Butianite
A nickel tin sulphide, the tin partner of nuwaite, from Allende.
Key facts
- Formula
- Ni6SnS2
- Family
- Sulphides
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- First described
- the Allende CV3 chondrite, 2016
Butianite was approved as a new mineral in 2016 from Allende and described in 2018. Its name comes from bu tian, meaning mending the sky, from the Chinese legend of the goddess Nüwa. It is known only from meteorites.
What it is
Butianite has the same structure as nuwaite, with tin in place of germanium. Tin, like germanium, is a moderately volatile element, so its concentration in a mineral records how material moved during alteration on the parent body.
Where it is found
It occurs with nuwaite as tiny grains in altered calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions in Allende.
How it is recognised
It is identified by its composition and by electron backscatter diffraction in a scanning electron microscope.
Did you know?
Germanium and tin are both in the same column of the periodic table, which is why they can swap places in this structure.
Their grains are smaller than a typical human red blood cell.