Cassiterite

Cassiterite

SCIENCE / MINERALOGY
Cassiterite is tin dioxide, SnO₂, and the principal ore mineral of tin. It crystallizes in the tetragonal system and can form short prismatic, bipyramidal, twinned, botryoidal, or massive habits. Colors range from black and brown to red-brown, yellow, and rarely pale or transparent crystals.

GEOLOGY & FORMATION
Cassiterite forms mainly in highly evolved granites, greisens, pegmatites, and hydrothermal veins rich in tin and other incompatible elements. Because it is dense and resistant to weathering, it also concentrates in placer deposits. Important tin provinces occur in China, Southeast Asia, Bolivia, Cornwall, central Africa, Australia, and Brazil.

METAPHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Cassiterite is traditionally associated with grounding, practicality, manifestation, and turning abstract plans into concrete results. Its density and economic importance as a metal ore make it a strong symbol of materialization and useful structure. It is often used for persistence and for breaking large goals into workable steps.

KEY PROPERTIES
Grounding • Manifestation • Practicality • Persistence • Structure • Focus • Achievement

CHAKRA: Root • Solar Plexus
ELEMENT: Earth
ZODIAC: Capricorn • Sagittarius
MOHS HARDNESS: 6–7

ACCURACY / TRADE-NAME NOTE
Valid mineral species and major tin ore.