| Keatite | |
|---|---|
 Crystal structure | |
| General | |
| Category | Silicate mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) | SiO2 |
| Strunz classification | 4.DA.45 |
| Crystal system | Tetragonal |
| Identification | |
| Crystal habit | Microscopic inclusions |
Keatite is a silicate mineral with the chemical formula SiO2 (silicon dioxide) that was discovered in nature in 2013. It is a tetragonal polymorph of silica first known as a synthetic phase.[1] It was reported as minute inclusions within clinopyroxene (diopside) crystals in an ultra high pressure garnet pyroxenite body. The host rock is part of the Kokchetav Massif in Kazakhstan.[2]
Keatite was synthesized in 1954 and named for Paul P. Keat who discovered it while studying the role of soda in the crystallization of amorphous silica.[3] Keatite was well known before 1970 as evidenced in few studies from that era.[4][5]
References[edit]
- ^ Ralph, Jolyon, and Ida Ralph. "Keatite: Keatite Mineral Information and Data." MinDat. 2013. Aug. 2013
- ^ Abstract Hill, Tina R., Hiromi Konishi, and Huifang Xu, Natural occurrence of keatite precipitates in UHP clinopyroxene from the Kokchetav Massif: A TEM investigation, American Mineralogist, Volume 98, pages 187–196, 2013
- ^ Science 120 (27 Aug1954) pp 328-330 with the title "A new crystalline silica.
- ^ Li, C. T. (1971). "Transformation mechanism between high-quartz and keatite phases of LiAlSi2O6 composition". Acta Crystallographica Section B: Structural Crystallography and Crystal Chemistry. 27 (6): 1132–1140. doi:10.1107/S0567740871003649.
- ^ Martin, Brigitte (December 1995). "Keatite; II, Hydrothermal synthesis from silica-glass". European Journal of Mineralogy. 7 (6): 1389–1397. Bibcode:1995EJMin...7.1389M. doi:10.1127/ejm/7/6/1389.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cryptocrystalline | |||||||||
| Amorphous | |||||||||
| Miscellaneous | |||||||||
| Notable varieties |
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Well, that’s interesting to know that Psilotum nudum are known as whisk ferns. Psilotum nudum is the commoner species of the two. While the P. flaccidum is a rare species and is found in the tropical islands. Both the species are usually epiphytic in habit and grow upon tree ferns. These species may also be terrestrial and grow in humus or in the crevices of the rocks.
View the detailed Guide of Psilotum nudum: Detailed Study Of Psilotum Nudum (Whisk Fern), Classification, Anatomy, Reproduction