Steinhardtite

steinhardtite

ahrensite

coesite

stishovite

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Formula: Al
Element, iron group, allotrope of aluminium, that belongs to the nickel group
Crystal System: Isometric
Specific gravity: 5.52 calculated
Common impurities: Ni, Fe
Environments

Metamorphic environments
Meteorites

Steinhardtite is a relatively new mineral, approved in 2014 and to date (February 2025) reported only from the type locality.

Localities

At the type locality, the Khatyrka meteorite, Iomrautvaam massif, Anadyrsky District, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, steinhardtite is an allotropic form of aluminum. It occurs as rare crystals up to ~10 microns across in meteoric fragments that contain evidence of a heterogeneous distribution of pressures and temperatures during impact shock, in which some portions of the carbonaceous chondrite meteorite reached at least 5 GPa and 1200°C. The meteorite fragments contain the high-pressure phases ahrensite, coesite, stishovite and an unnamed spinelloid with composition Fe3–xSixO4 (x ~ 0.4). Other minerals include trevorite, nickel - aluminium - magnesium - iron spinels, magnetite, diopside, forsterite, clinoenstatite, nepheline, pentlandite, copper-bearing troilite, icosahedrite, khatyrkite, cupalite, taenite and aluminium-bearing taenite (AM 99.2433-2436).

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