Da prisen av thortveititt var 3x høyre enn den for gull, lønte det seg å ta vare på hver eneste korn. Det ble til og med brukt pinsett til å plukke opp slike ko — Photo: Fennefoss geomuseum · CC BY-SA 4.0
Thortveitite
Scandium yttrium silicate — the principal ore of scandium.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Thortveitite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula Sc₂Si₂O₇.
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group C2/m). It is a member of the Thortveitite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 6–7; specific gravity 3.27–3.58; typically green or gray; white streak; Vitreous to subadamantine luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Tvt, grandfathered status — known before the IMA’s founding, named in 1911.
Found in granite pegmatite dikes (Norway).
It is found associated with Euxenite, biotite, oligoclase, microcline, quartz (Iveland, Norway); monazite, fergusonite, ilmenorutile, beryl, muscovite, magnetite (Befanamo, Madagascar).
The name refers to Olaus Thortveit, Norwegian mineralogist who discovered the mineral.
Collections: Collector Favorites, Rare & Remarkable.