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Seifertite

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Formula:
SiO
 
2
System:Orthorhombic
Name:Named in honour of Dr. Friedrich Seifert (1941- ), founding Director of the Bayerisches Geoinstitut (Bavarian Geoinstitute) at Bayreuth, Germany.


The densest and hardest polymorph of silica found in nature so far, with a structure similar to that of alpha-PbO2. Found first in the Shergotty meteorite, and since then in several other Martian meteorites. Stable only above pressures of 780 kilobars, so it could theoretically also form in the Earth's mantle at depths over 1,700 km, if any free silica is present.

Classification of Seifertite

IMA status:Approved 2004
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:4.DA.50

4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
D : Metal: Oxygen = 1:2 and similar
A : With small cations: Silica family
Dana 8th edition ID:75.1.6.

75 : TECTOSILICATES Si Tetrahedral Frameworks
1 : Si Tetrahedral Frameworks - SiO2 with [4] coordinated Si
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Type Occurrence of Seifertite

Type Locality:Shergotty Martian meteorite, Gaya District, Bihar, India
General Appearance of Type Material:lamellae occurring in composit silica grains
Geological Setting of type material:Presumably formed by impact shock in basaltic Mars rock.

Occurrences of Seifertite

Geological Setting:Meteorites derived from Martian basalt.

Physical Properties of Seifertite

Density (calculated):4.294 g/cm3

Crystallography of Seifertite

Crystal System:Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) - Dipyramidal
Space Group:Pbcn {P21/b 2/c 21/n}
Cell Parameters:a = 4.097(1) Å, b = 5.0462(8) Å, c = 4.4946(8) Å
Ratio:a:b:c = 0.812 : 1 : 0.891
Unit Cell Volume:V 92.92 ų
Z:4

Chemical Properties of Seifertite

Formula:
SiO
 
2
Essential elements:O, Si
All elements listed in formula:O, Si
Empirical Formula:
SiO
 
2

Relationship of Seifertite to other Species

Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- +
4.DA.05Quartz
SiO
 
2
4.DA.10Opal
SiO
 
2
 · nH
 
2
O
4.DA.10Tridymite
SiO
 
2
4.DA.15Cristobalite
SiO
 
2
4.DA.20Mogánite
SiO
 
2
4.DA.25Melanophlogite
46SiO
 
2
 · 6(N
 
2
,CO
 
2
) · 2(CH
 
4
,N
 
2
)
4.DA.30Lechatelierite
SiO
 
2
4.DA.35Coesite
SiO
 
2
4.DA.40Stishovite
SiO
 
2
4.DA.45Keatite

Other Names for Seifertite

Synonyms:
IMA2004-010UM1999-32-SiOUM1999-//-SiOUnnamed (Orthorhombic Si Oxide)
Other Languages:
German:Seifertit

Other Information

Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

References for Seifertite

Reference List:

- +
A. El Goresy, P. Dera, T.G. Sharp, C.T. Prewitt, M. Chen, L. Dubrovinsky, B. Wopenka, N.Z. Boctor, R.J. Hemley (2008): Seifertite, a dense orthorhombic polymorph of silica from the Martian meteorites Shergotty and Zagami. European Journal of Mineralogy 20, 523-528.

U. Bläß, F. Langenhorst (2011): High-pressure phase transformation of SiO2 polymorphs to Seifertite. Joint Meeting of the DGK, DMG and ÖMG, Salzburg, Austria, September 20-24, 2011; Abstracts Volume, p. 46.

Internet Links for Seifertite

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    • Localities for Seifertite

    Hide Locality List
    (TL) indicates type locality. ? indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality. All other localities listed without reference should be considered as uncertain and unproven until references can be found.
    India
     
    • Bihar
      • Gaya District
    		El Goresy, A. et al. (2008):European J. Mineralogy 20,523-528.
    Nigeria
     
    • Katsina State
    		Zhidong Xie et al. , Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI (2005), 1216.pdf
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