Where it forms, where it's found
- Type locality
- West Driefontein cave
- Carletonville
- Western Sector
- Far West Rand
- West Rand District Municipality
- Gauteng
- South Africa
9recorded occurrences
Physical
- Transparency
- Transparent · Translucent
- Colour
- Colourless to white
- Streak
- White
- Cleavage
- Perfect
(001)
Optical
- Optical type
- Biaxial (-) · 2V measured = 15° · 2V calc = 70°
- Refractive index
- 1.465 – 1.477
- Principal indices
- nα 1.465 · nβ 1.473 · nγ 1.477
- Dispersion
- r > v strong
Δ = 0Δmax
PPLpleochroism per grain
XPLindependent extinctions · rotate the stage
PPLpleochroism only · colour blends on rotation
XPLinterference colour · extinct every 90°
Retardation120 nm
Order1st order
XPL colour
Crystallography
- Cell parameters
- a = 21.5 Å · b = 30.04 Å · c = 92.06 Å
- Ratio a:b:c
- 1 : 1.397 : 4.282
- Type-locality form
Soft white chalky nodules, up to 2 cm in diameter, and as efflorescence
- Comment
Originally given cell: a = 10.75, b = 15.02, c = 46.03 A, with Z=6.
Chemical composition
Synonyms
- IMA1977-033
- Sasaiet
In other languages
- German
- IMA 1977-033 · Sasait
- Italian
- Sasaite
Classification
Strunz
10th ed.8.DB.55
- 8Phosphates, Arsenates, VanadatesClass
- 8.DPhosphates, etc. with additional anions, with H2ODivision
- 8.DBWith only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4< 1:1Group
- 8.DB.55SasaiteSpecies
Dana
8th ed.43.05.04.01
- 43Compound Phosphates, Etc.Class
- 43.05Hydrated Compound Phosphates, etc·, Containing Hydroxyl or HalogenType
- 43.05.04— unnamed intermediate level —Group
- 43.05.04.01SasaiteSpecies
CIM
—22.3.21
- 22Phosphates, Arsenates or Vanadates with other AnionsClass
- 22.3Phosphates, arsenates or vanadates with sulphatesGroup
- 22.3.21SasaiteSpecies
Literature, links & citation
Citations
- 1978Martini, J. (1978) Sasaite, a new phosphate mineral from West Driefontein Cave, Transvaal, South Africa. Mineralogical Magazine, 42 (323) 401-404 doi:10.1180/minmag.1978.042.323.12 DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1978.042.323.12
- 1979Fleischer, Michael, Chao, George Y., Pabst, and Adolf (1979) New Mineral Names. American Mineralogist, 64 (3-4) 464-467
- 1983Zohan, Z., Slansky, E., Povondra, P. (1983) Vashegyite, a sheet aluminum phosphate; new data. The Canadian Mineralogist: 21(3): 489-498.
- 1990Postl, W. (1990) 810: Über Sasait und eine Nickel-Kupfer-Arsen-Mineralisation im Tagbau Breitenau, Steiermark. In: Niedermayr, G. et al. (1990) Neue Mineralfunde aus Österreich XXXIX. Carinthia II: 180./100.: 279-280. https://opac.geologie.ac.at/ais312/dokumente/Carinthia_II_100_0245_0288.pdf
- 2005(2005) Sasaite. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
author = {Mineral Index editorial board},
title = {Sasaite — Mineral Index},
year = {2026},
url = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/sasaite-3539},
note = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}