Colorless sharp crystals of the rare organic mineral fichtelite on a matrix of fossilied wood. Fichtelite is C19H34 an organic compound also known as Dimethyl-isopropyl-perhydrophenanthrene (also known as norabietane, or more specifically 18-norabietane). From: Wampen, Thiersheim, Fichtelgebirge, Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fichtelite
A rare white cyclic hydrocarbon mineral found in fossilized Bavarian wood — essentially a fossilized resin compound.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Fichtelite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the organic mineral class, with the chemical formula C₁₉H₃₄.
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group P2_1).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 1; specific gravity 0.631; Greasy luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Fic, grandfathered status — known before the IMA’s founding, named in 1841.
Found in fossilized pine wood from a peat bog; in organic-rich modern marine sediment.
The name refers to the original locality in the Fichtelgebirge, Bavaria, Germany.