deposit.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Shattuckite
Other Language Names for Shattuckite
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 444 photos of Shattuckite associated with Quartz | SiO2 |
| 431 photos of Shattuckite associated with Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| 209 photos of Shattuckite associated with Dioptase | CuSiO3 · H2O |
| 105 photos of Shattuckite associated with Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| 60 photos of Shattuckite associated with Calcite | CaCO3 |
| 49 photos of Shattuckite associated with Ajoite | (K,Na)Cu7AlSi9O24(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 38 photos of Shattuckite associated with Plancheite | Cu8(Si8O22)(OH)4 · H2O |
| 24 photos of Shattuckite associated with 'Smoky Quartz' | SiO2 |
| 20 photos of Shattuckite associated with Cuprite | Cu2O |
| 13 photos of Shattuckite associated with 'Duhamelite' | (Pb,Bi,Ca)Cu(VO4)(OH,O) |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 9.DB.05 | Potassiccarpholite | K(Mn2+,Li)2Al4Si4O12(OH,F)8 |
| 9.DB.05 | Carpholite | Mn2+Al2(Si2O6)(OH)4 |
| 9.DB.05 | Vanadiocarpholite | Mn2+V3+Al(Si2O6)(OH)4 |
| 9.DB.05 | Magnesiocarpholite | MgAl2Si2O6(OH)4 |
| 9.DB.05 | Ferrocarpholite | Fe2+Al2Si2O6(OH)4 |
| 9.DB.05 | Balipholite | BaLiMg2Al3(Si2O6)2(OH)4 |
| 9.DB.10 | Lorenzenite | Na2Ti2(Si2O6)O3 |
| 9.DB.15 | Punkaruaivite | LiTi2(HSi4O12)(OH)2 · H2O |
| 9.DB.15 | Lintisite | LiNa3Ti2(Si2O6)2O2 · 2H2O |
| 9.DB.17 | Eliseevite | LiNa1.5Ti2(H1.5Si4O12)O2 · 2H2O |
| 9.DB.20 | Kukisvumite | Na6ZnTi4(Si8O24)O4 · 4H2O |
| 9.DB.20 | Manganokukisvumite | Na6MnTi4(Si8O24)O4 · 4H2O |
| 9.DB.25 | Vinogradovite | Na4Ti4(Si2O6)2[(Si,Al)4O10]O4 · (H2O,Na,K)3 |
| 9.DB.25 | Paravinogradovite | Na1-2(Ti,Fe3+)4(Si2O6)2(AlSi3O10)(OH)4 · H2O |
| 9.DB.30 | Nchwaningite | Mn2+2(SiO3)(OH)2 · H2O |
| 9.DB.40 | 'UM2005-31-SiO:CuH' | Cu11(SiO4)(OH)18 · 9H2O (?) |
| 9.DB.45 | Aerinite | (Ca5.1Na0.5)(Fe3+,Al,Fe2+,Mg)4(Al,Mg)6[HSi12O36(OH)12][(CO3)1.2(H2O)12] |
| 9.DB.50 | Capranicaite | KCaNaAl4B4Si2O18 |
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 Shattuckite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3634.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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External Links:
Mineral Dealers:
References for Shattuckite
Reference List:
Sun, Ming-Shan (1961) Differential thermal analysis of shattuckite. American Mineralogist, 46 (1-2) 67-77
Evans, H. T., Mrose, M. E. (1966) Shattuckite and Plancheite: A Crystal Chemical Study. Science, 154 (3748). 506-507 doi:10.1126/science.154.3748.506
Vlisidis, Angelina C., Schaller, Waldemar T. (1967) The formula of shattuckite. American Mineralogist, 52 (5-6) 782-786
Le Bihan, Marie-Thérèse (1967) Contribution à l'étude des silicates de cuivre. Différenciation de la shattuckite et de la planchéite. Structure atomique de la shattuckite. Bulletin de Minéralogie, 90 (1) 3-7 doi:10.3406/bulmi.1967.6059
KAWAHARA, Akira (1976) The crystal structure of shattuckite. Mineralogical Journal, 8 (3) 193-199 doi:10.2465/minerj.8.193
Evans, Howard T., Mrose, Mary E. (1977) The crystal chemistry of the hydrous copper silicates, shattuckite and plancheite. American Mineralogist, 62 (5-6) 491-502
Bowell, Rob; Cook, Robert B. (2009) Connoisseur's Choice: Shattuckite, Kunene District, Kaokoveld, Namibia. Rocks & Minerals, 84 (6). 544-550 doi:10.1080/00357520903272231
Frost, Ray L., Xi, Yunfei (2012) Raman spectroscopic study of the mineral shattuckite Cu5(SiO3)4(OH)2. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 87. 241-244 doi:10.1016/j.saa.2011.11.046
Koshelev, A. V., Zvereva, E. A., Chareev, D. A., Volkova, O. S., Vymazalova, A., Laufek, F., Kovalchuk, E. V., Rahaman, B., Saha-Dasgupta, T., Vasiliev, A. N. (2016) The long-range magnetic order and underlying spin model in shattuckite Cu5(SiO3)4(OH)2. Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, 43 (1) 43-49 doi:10.1007/s00269-015-0772-7
Localities for Shattuckite
Showing 89 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.
Argentina | |
| Juan Carlos Lodovichi specimen |
Austria | |
| Leute (1999) +1 other reference |
| Niedermayr et al. (1998) | |
Chile | |
| collected and analysed by french ... |
DR Congo | |
| Lhoest (1992) |
| King (n.d.) |
| King (n.d.) | |
| Handbook of Mineralogy. +1 other reference | |
| Deliens (1996) | |
| Lhoest (1992) +2 other references |
| [MinRec 22:13-20 |
Germany | |
| Mineralienatlas.de (2025) |
| Weiß (1990) |
| Weiß (1990) | |
Greece | |
| Reinecke et al. (1991) |
| Reinecke et al. (1991) |
Italy | |
| Moldovan et al. (2013) |
| Jansen et al. (1998) |
| Luigi Chiappino data |
Japan | |
| Watanabe et al. (2003) |
| Nagashima et al. (2021) |
Jordan | |
| Kim et al. (2021) |
Mexico | |
| Megaw (2023) |
| Thorne (n.d.) +1 other reference |
| Jones et al. (2021) +1 other reference |
Namibia | |
| Cairncross (2005) |
| Fabre (n.d.) |
| Niedermayr (2001) |
| Niedermayr et al. (2008) +1 other reference |
| Schnaitmann et al. (2010) | |
| Palfi (2005) +1 other reference | |
| Schnaitmann et al. (2010) | |
| Schnaitmann et al. (2010) | |
| Brandstätter +4 other references | |
| Gebhard (1999) |
Republic of the Congo | |
| Redpath Museum collection |
Slovakia | |
| Pauliš |
| Koděra et al. (1986) |
South Africa | |
| Cairncross (1991) +2 other references |
| Moore et al. (2016) | |
| Cairncross (1991) +1 other reference | |
| Atanasova et al. (2016) |
UK | |
| Golley et al. (1995) |
| Rust (2022) |
USA | |
| Graeme (1993) |
| Robert Bowell and Rolf Luetcke |
| Schaller (1915) +2 other references |
| Luetcke (n.d.) |
| Luetcke (n.d.) |
| Anthony et al. (1995) |
| Hunt (1983) |
| Roe (1980) |
| |
| Williams (1968) +1 other reference |
| MRDS file #10027548. |
| In the collection of Brent Thorne. ... |
| Ron Layton | |
| Williams (1968) +1 other reference |
| Williams (1982) |
| MRDS file #10037093. |
| Anthony et al. (1995) |
| Sun (1961) +1 other reference |
| DeKalb (1918) +10 other references |
| Ronald C. Render |
| Luetcke (n.d.) |
| Anthony et al. (1995) | |
| Galbraith (1959) | |
| Anthony et al. (1995) |
| Taseko |
| Anthony et al. (1995) | |
| Anthony |
| M. Ascher Collection |
| Anthony et al. (1995) |
| Art Telles |
| Thorne (n.d.) |
| Mindat photo 101657 |
| dan weinrich | |
| Bideaux et al. (1960) +1 other reference |
| Anthony et al. (1995) | |
| Pemberton (1983) +1 other reference |
| Murdoch (1966) | |
| Robert E.Walstrom Collection |
| Rocks & Minerals. Nov. 1999. |
| Northrop et al. (1996) |
| DeMark (2004) |
| Min News 20:10 p 8 | |
| R&M 71:1 p66-68 +1 other reference |
| Walstrom 2006 New Mexico Mineral ... |
| Northrop et al. (1996) |
Quick NavTopAbout ShattuckiteUnique IdentifiersIMA Classification Classification Mineral SymbolsPhysical Properties Optical Data Chemistry Crystallography Crystal StructureX-Ray Powder DiffractionGeological EnvironmentType Occurrence SynonymsOther LanguagesCommon AssociatesStrunz-MindatOther InformationInternet Links References Localities Locality List
Kandesei, Opuwo Rural, Kunene Region, Namibia