Rubinite

rubinite

panguite

davisite

melilite

Images

Formula: Ca₃Ti³⁺₂Si₃O₁₂
Nesosilicate (insular SiO₄ groups), garnet supergroup, titanium-bearing mineral
Crystal System: Isometric
Specific gravity: 3.63 calculated
Environments

Meteorites

Rubinite occurs in calcium-aluminium rich inclusions in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. It is among the first solid materials in the solar nebula formed either as a condensate or through crystallisation from an ¹⁶O-rich calcium-, aluminium- and titanium- rich melt under highly reduced conditions (AM 105.1923-1924).

Localities

At the type locality, the Vigarano meteorite, Vigarano Pieve, Vigarano Mainarda, Ferrara Province, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, rubinite was identified in calcium-aluminium rich inclusions in the carbonaceous chondrite meteorite as irregular subhedral crystals, ~0.5 to 1 μm in size. It occurs in an ultra-refractory fragment with zirconium-rich panguite, spinel and davisite-diopside, all enclosed within forsterite aggregate (AM 105.1923-1924).

At the Efremovka meteorite, Pavlodar, Pavlodar Region, Kazakhstan, rubinite was identified in calcium-aluminium rich inclusions in the carbonaceous chondrite as irregular subhedral crystals, ~1 to 20 μm in size. It occurs within gehlenitic melilite with perovskite, spinel and grossmanite in three inclusions (AM 105.1923-1924).

At the Allende meteorite, Pueblito de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico, rubinite was identified in calcium-aluminium rich inclusions in the carbonaceous chondrite as irregular subhedral crystals, ~1 to 8 μm in size. It is found with primary gehlenitic melilite, perovskite, spinel, hibonite, corundum, davisite, grossmanite, diopside and eringaite, and with secondary anorthite, grossular and sodium-rich melilite (AM 105.1923-1924).

Back to Minerals