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Ringwoodite

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Formula:
(Mg,Fe
2+
 
)
 
2
SiO
 
4
System:IsometricColour:Bluish- to smoke- gray, ...
Name:Named after Alfred Edward Ringwood (1930-1993), noted geochemist and Professor of Geology, Australian National University, Canberra. (http://rses.anu.edu.au/admin/index.php?p=ringwood_legacy [Link Broken? Apr 2013])
Polymorph of:Forsterite, Wadsleyite


Olivine Group.

The isometric polymorph of Wadsleyite and Forsterite.

Classification of Ringwoodite

IMA status:Approved
Strunz 8th edition ID:8/A.06-20
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:9.AC.15

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
A : Nesosilicates
C : Nesosilicates without additional anions; cations in octahedral [6] coordination
Dana 8th edition ID:51.3.3.1

51 : NESOSILICATES Insular SiO4 Groups Only
3 : Insular SiO4 Groups Only with all cations in octahedral [6] coordination
Hey's CIM Ref.:14.21.2

14 : Silicates not Containing Aluminum
21 : Silicates of Fe and Mg
mindat.org URL:http://www.mindat.org/min-3421.html
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Type Occurrence of Ringwoodite

Type Locality:Tenham meteorite, Tenham Station, South Gregory, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia
Place of Conservation of Type Material:The Natural History Museum, London, England, 1935,792.
Year of Discovery:1969
Geological Setting of type material:Tenham meteorite
Associated Minerals at type locality:
Majorite

Occurrences of Ringwoodite

Geological Setting:Meteorites

Physical Properties of Ringwoodite

Diaphaneity (Transparency):Translucent
Colour:Bluish- to smoke- gray, purple, colourless
Density (calculated):3.9 g/cm3

Crystallography of Ringwoodite

Crystal System:Isometric
Class (H-M):m3m (4/m 3 2/m) - Hexoctahedral
Space Group:Ia3d {I41/a 3 2/d}
Cell Parameters:a = 8.113Å
Unit Cell Volume:V 534.00 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:8
Morphology:Rounded grains, to 100 μm, or massive
X-Ray Powder Diffraction:
d-spacingIntensity
2.447 (100)
1.434 (60)
2.028 (40)
2.872 (20)
1.560 (20)
1.0559 (10)
0.8283 (10)

Optical Data of Ringwoodite

Type:Isotropic
RI values: n = 1.768
Maximum Birefringence:δ = 0.000 - Isotropic minerals have no birefringence
Surface Relief:High

Chemical Properties of Ringwoodite

Formula:
(Mg,Fe
2+
 
)
 
2
SiO
 
4
Essential elements:Mg, O, Si
All elements listed in formula:Fe, Mg, O, Si
Common Impurities:Ti,Mn,Ca

Relationship of Ringwoodite to other Species

Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- +
9.AC.05Fayalite
Fe
2+
2
SiO
 
4
9.AC.05Forsterite
Mg
 
2
SiO
 
4
9.AC.05Glaucochroite
CaMn
2+
 
SiO
 
4
9.AC.05Kirschsteinite
CaFe
2+
 
SiO
 
4
9.AC.05Laihunite
Fe
2+
 
Fe
3+
2
(SiO
 
4
)
 
2
9.AC.05Liebenbergite
(Ni,Mg)
 
2
SiO
 
4
9.AC.05Tephroite
Mn
2+
2
SiO
 
4
9.AC.10Monticellite
CaMgSiO
 
4
9.AC.20Chesnokovite
Na
 
2
[SiO
 
2
(OH)
 
2
] · 8H
 
2
O
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
14.21.1Olivine
(Mg,Fe
2+
 
)
 
2
SiO
 
4
14.21.3Wadsleyite
(Mg,Fe
2+
 
)
 
2
(SiO
 
4
)
14.21.4Clinoferrosilite
Fe
2+
 
SiO
 
3
14.21.5Anthophyllite
☐{Mg
 
2
}{Mg
 
5
}(Si
 
8
O
 
22
)(OH)
 
2
14.21.6Cummingtonite
☐{Mg
 
2
}{Mg
 
5
}(Si
 
8
O
 
22
)(OH)
 
2
14.21.7 Magnesiocummingtonite
14.21.8Grunerite
☐{Fe
2+
2
}{Fe
2+
5
}(Si
 
8
O
 
22
)(OH)
 
2
14.21.9Minnesotaite
(Fe,Mg)
 
3
(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
14.21.10Chesterite
(Mg,Fe)
 
17
Si
 
20
O
 
54
(OH)
 
6
14.21.11Jimthompsonite
(Mg,Fe)
 
5
Si
 
6
O
 
16
(OH)
 
2
14.21.12Clinojimthompsonite
(Mg,Fe)
 
5
Si
 
6
O
 
16
(OH)
 
2
14.21.13Majorite
Mg
 
3
(Fe
2+
 
,Si,Al)
 
2
(SiO
 
4
)
 
3
14.21.14Balangeroite
(Mg,Fe
2+
 
,Fe
3+
 
,Mn
2+
 
)
 
42
Si
 
16
O
 
54
(OH)
 
40

Other Names for Ringwoodite

Synonyms:
IMA1968-036
Other Languages:
German:Ringwoodit
Russian:Рингвудит
Spanish:Ringwoodita

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.
Industrial Uses:None.

References for Ringwoodite

Reference List:

- +
Binns, R.A., Davis, R.J., and Reed, S.J.B. (1969) Ringwoodite, natural (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 spinel in the Tenham meteorite. Nature: 221: 943-944.

American Mineralogist (1969): 54: 1219.

Coleman, L.C. (1977) Ringwoodite and majorite in the Catherwood meteorite. Canadian Mineralogist: 15: 97-101.

Boctor, N.Z., Bell, P.M., and Mao, H.K. (1982) Petrology and shock metamorphism of Pampa del Infierno chondrite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta: 46: 1903-1911.

Sinogeikin, S.V., Katsura, T., and Bass, J.D. (1998) Sound velocities and elastic properties of Fe-bearing wadsleyite and ringwoodite. Journal of Geophysical Research: 103: 20819-20825.

Internet Links for Ringwoodite

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  • Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project
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  • Ringwoodite details from Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF)
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    • Localities for Ringwoodite

    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.
    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.
    Antarctica
     
    • Eastern Antarctica
      • American Highland
        • Grove Mts
    		YT Lin, Lu Feng, Sen Hu (2011) High Pressure Mineral Assemblages in the Lherzolitic Shergottite Grove Mountains (GRV) 020090. Japan Geooscience Union Meeting Makuhari, Chiba Japan.
    Lu Feng, Masaaki Miyahara, Toshiro Nagase, Eiji Ohtani, Sen Hu, Ahmed El Goresy, Yangting Lin (2011) Shock Conditions and Formation Mechanism of Akimotoite-Pyroxene Glass Assemblages in the Grove Mountains (GRV) 052082. Japan Geooscience Union Meeting Makuhari, Chiba Japan.
    Argentina
     
    • Chaco
      • Almirante Brown Department
        • Pampa del Infierno
    		Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta: 46: 1903-1911.
    Australia
     
    • Queensland
      • Charters Towers Region
        • South Gregory
          • Tenham Station
    		CM 15 (1977), 97; HB2/2 (1995); Nature 1969, 943-4; T. Ferroir, M. Miyahara, E. Ohtani, P.Beck, A. Simionovici P. Gillet and A. El Goresy 72nd Meeting of the Meteoritical Society: Abstracts Page A69 No. 5143
    • Western Australia
      • Dundas Shire
        • Rawlinna
    		Smith, J. V.; Mason, Brian 1970 Pyroxene-Garnet Transformation in Coorara Meteorite. Science, Volume 168, Issue 3933, pp. 832-833
    Canada
     
    • Alberta
      • Peace River
    		Canadian Mineralogist Vol. 21, pp. 29-35 (1983)
    • Saskatchewan
      • Catherwood
    		Canadian Mineralogist (1977): 15: 97-101.
    China
     
    • Hebei Province
      • Zhangjiakou Prefecture
        • Wanquan Co.
    		Hongsen Xie, Huifen Zhang, Yueming Zhang, Huigang Xu, Shijie Zhuang (1984): Acta Mineralogica Sinica 4(4), 289-295
    • Hubei Province
      • Suizhou Prefecture
        • Sui Co.
          • Xihe
    		American Mineralogist (2000): 85: 1564.; Xie Xiande, Chen Ming, Wang Deqiang, A. El Goresy (2001): NaAlSi3O8-hollandite and other high-pressure minerals in the shock melt veins of the Suizhou meteorite. Chinese Science Bulletin 46, 1116-1125.
    • Jiangsu Province
      • Taizhou Prefecture
        • Gaogang District
          • Sixiangkou
    		Zhang, A., et al (2006): Lunar and Planetary Science, 37, 1069; Miyajima, N., El Goresy, A., Dupas-Bruzek, C., Seifert, F., Rubie, D.C., Chen, M., Xie, X. (2007): Ferric iron in Al-bearing akimotoite coexisting with iron-nickel metal in a shock-melt vein in an L-6 chondrite. American Mineralogist, 92, 1545-1549.
    Libya
     
    • Al Jabal al Gharbi District
    Oman
     
    • Dhofar (Al Janubiyah) Province
    		D.D. Badjukov et al. , Lunar and Planetary Science, XXXVI (2005), 1684.pdf
    USA
     
    • New Mexico
      • De Baca Co.
    		http://www.museum.hu-berlin.de/min/forsch/Schockklassifikation%20Stoeffler/Final%20Version/subdir/effectsa.htm
      • Harding Co.
    		Zhidong Xie et al. , Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI (2005), 1216.pdf
      • Roosevelt Co.
        • Rogers
    • Oregon
      • Josephine Co.
        • Josephine Creek District
    		www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/faculty/Bird.html
    • Texas
      • Randall Co.
    		Zhidong Xie et al. , Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI (2005), 1216.pdf
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    Copyright © Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau 1993-2013. Site Map. Locality, mineral & photograph data are the copyright of the individuals who submitted them. Further information contact the Site hosted & developed by Jolyon Ralph. Mindat.org is an online information resource dedicated to providing free mineralogical information to all. Mindat relies on the contributions of hundreds of members and supporters. Mindat does not offer minerals for sale. If you would like to add information to improve the quality of our database, then click here to register.
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