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Glite Dictionary
smaltite

smaltite

9.9
A shiny grey mineral that contains cobalt and nickel and is mined for those metals
  • noun
  • Specialized
: smaltita
  • The geologist identified the shiny grey mineral sample as smaltite.

Examples

  • Rich deposits of smaltite were once an important source of cobalt for industrial uses.

  • Miners extracted smaltite from the vein to supply cobalt for making pigments.

  • The geologist discovered a rare sample of smaltite in the mine.

  • Many smaltites are found in cobalt-rich deposits.

  • The geologist identified the shiny grey mineral sample as smaltite.

  • Rich deposits of smaltite were once an important source of cobalt for industrial uses.

  • Miners extracted smaltite from the vein to supply cobalt for making pigments.

Surface Forms

smaltite singular
smaltites plural

Morphology

smaltite = smalt (transparent) = smalt + ite

The word is the base noun 'smalt' plus the common mineral-forming suffix '-ite', so the mineral name directly relates to smalt/cobalt.

Etymology

Smaltite comes from smalt, a deep 'blue' glass pigment made with cobalt, plus the mineral ending -ite, as in graphite. So smaltite is a mineral that provides cobalt used to make blue pigment.