Stangersite is a rare tin germanium sulfide. It occurs in rock fragments and on crumbly black ash in the central part of a spontaneously burning coal mine dump. It is associated with greenockite and herzenbergite. It was first described from the dump of the abandoned Kateřina mine, ~12 km east of Trutnov, northern Bohemia, Czech Republic.
Is this stangersite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch stangersite with a known reference. Stangersite sits at Mohs 6, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Stangersite leaves a very light yellowish brown streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Stangersite typically shows a vitreous to adamantine luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: orange, yellowish red.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: prismatic crystals.
Often confused with
Stangersite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside stangersite
Minerals reported to co-occur with stangersite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- SnGeS₃
- Mohs hardness
- 6
- Density
- 3.98 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Very Light Yellowish Brown
- Luster
- Vitreous to Adamantine
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals
- Cleavage
- Perfect Perpendicular and Oblique to Elongation
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins in Pegmatites
Where rockhounds find stangersite
Classic worldwide localities
- dump of the abandoned Kateřina mine, northern Bohemia, Czech Republic
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins in pegmatites country, the host setting where stangersite typically forms. If you start seeing danburite, calcite, quartz in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify stangersite?+
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Find stangersite on the map
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