How do I identify Satterlyite?

Satterlyite can be identified by its hardness of 4.5 - 5 on the Mohs scale, Light brown color. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.

What color is Satterlyite?

Satterlyite typically appears in Light brown, pale yellow. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

How hard is Satterlyite?

Satterlyite has a hardness of 4.5 - 5 on the Mohs scale. This gives it moderate hardness.

Satterlyite

A variety of Minerals

What is Satterlyite?

Satterlyite is a hydroxyl bearing iron phosphate mineral. The mineral can be found in phosphatic shales and was first discovered in the Big Fish River area in Yukon Territory, Canada. Satterlyite is part of the phosphate mineral group. Satterlyite is a transparent, light brown to light yellow mineral with a density of 3.68 g/cm. The structure of satterlyite is made up of two pairs of face shared, distorted (Fe,Mg)O6 octahedra, linked together by sharing edges to form double chains along the [001] plain. The first satterlyite mineral was discovered in the Big Fish River area in Yukon Territory, westernmost of Canada; by a geologist at Ontario Department of Mines in Canada, Jack Satterly, and the mineral was also named after him (Kolitsch, 2002).

Satterlyite Market Value Calculator

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Satterlyite Localities Map

See where Satterlyite is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.

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North ZoneCentral RidgeSouth Basin

Key Characteristics

Characteristics of Satterlyite

Satterlyite has a light brown to light yellow color with a light yellow streak and a hardness of 4.5 to 5. It has no trigonal (ditrigonal pyramidal) crystal symmetry with a space group P3*1m and no cleavage (Mandarino, 1978). The parameters of the mineral are a=11.35 Å and c=5.04 Å and the ratio of a to c is 1:0.444 and a cell volume 562.28 Å (Mindat, 2011). The mineral is found as one of three habits; aggregated (when the mineral is made up of many individual crystals or clusters), nodular (grows as a circle around the center) or radial (the crystal radiates outwards from the center of a common point on the mineral) (Mineralogy Database, 2011).

Composition of Satterlyite

Satterlyite has a formula of (Fe,Mg,Fe)2(PO4)(OH). Studies using the optical absorption spectra show that satterlyite has similar features to different iron bearing minerals with Fe(III) and Fe(II) impurities. EPR studies were also made on the mineral first by turning the satterlyite mineral fine powder then putting it into an EPR quartz tube for measurements. The results from the EPR show a strong line on g=2.0 and another line on g=8.0, thus also showing a presence of ferrous and ferric ions in satterlyite.