The name honors Thomas J. Ahrens (April 25, 1936 – November 24, 2010), a geophysicist at the California Institute of Technology, for his many fundamental contributions to high-pressure mineral physics research.

Type Locality:

ⓘ Tissint Martian meteorite, Tata Cercle, Tata Province, Souss-Massa Region, Morocco

Polymorph of:

Asimowite, Fayalite

Isostructural with:

Ringwoodite

A silicate spinel and the Fe²⁺analogue of ringwoodite. There is at least a partial series with ringwoodite (Bindi et al., 2020).

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Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:

43891

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:43891:7

GUID
(UUID V4):

9890f712-cc91-4bb0-b1d5-b96a781cce66

IMA Classification of AhrensiteHide

IMA status:

Approved

Approval year:

2013

First published:

2014

Type description reference:

Ma, C., Tschauner, O., Beckett, J.R., Liu, Y., Rossman, G.R., Sinogeikin, S.V., Smith, J.S., Taylor, L.A. (2016): Ahrensite, γ-Fe2SiO4, a new shock-metamorphic mineral from the Tissint meteorite: Implications for the Tissint shock event on Mars. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 184:240-256.

Classification of AhrensiteHide

Strunz-mindat (2024):

9.AC.

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
A : Nesosilicates
C : Nesosilicates without additional anions; cations in octahedral [6] coordination

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Symbol	Source	Reference
Ahr	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 AhrensiteHide

Transparency:

Translucent

Colour:

Bluish-green

Density:

4.135 g/cm³ (Calculated)

Chemistry of AhrensiteHide

Mindat Formula:

SiFe₂O₄

Elements listed:

Fe, O, Si - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Crystallography of AhrensiteHide

Crystal System:

Isometric

Class (H-M):

m3m (4/m 3 2/m) - Hexoctahedral

Cell Parameters:

a = 8.1629(7) Å

Unit Cell V:

543.92 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Comment:

Fd-3m

Crystal StructureHide

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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure

ID	Species	Reference	Year	Locality	Temp (K)
0000404	Ahrensite	Yagi T, Marumo F, Akimoto S I (1974) Crystal structures of spinel polymorphs of Fe2SiO4 and Ni2SiO4 American Mineralogist 59 486-490	1974	synthetic	293
0000748	Ahrensite	Finger L W, Hazen R M, Yagi T (1979) Crystal structures and electron densities of nickel and iron silicate spinels at elevated temperature or pressure American Mineralogist 64 1002-1009	1979	synthetic	293
0007404	Ahrensite	Yamanaka T (1986) Crystal structures of Ni2SiO4 and Fe2SiO4 as a function of temperature and heating duration Physics and Chemistry of Minerals 13 227-232	1986	synthetic	293
0007405	Ahrensite	Yamanaka T (1986) Crystal structures of Ni2SiO4 and Fe2SiO4 as a function of temperature and heating duration Physics and Chemistry of Minerals 13 227-232	1986	synthetic	293
0007406	Ahrensite	Yamanaka T (1986) Crystal structures of Ni2SiO4 and Fe2SiO4 as a function of temperature and heating duration Physics and Chemistry of Minerals 13 227-232	1986	synthetic	293
0007407	Ahrensite	Yamanaka T (1986) Crystal structures of Ni2SiO4 and Fe2SiO4 as a function of temperature and heating duration Physics and Chemistry of Minerals 13 227-232	1986	synthetic	293
0007408	Ahrensite	Yamanaka T (1986) Crystal structures of Ni2SiO4 and Fe2SiO4 as a function of temperature and heating duration Physics and Chemistry of Minerals 13 227-232	1986	synthetic	293

CIF Raw Data - click here to close

data_global
_chemical_name_mineral 'Ahrensite'
loop_
_publ_author_name
'Yagi T'
'Marumo F'
'Akimoto S I'
_journal_name_full 'American Mineralogist'
_journal_volume 59 
_journal_year 1974
_journal_page_first 486
_journal_page_last 490
_publ_section_title
;
 Crystal structures of spinel polymorphs of Fe2SiO4 and Ni2SiO4
;
_database_code_amcsd 0000404
_chemical_compound_source 'Synthetic'
_chemical_formula_sum '(Fe2.001 Si.999) O4'
_cell_length_a 8.234
_cell_length_b 8.234
_cell_length_c 8.234
_cell_angle_alpha 90
_cell_angle_beta 90
_cell_angle_gamma 90
_cell_volume 558.255
_exptl_crystal_density_diffrn      4.850
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loop_
_atom_site_label
_atom_site_fract_x
_atom_site_fract_y
_atom_site_fract_z
_atom_site_occupancy
Fe   0.62500   0.62500   0.62500   0.98900
Si   0.62500   0.62500   0.62500   0.01100
Fe   0.00000   0.00000   0.00000   0.02300
Si   0.00000   0.00000   0.00000   0.97700
O   0.36580   0.36580   0.36580   1.00000
loop_
_atom_site_aniso_label
_atom_site_aniso_U_11
_atom_site_aniso_U_22
_atom_site_aniso_U_33
_atom_site_aniso_U_12
_atom_site_aniso_U_13
_atom_site_aniso_U_23
Fe 0.00515 0.00515 0.00515 -0.00034 -0.00034 -0.00034
Si 0.00515 0.00515 0.00515 -0.00034 -0.00034 -0.00034
Fe 0.00343 0.00343 0.00343 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
Si 0.00343 0.00343 0.00343 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
O 0.00515 0.00515 0.00515 -0.00034 -0.00034 -0.00034

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
2.461 Å	(100)
1.571 Å	(61)
1.443 Å	(62)
1.245 Å	(75)
1.178 Å	(62)
1.063 Å	(52)
1.020 Å	(77)
0.943 Å	(76)

Comments:

From Type Description.

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):

Paragenetic Mode	Earliest Age (Ga)
Stage 2: Planetesimal differentiation and alteration	4.566-4.550
6 : Secondary asteroid phases	4.566-4.560

Type Occurrence of AhrensiteHide

Type Locality:

ⓘ Tissint Martian meteorite, Tata Cercle, Tata Province, Souss-Massa Region, Morocco

General Appearance of Type Material:

5–20 μm polycrystalline aggregates consisting of submicron-sized crystals of 50–400 nm in diameter with grain size generally increasing towards the melt pocket.

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

Type material is in Tissint sections UT1 and UT2 deposited in the Meteorite Collection of the Frank H. McClung Museum at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.

Geological Setting of Type Material:

Shock melted Martian meteorite (the Tissint Martian meteorite).

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Wüstite

Fayalite-Forsterite Series

Reference:

Synonyms of AhrensiteHide

IMA2013-028

UM2002-44-SiO:FeMg

Relationship of Ahrensite to other SpeciesHide

Member of:

Ulvöspinel Subgroup > Oxyspinel Group > Spinel Supergroup

Other Members of this group:

Brunogeierite	Ge⁴⁺Fe²⁺₂O₄	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
Filipstadite	(Fe³⁺_0.5Sb⁵⁺_0.5)Mn₂O₄	Iso.
Qandilite	(Mg,Fe³⁺)₂(Ti,Fe³⁺,Al)O₄	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
Ringwoodite	(Mg,Fe²⁺)₂SiO₄	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
Tegengrenite	(Mn³⁺_0.5Sb⁵⁺_0.5)Mg₂O₄	Trig. 3 : R3
Ulvöspinel	TiFe²⁺₂O₄	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide

9.AC.	Poirierite	Mg₂SiO₄	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pmma
9.AC.05	Fayalite	Fe²⁺₂SiO₄	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
9.AC.05	Forsterite	Mg₂SiO₄	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
9.AC.05	Glaucochroite	CaMn²⁺SiO₄	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
9.AC.05	Kirschsteinite	CaFe²⁺SiO₄	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnma
9.AC.05	Laihunite	(Fe²⁺_0.5◻_0.5)Fe³⁺[SiO₄]	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
9.AC.05	Liebenbergite	Ni₂SiO₄	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
9.AC.05	Tephroite	Mn²⁺₂SiO₄	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnma
9.AC.10	Monticellite	CaMgSiO₄	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
9.AC.15	Brunogeierite	Ge⁴⁺Fe²⁺₂O₄	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
9.AC.15	Ringwoodite	(Mg,Fe²⁺)₂SiO₄	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
9.AC.20	Chesnokovite	Na₂[SiO₂(OH)₂] · 8H₂O	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Ibca

Other InformationHide

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 AhrensiteHide

mindat.org URL:

https://www.mindat.org/min-43891.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

Search Engines:

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Look for Ahrensite in the Rock H. Currier Digital Library

External Links:

Look for Ahrensite on Webmineral

Look for Ahrensite on Wikipedia

Look for Ahrensite on Mineralien Atlas

Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project

References and PDF downloads at RRUFF project

American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database

Handbook of Mineralogy page PDF

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References for AhrensiteHide

Reference List:

Williams, P. A., Hatert, F., Pasero, M., Mills, S. J. (2013) New minerals and nomenclature modifications approved in 2013. CNMNC Newsletter No 16. Mineralogical Magazine, 77 (6) 2695-2709 doi:10.1180/minmag.2013.077.6.01

Ma, C., Tschauner, O., Liu, Y., Beckett, J.R., Rossman, G.R., Zuravlev, K., Prakapenka, V., Dera, P., Sinogeikin, S., Smith, J., Taylor, L.A. (2014) Discovery of Ahrensite gamma-Fe2SiO4 and Tissintite (Ca, Na, □) AlSi2O6: Two New High Pressure Minerals from the Tissint Martian Meteorite. 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.

Biagioni, C., Pasero, M. (2014) The systematics of the spinel-type minerals: An overview. American Mineralogist, 99 (7) 1254-1264 doi:10.2138/am.2014.4816

Ma, Chi, Tschauner, Oliver, Beckett, John R., Liu, Yang, Rossman, George R., Zuravlev, Kirill, Prakapenka, Vitali, Dera, Przemyslaw, Sinogeikin, Stanislav, Smith, Jesse, Taylor, Lawrence A. (2014) First New Minerals from Mars: Discovery of Ahrensite γ-Fe2SiO4 and Tissintite (Ca,Na,□)AlSi2O6, Two High Pressure Phases from the Tissint Martian Meteorite. Eighth International Conference on Mars.

Ma, C., Tschauner, O., Beckett, J.R., Liu, Y., Rossman, G.R., Sinogeikin, S.V., Smith, J.S., Taylor, L.A. (2016) Ahrensite, γ-Fe2SiO4, a new shock-metamorphic mineral from the Tissint meteorite: Implications for the Tissint shock event on Mars. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta: 184: 240-256.

Bindi, L., Shim, S-H., Sharp, T.G., Xie, X. (2020) Evidence for the charge disproportionation of iron in extraterrestrial bridgmanite. Science Advances: 6(2): EAAY7893.

Gu, Lixin; Hu, Sen; Anand, Mahesh; Tang, Xu; Ji, Jianglong; Zhang, Bin; Wang, Nian; Lin, Yangting (2022) Occurrence of tuite and ahrensite in Zagami and their significance for shock-histories recorded in martian meteorites. American Mineralogist: 107(6): 1018–1029.

(2023) Ahrensite. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America

Localities for AhrensiteHide

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 references and 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 (e.g. from pseudomorphs).

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


France
Centre-Val de Loire Loiret Montargis ⓘ Château-Renard meteorite	Baziotis et al. (2018)

Morocco (TL)
Souss-Massa Region Tata Province Tata Cercle ⓘ Tissint Martian meteorite (TL)	Williams et al. (2013) +2 other references

Nigeria
Katsina Faskari ⓘ Zagami Martian meteorite	Gu et al. (2022)

Russia
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Anadyrsky District Iomrautvaam massif ⓘ Khatyrka meteorite	Bindi et al. (2015)

Tunisia
Tataouine Tataouine (Foum Tatahouine) ⓘ Tatahouine meteorite ?	Benzerara et al. (2002)

USA
Texas Randall County ⓘ Umbarger meteorite	Tomioka et al. (2017)

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