cassiterite

[ kuh-sit-uh-rahyt ]

noun

1. a brown or black mineral, tin dioxide, SnO 2 , that crystallizes in the tetragonal system; tinstone: the principal ore of tin.

cassiterite

/ kəˈsɪtəˌraɪt /

noun

1. a black or brown mineral, found in igneous rocks and hydrothermal veins. It is a source of tin. Composition: tin oxide. Formula: SnO 2 . Crystal structure: tetragonal Also calledtinstone

Word History and Origins

Origin of cassiterite¹

1855–60; < Greek kassíter ( os ) tin + -ite ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of cassiterite¹

C19: from Greek kassiteros tin

Example Sentences

On the recent trip into the forest, they found a recently abandoned gold mine and the active mine harvesting cassiterite, the main ore to make tin.

From New York Times

Miner digs in the runoff from an artisanal cassiterite and coltan mine near Numbi in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on April 7th, 2017.

From The Verge

Regardless of the method, searching for gold and other minerals like cassiterite and niobium is dirty, dangerous and often illegal.

From Reuters

The ore is cassiterite and this is usually found in volcanic rocks like granite.

From Forbes

It is also rich in resources - gold, diamonds, cassiterite and coltan, used in mobile phones.

From BBC