Lonsdaleite

Kathleen Lonsdale

Formula:

C

Colour:

Transparent brownish-yellow, grayish

Lustre:

Adamantine

Hardness:

7 - 8

Specific Gravity:

3.2

Crystal System:

Hexagonal

Name:

For Dame Kathleen Lonsdale (1903-1971), Irish crystallographer who established the structure of benzene by X-ray diffraction methods in 1929. She also worked on the synthesis of diamonds, and was a pioneer in the use of X-rays to study crystals.

Type Locality:

ⓘ Canyon Diablo meteorite, Meteor Crater area, Winslow, Coconino Co., Arizona, USA

Polymorph of:

Chaoite, Diamond, Graphite

Classification of LonsdaleiteHide

Physical Properties of LonsdaleiteHide

Optical Data of LonsdaleiteHide

Type:

Uniaxial (+/-)

RI values:

n_α = 2.404 n_β = 2.404

Max Birefringence:

δ = 2.404

Image shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness)
and does not take into account mineral colouration.

Surface Relief:

Very High

Chemical Properties of LonsdaleiteHide

Crystallography of LonsdaleiteHide

Type Occurrence of LonsdaleiteHide

Synonyms of LonsdaleiteHide

Other Language Names for LonsdaleiteHide

Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz GroupingHide

Related Minerals - Dana Grouping (8th Ed.)Hide

Related Minerals - Hey's Chemical Index of Minerals GroupingHide

Other InformationHide

References for LonsdaleiteHide

Internet Links for LonsdaleiteHide

Localities for LonsdaleiteHide

This 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.

Locality ListHide

- This locality has map coordinates listed. - This locality has estimated coordinates. ⓘ - Click for further information on this occurrence. ? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality. - Good crystals or important locality for species. - World class for species or very significant. (TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species. (FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties). Struck out - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (eg from pseudomorphs.)

All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.

Antarctica
Eastern Antarctica Victoria Land Allan Hills ⓘ Allan Hills A77283 meteorite (ALHA77283)	Nature 291:396-398 (1981)
Australia
Western Australia Dundas Shire North Haig Sleeper Camp ⓘ Dingo Pup Donga meteorite	Gennady P. Vdovykin (1970). Ureilites. Space Science Reviews 10, #4, 483-510.
ⓘ North Haig meteorite	Vdovykin, G. P. (1970) Ureilites: Space Science Reviews 10(4): 483-510. (Feb 1970).
China
Liaoning Liaodong Peninsula Dalian Wafangdian Co. Fuxian Kimberlite field Toudaogou (incl. Pipes No. 51; 68 & 74) ⓘ Pipe No. 50	I. Leung and R. Winston, Eos. Trans. AGU, 83(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract #####-##, 2002, MR61A-1028 0830h POSTER
Finland
Southwest Finland Pargas Nauvo ⓘ Haverö meteorite	Vdovykin, G.P. 1972. Forms of carbon in the new Haverö ureilite of Finland. Meteoritics 7 (4) 547-552.
India
Assam ⓘ Goalpara meteorite	Gennady P. Vdovykin (1970). Ureilites. Space Science Reviews 10, #4, 483-510.
Uttar Pradesh ⓘ Dyalpur meteorite	Gennady P. Vdovykin (1970). Ureilites. Space Science Reviews 10, #4, 483-510.
Russia
Krasnoyarsk Krai Anabarskii massif Popigai river ⓘ Popigai impact crater (Popigayskii crater)	P.H. Nixon, (1995) The morphology and nature of primary diamondiferous occurrences, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Volume 53, Issues 1–3, March 1995, Pages 41-71
Evenkia (Evenkiyskiy Autonomous okrug) Nizhnyaya Tunguska River Basin (Lower Tunguska River) ⓘ Tunguska Blast site	Kvasnytsya, V., Wirth, R., Dobrzhinetskaya, L., Matzel, J., Jacobsen, B., Hutcheon, I., ... & Kovalyukh, M. (2013). New evidence of meteoritic origin of the Tunguska cosmic body. Planetary and Space Science, 84, 131-140.
Mordovia ⓘ Novo-Urei meteorite	Gennady P. Vdovykin (1970). Ureilites. Space Science Reviews 10, #4, 483-510.
Primorsky Krai Roshchino ⓘ Kedrovaya river	Seliverstov V.A., Gorshkov A.I., Shcheka S.A., Sivtsov A.V. (1996) Diamonds and carbonadoof Primorskii Krai: mineralogy, crystal; chemistry and genesis, - Geologiya Rudnyh Mestorozhdenii, v.38, №6, p.485-499 (in Russian).
USA (TL)
Arizona Coconino Co. Winslow Meteor Crater area ⓘ Canyon Diablo meteorite (TL)	Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd.ed.: 203, 280; Frondel, C. & U.B. Marvin (1967a), Lonsdaleite, a new hexagonal polymorph of diamond. Nature: 214: 587-589; Frondel, C. & U.B. Marvin (1967b), Lonsdaleite, a hexagonal polymorph of diamond, Am.Min.: 52: 1576.
New Mexico Roosevelt Co. ⓘ Kenna meteorite	Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 40, Dec. 1976, p. 1429-1437.