Seifertite (original) (raw)
A valid IMA mineral species
Specific Gravity:
4.294 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Name:
Named in honour of Dr. Friedrich Seifert (1941- ), founding Director of the Bayerisches Geoinstitut (Bavarian Geoinstitute) at Bayreuth, Germany, for his contributions to high-pressure geoscience.
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. Suggested as a minor phase near the core-mantle boundary by Zhang et al. (2016), who synthesized seifertite; in the experiment it was associated with (Mg,Fe)SiO3 post-perovskite.
Unique IdentifiersHide
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Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:26715:1
eaa12ac4-b2b5-44d2-93d8-a322603c9eed
IMA Classification of SeifertiteHide
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Type description reference:
Classification of SeifertiteHide
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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
75.1.6.
75 : TECTOSILICATES Si Tetrahedral Frameworks
1 : Si Tetrahedral Frameworks - SiO2 with [4] coordinated Si
Mineral SymbolsHide
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As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Sft | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of SeifertiteHide
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Density:
4.294 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Chemistry of SeifertiteHide
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Crystallography of SeifertiteHide
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Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
m m m _(_2/_m_2/_m_2/m ) - Dipyramidal
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
Comment:
parameters for the synthesized material (Zhang et al., 2016): a=3.7277, b=4.6576, c=4.1609, V=72.243
Crystal StructureHide
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| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0002871 | Seifertite | Dera P, Prewitt C T, Boctor N Z, Hemley R J (2002) Characterization of a high-pressure phase of silica from the Martian meteorite Shergotty alpha-PbO2-like American Mineralogist 87 1018-1023 |  |
2002 | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide
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Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 2.596 Å | (100) |
| 3.181 Å | (72) |
| 1.938 Å | (64) |
| 1.4199 Å | (44) |
| 1.514 Å | (31) |
| 1.970 Å | (25) |
| 1.288 Å | (19) |
Comments:
characteristic reflections
Quickly amorphizes under electron, laser or ion beams.
Geological EnvironmentHide
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Geological Setting:
Meteorites derived from Martian basalt.
Type Occurrence of SeifertiteHide
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General Appearance of Type Material:
lamellae occurring in composit silica grains
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Museum of the Geological Survey in Calcutta, India.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Presumably formed by impact shock in basaltic Mars rock.
Reference:
El Goresy, A., Dera, P., Sharp, T.G., Prewitt, C.T., Chen, M., Dubrovinsky, L., Wopenka, B., Boctor, N.Z., Hemley, R.J. (2008) Seifertite, a dense orthorhombic polymorph of silica from the Martian meteorites Shergotty and Zagami. European Journal of Mineralogy: 20: 523-528.
Synonyms of SeifertiteHide
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Other Language Names for SeifertiteHide
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Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide
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Other InformationHide
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Notes:
Easily destroyed by irradiation (focused electron, laser or ion beams).
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for SeifertiteHide
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References for SeifertiteHide
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Reference List:
Localities for SeifertiteHide
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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
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