SURSASSITE

    Class : Silicates
    Subclass : Sorosilicates
    Crystal system : Monoclinic
    Chemistry : Mn2Al3(SiO4)(Si2O7)(OH)3
    Rarity : Rare

Sursassite is a rare silicate from weakly metamorphic manganese deposits. Its name comes from its discovery locality : Sursass (Switzerland). Sursassite occurs as veinlets of fibrous crystals and as botryoidal masses with a radiate texture, of a copper-red to red-brown color.

Main photo : Sursassite from Molinello Mine, Liguria, Italy © Fabrizio Castellaro

Sursassite in the World

Sursassite is a rare mineral. It is known in small radiated botryoidal masses in radiolarite cherts of the Val d'Err manganese deposit (Switzerland), in quartz, baryte and calcite veinlets cutting the iron and manganese ore of Plymouth (New Brunswick, Canada), at the Molinello mine (Italy) and in a few other rare localities in the world.

Photo on the right : Sursassite from Molinello Mine, Liguria, Italy © Gianfranco Ciccolini


Sursassite in France

Sursassite is not present in the French underground.

Twinning

No twinning known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : Undetermined
Density : 3.25
Fracture : Undetermined
Streak : Brown-yellow

TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.736 to 1.766
Birefringence : 0.030
Optical character : Biaxial -
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : -

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None