Kirschsteinite Mineral Data

General Kirschsteinite Information

Chemical Formula:

CaFe++SiO4

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 188.01 gm

Calcium 21.32 % Ca 29.83 % CaO

Iron 29.70 % Fe 38.21 % FeO

Silicon 14.94 % Si 31.96 % SiO₂

Oxygen 34.04 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CaFe²⁺(SiO₄)

Environment:

In melilite-nephelinite lava.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1957

Locality:

Mt. Shaheru, the extinct southern cone of Mt. Nyiragongo, Kivu Province, Congo (Zaire). Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for Egon Kirschstein, German geologist, a pioneer in the geological exploration of Kivu Province, Congo (Zaire).

Name Pronunciation:

Kirschsteinite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 83824

PDF 34-98

Kirschsteinite Image

Images:

Kirschsteinite

Comments: Grayish green crystalline massive kirschsteinite.
Location: Mazarron, Murcia, Spain. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Kirschsteinite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.4367:1:0.5774

Cell Dimensions:

a = 4.877, b = 11.166, c = 6.448, Z = 4; V = 351.14 Den(Calc)= 3.56

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - Dipyramidal H-M Symbol (2/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: Pbmn

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.949(1), 2.68(0.85), 2.604(0.8),

Physical Properties of Kirschsteinite

Color:

Colorless, Light green.

Density:

3.434

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to Translucent

Hardness:

5.5 - Knife Blade

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Kirschsteinite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.023 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.013 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1983,KPDmeas= 0.2056,KC= 0.201
Ncalc = 1.69 - 1.72

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.674-1.693, b=1.694-1.734, g=1.706-1.735, bire=0.0320-0.0420, 2V(Calc)=16-74, 2V(Meas)=50.

Pleochroism (x):

colorless.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless.

Pleochroism (z):

colorless.

Calculated Properties of Kirschsteinite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.48 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Kirschsteinite =3.56 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.01
Boson Index = 0.99

Photoelectric:

PE_{Kirschsteinite}= 12.06 barns/electron
U=PE_{Kirschsteinite} x rElectron Density= 42.01 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Kirschsteinite is Not Radioactive

Kirschsteinite Classification

Dana Class:

51.03.02.02 (51)Nesosilicate Insular SiO4 Groups Only

(51.03)with all cations in octahedral [6] coordination

(51.03.02)Monticellite - Kirschsteinite series

51.03.02.01 Monticellite CaMgSiO4 P nma 2/m 2/m 2/m

51.03.02.02 Kirschsteinite CaFeSiO4 Pbmn 2/m 2/m 2/m

51.03.02.03 Glaucochroite CaMnSiO4 Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.AC.05 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.A - Nesosilicates

09.AC -Nesosilicates without additional anions;

09.AC.05 Forsterite Mg2SiO4 Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

09.AC.05 Glaucochroite CaMnSiO4 Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

09.AC.05 Fayalite Fe2SiO4 Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

09.AC.05 Olivine* (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

09.AC.05 Kirschsteinite CaFeSiO4 Pbmn 2/m 2/m 2/m

09.AC.05 Laihunite FeFe2(SiO4)2 P 2₁/b 2/m

09.AC.05 Liebenbergite (Ni,Mg)2SiO4 Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

09.AC.05 Tephroite Mn2SiO4 P nma 2/m 2/m 2/m

Other Kirschsteinite Information

References:

NAME( AntBidBlaNic2) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Heinrich65)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Kirschsteinite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - EUROmin Project
4 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
5 - GeoScienceWorld
6 - Google Images
7 - Google Scholar
8 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
10 - MinDAT
11 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
12 - Online Mineral Museum
13 - QUT Mineral Atlas
14 - Ruff.Info
15 - University of Colorado - Mineral Structure Data
16 - WWW-MINCRYST

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Kirschsteinite Specimen Label here :

Kirschsteinite

CaFe++SiO4
Dana No: 51.03.02.02 Strunz No: 09.AC.05
Locality:

Notes:

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