- Aenigmatite
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Aenigmatite General Category Silicate mineral Chemical formula Na2Fe2+5TiSi6O20 Strunz classification 9.DH.40 Crystal symmetry Triclinic pinacoidal
H-M symbol: 1
Space group: P1Unit cell a = 10.415(1) Å, b = 10.840(1) Å, c = 8.931(1) Å;
α = 105.107(4)°, β = 96.610(5)°, γ = 125.398(4)°;
Z = 2Identification Color Velvet-black Crystal habit Poorly developed prismatic crystals, occurring as irregular clusters Crystal system Triclinic - pseudomonoclinic Twinning Complex by rotation perpendicular to (011) or about [010] of the pseudomonoclinic cell; polysynthetic Cleavage Good on {010} and {100} Fracture Uneven Tenacity Brittle Mohs scale hardness 5.5 Luster Vitreous to greasy Streak Reddish brown Diaphaneity Translucent to opaque Specific gravity 3.81 Optical properties Biaxial (+) Refractive index nα = 1.780 - 1.800 nβ = 1.800 - 1.820 nγ = 1.870 - 1.900 Birefringence δ = 0.090 - 0.100 Pleochroism X = yellow brown; Y = red-brown; Z = dark brown to black 2V angle Measured: 27° to 55° Dispersion r < v; very strong References [1][2][3] Aenigmatite, also known as Cossyrite after Cossyra, the ancient name of Pantelleria, is a sodium, iron, titanium inosilicate mineral. The chemical formula is Na2Fe2+5TiSi6O20 and its structure consists of single tetrahedral chains with a repeat unit of four and complex side branches. It forms brown to black triclinic lamellar crystals. It has Mohs hardness of 5.5 to 6 and specific gravity of 3.74 to 3.85. Aenigmatite forms a solid-solution series with wilkinsonite, Na2Fe2+4Fe3+2Si6O20.
Aenigmatite is primarily found in peralkaline volcanic rocks, pegmatites, and granites as well as silica-poor intrusive rocks. It was first described by August Breithaupt in 1865 for an occurrence in the Ilimaussaq intrusive complex of southwest Greenland. Its name comes from αίνιγμα, the Greek word for "riddle".
It was also reported from the Kaidun meteorite, possibly a Mars meteorite, which landed on March 1980 in South Yemen. Other notable studied occurrences include:
- Narsaarsuk and elsewhere in Greenland.
- The Khibiny and Lovozero alkaline massifs on Kola Peninsula, Russia.
- The volcanic island of Pantelleria, Italy.
- In the USA, from Granite Mountain, near Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, and Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California.
- In Australia, from Warrumbungle volcano, Nandewar volcano, and the Mount Warning complex, New South Wales; and the Peak Range Province, Queensland.
- In Canada, from Mount Edziza, the Ilgachuz and Rainbow Range shield complexes.
- From Logan Point quarry, Dunedin volcano, New Zealand.
References
Oxide minerals SimpleMixedAeschynite-(Y) · Armalcolite · Betafite · Euxenite · Freudenbergite · Haggertyite · Ilmenite · Keilhauite · Latrappite · Perovskite · Polycrase · Zimbabweite · Zirconolite · ZirkeliteSilicate minerals Other This article about a specific silicate mineral is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.