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Moissanite

Big Photo

Puiva (Pouyva) Mount, Saranpaul, Prepolar Ural, Tyumenskaya Oblast', Urals Region, Russia
© Pavel M. Kartashov

Show Moissanite Photos (4)
Formula:
SiC
System:HexagonalColour:Green, black
Lustre:Vitreous, Sub-MetallicHardness:9½
Name:Named after H. Moissan (1852-1907) who discovered the natural occurrence.


Moissanite Group

Moissanite, found as tiny crystals in some meteorites, is naturally occuring silicon carbide, SiC (more commonly known as the man-made abrasive Carborundum).

A large number of polytypes (predominantly hexagonal or rhombohedral) is known.

Classification of Moissanite

IMA status:Approved
Strunz 8th edition ID:1/B.02-30
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:1.DA.

1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
D : Nonmetallic Carbides and Nitrides
A : Nonmetallic carbides
Dana 7th edition ID:1.3.7.1
Dana 8th edition ID:1.3.8.1

1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
3 : Semi-metals and non-metals
Hey's CIM Ref.:2.1

2 : Carbides, Nitrides, Silicides and Phosphides
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Type Occurrence of Moissanite

Type Locality:Canyon Diablo meteorite, Meteor Crater and vicinity, Winslow, Coconino Co., Arizona, USA

Physical Properties of Moissanite

Lustre:Vitreous, Sub-Metallic
Colour:Green, black
Streak:Greenish grey
Hardness (Mohs):9½

Crystallography of Moissanite

Crystal System:Hexagonal

Optical Data of Moissanite

Type:Uniaxial (+)
RI values: nω = 2.616 - 2.757 nε = 2.654 - 2.812
Maximum Birefringence:δ = 0.038

Chart shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness) and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Surface Relief:Very High

Chemical Properties of Moissanite

Formula:
SiC
Essential elements:C, Si
All elements listed in formula:C, Si

Relationship of Moissanite to other Species

Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
2.2Sinoite
Si
 
2
N
 
2
O
2.3Osbornite
TiN
2.4Tongbaite
Cr
 
3
C
 
2
2.5Carlsbergite
CrN
2.6Siderazot
Fe
 
5
N
 
2
2.7Gupeiite
Fe
 
3
Si
2.8Xifengite
Fe
 
5
Si
 
3
2.9Khamrabaevite
(Ti,V,Fe)C
2.10Haxonite
(Fe,Ni)
 
23
C
 
6
2.11Cohenite
(Fe,Ni,Co)
 
3
C
2.12Roaldite
(Fe,Ni)
 
4
N
2.13Suessite
(Fe,Ni)
 
3
Si
2.14Schreibersite
(Fe,Ni)
 
3
P
2.15Barringerite
(Fe,Ni)
 
2
P
2.16Perryite
(Ni,Fe)
 
5
(Si,P)
 
2

Other Names for Moissanite

Synonyms:
Muassanite
Other Languages:
German:Moissanit
Muassanit
Italian:Moissanite
Portuguese:Moissanite
Russian:Муассанит
Simplified Chinese:莫桑石
Spanish:Moissanita
Muassanita

Polytypes for Moissanite

Polytypes:
Moissanite-10RMoissanite-2HMoissanite-4H

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 Moissanite

Reference List:Palache, Charles, Harry Berman & Clifford Frondel (1944), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana Yale University 1837-1892, Volume I: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts, Oxides. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 7th edition, revised and enlarged, 834pp.: 123-124.

Structure Reports (or Strukturbericht) 13 (1950), 166 [crystal structure].

Bauer, J. et al. (1963): Natural alpha-silicon carbide. American Mineralogist 48: 620-634.[http://www.minsocam.org/msa/collectors_corner/arc/moissanite.htm]

Acta Crystallographica B25 (1969), 477 [Recent/Best,Powder Pat.,Xl. Structure].

Hannam, A.L. and P.T.B. Shaffer (1969) Revised X-ray diffraction line intensities for silicon carbide polytypes. Journal of Applied Crystallography, 2, 45–48.

Gevorkyan, R.G., G.A. Gurkina, and F.V. Kaminskii (1974): New type of natural moissanite from Armenia. Zap. Vses. Mineral. Obshch., 7, 106–110 (in Russian).

American Mineralogist (1976): 61: 1054.

Transactions (Doklady) of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Earth Science Sections 262 (1982), 163 [Powder Pat.,Chemistry].

Leung, I., W. Guo, I. Friedman, and J. Gleason (1990) Natural occurrence of silicon carbide in a diamondiferous kimberlite from Fuxian. Nature, 346, 352–354.

Marshintsev, V.K. (1990) Natural silicon carbide in kimberlitic rocks of Yakutia [Sakha]. Mineral. Zhurnal, 12(3), 17–26 (in Russian).

American Mineralogist (1992): 77: 208.

Filippidis, A. (1993) New find of moissanite in the Metaxades zeolite-bearing volcaniclastic rocks, Thrace county, Greece. Neues Jahrb. Mineral., Monatsh., 521–527.

Mathez, E.A., R.A. Fogel, I.D. Hutcheon, and V.K. Marshintsev (1995) Carbon
isotopic composition and origin of SiC from kimberlites of Yakutia [Sakha], Russia. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 59, 781–791.

Capitani, G.C., Di Pierro, S., Tempesta, G. (2007): The 6H-SiC structure model: further refinement from SCXRD data from a terrestrial moissanite. American Mineralogist, 92, 403-407.

Articles/Blogs about Moissanite

Internet Links for Moissanite

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  • Look for Moissanite on Mineralien Atlas
  • Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project
  • American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database
  • Search for Moissanite in the Natural History Museum (London) online catalogue
  • Moissanite details from Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF)
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    Localities for Moissanite

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    The map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.
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    (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.
    China
     
    • Liaoning Province (Manchuria; Dongbei Region)
      • Dalian Prefecture
        • Wafangdian Co.
    		http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/open-file/of03-220/DATABASE/lode_deposits.txt
    • Shandong Province
      • Linyi Prefecture
        • Yimeng Mts (Yimeng Shan)
          • Mengyin Co.
    		Jianhong Zhang, Guojie Yang, and Zhaohui Li (1986): Kuangwu Xuebao 6, 344-349.
    • Tibet Autonomous Region
      • Shannan Prefecture
        • Qusum (Qusong) Co.
    		Wenji Bai, Nicheng Shi, Qingsong Fang, Guowu Li, Ming Xiong, Jingsui Yang, and He Rong (2006): Acta Geologica Sinica 80(5), 656-659.
    • Yunnan Province
      • Lijiang Prefecture
        • Gucheng District
    		Zhaochong Zhang, Jingwen Mao, Fusheng Wang, and Pirajno, F. (2006): American Mineralogist 91(7), 1178-1183.
    Czech Republic
     
    AmMin 48:620-634 (1963)
    Hungary
     
    • Tolna Co.
      • Völgység
        • Bátaapáti
    		Szakáll-Gatter-Szendrei:Mineral Species of Hungary,2005
    Russia
     
    • Eastern-Siberian Region
      • Saha Republic (Sakha Republic; Yakutia)
    		[World of Stones 12:49]
        • Vilyui River Basin (Vilui River Basin; Wilui River Basin)
          • Lower Khann'ya River
    • Far-Eastern Region
      • Kamchatka Oblast'
        • Tolbachik volcano
    		[MinRec 31:202]
    • Northern Region
      • Murmanskaja Oblast'
        • Kola Peninsula
    		www.koeln.netsurf.de/~w.steffens/khib.htm
    • Urals Region
      • Tyumenskaya Oblast'
        • Prepolar Ural
          • Saranpaul
    		P.M. Kartashov data
    • Volgo-Vyatskii region
      • Nizhnii Novgorod (Gor'kii)
    		M.I. Novgorodova data
    • Western-Siberian Region
      • Tyumenskaya Oblast'
    		[Mineralien Welt 6/92:62]
    Turkey
     
    • Aegean Region
      • Izmir Province
    		Am Min 88:1817-1821
    USA
     
    • Arizona
      • Coconino Co.
        • Winslow
          • Meteor Crater and vicinity
    		Am Min 77 (1992), 208
    • Wyoming
      • Sweetwater Co.
    		AmMin 48:620-634 (1963)
    Mineral and/or Locality
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