Seifertite
A valid IMA mineral species
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Formula:
SiO2
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.
Type Locality:
Polymorph of:
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 Identifiers
Mindat ID:
26715
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:26715:1
GUID
(UUID V4):
(UUID V4):
eaa12ac4-b2b5-44d2-93d8-a322603c9eed
IMA Classification of Seifertite
Approved
Approval year:
2004
First published:
2008
Classification of Seifertite
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
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
75 : TECTOSILICATES Si Tetrahedral Frameworks
1 : Si Tetrahedral Frameworks - SiO2 with [4] coordinated Si
Mineral Symbols
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 Seifertite
Density:
4.294 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Chemistry of Seifertite
Mindat Formula:
SiO2
Elements listed:
Crystallography of Seifertite
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) - Dipyramidal
Space Group:
Pbcn
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
Unit Cell V:
92.92 ų
Z:
4
Comment:
parameters for the synthesized material (Zhang et al., 2016): a=3.7277, b=4.6576, c=4.1609, V=72.243
Crystal Structure
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Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
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2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| 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 Diffraction
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.
Quickly amorphizes under electron, laser or ion beams.
Geological Environment
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 |
Geological Setting:
Meteorites derived from Martian basalt.
Type Occurrence of Seifertite
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 Seifertite
Other Language Names for Seifertite
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 4.DA. | Chibaite | SiO2 · n(CH4, C2H6, C3H8, i-C4H10) (n = 3/17 (max)) |
| 4.DA. | Carbon Dioxide Ice | CO2 |
| 4.DA. | Bosoite | SiO2 · nCxH2x+2 |
| 4.DA.05 | Quartz | SiO2 |
| 4.DA.10 | Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| 4.DA.10 | Tridymite | SiO2 |
| 4.DA.15 | Cristobalite | SiO2 |
| 4.DA.20 | Mogánite | SiO2 |
| 4.DA.25 | Melanophlogite | 46SiO2 · 6(N2,CO2) · 2(CH4,N2) |
| 4.DA.30 | Lechatelierite | SiO2 |
| 4.DA.35 | Coesite | SiO2 |
| 4.DA.40 | Stishovite | SiO2 |
| 4.DA.45 | Keatite | SiO2 |
| 4.DA.55 | Quartz-beta | SiO2 |
Other Information
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 Seifertite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-26715.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Seifertite
Reference List:
Localities for Seifertite
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- 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).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
India (TL) | |
| El Goresy et al. (2008) |
Nigeria | |
| Zhidong Xie et al. (2005) |
Northwest Africa Meteorites | |
| Shohei Kaneko et al. (2011) +1 other reference | |
The Moon | |
| Pang et al. (2022) |
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