Reidite is a rare
polymorph of ZrSiO
4 created when
zircon
Zircon () is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates and is a source of the metal zirconium. Its chemical name is zirconium(IV) silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is Zr SiO4. An empirical formula showing some of t ...
experiences high pressure and temperature. Reidite is denser than zircon and has the same
crystal structure
In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of the ordered arrangement of atoms, ions or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from the intrinsic nature of the constituent particles to form symmetric patterns ...
as
scheelite
Scheelite is a calcium tungstate mineral with the chemical formula Ca W O4. It is an important ore of tungsten (wolfram). Scheelite is originally named after Swedish chemist K. Scheele (1742-1786). Well-formed crystals are sought by collectors ...
. All natural occurrences of reidite are associated with meteorite impact events.
On Earth, reidite has been reported from ten impact structures: the
Chesapeake Bay Crater in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
;
Ries Crater in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
; Xiuyan Crater in
China;
Woodleigh Crater in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
;
Rock Elm Crater in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
;
Dhala Crater in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
;
Stac Fada in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
;
Haughton in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
;
Steen River in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and
Rochechouart in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. Reidite has also been found in one
lunar meteorite.
Name origin and discovery
Reidite is named after Alan F. Reid, the scientist who first synthesized it during high-pressure experiments in the laboratory in 1969.
Reidite was first discovered in natural samples by B.P. Glass and Shaobin Liu in 2001.
Occurrence
Reidite is formed from zircon above ~30GPa in shock recovery experiments. However, the temperatures generated during meteorite impacts are much higher, and reidite can be formed down to ~9Gpa under natural impact conditions. Reidite has been found in lamellar, granular, and dendritic forms within host zircon, typically making up less than 10% of the grain. Reidite from Rochechouart impact structure has also been reported as bladed, wedged, and massive.
Libyan desert glass
Libyan Desert glass or Great Sand Sea glass is an impactite, made mostly of lechatelierite, found in areas in the eastern Sahara, in the deserts of eastern Libya and western Egypt. Fragments of desert glass can be found over areas of tens of s ...
may show lattice deformation in zircon that is interpreted as evidence of this material having previously contained reidite, and as such constitutes strong evidence for its impact origin.
Related silica minerals
{, class="wikitable"
, + Relationship of Reidite to Other Specimens
, 9.AD.25 , ,
Uvarovite
Uvarovite is a chromium-bearing garnet group species with the formula: Ca3 Cr2( Si O4)3. It was discovered in 1832 by Germain Henri Hess who named it after Count Sergei Semenovitch Uvarov (1765–1855), a Russian statesman and amateur mineral ...
, , Ca
3Cr
2(SiO
4)
3
, -
, 9.AD.25 , , Wadalite , , (Ca,Mg)
6(Al,Fe
3+)
4((Si,Al)O
4)
3O
4Cl
3
, -
, 9.AD.25 , , Holtstamite , , Ca
3(Al,Mn
3+)
2(SiO
4)
2(OH)
4
, -
, 9.AD.25 , , Kerimasite , , Ca
3Zr
2(SiO
4)(Fe
3+O
4)
2
, -
, 9.AD.25 , , Toturite , , Ca
3Sn
2(SiO
4)(Fe
3+O
4)
2
, -
, 9.AD.25 , , Momoiite , , (Mn
2+,Ca)
3V
23+(SiO
4)
3
, -
, 9.AD.25 , , Eltyubyuite , , Ca
12Fe
103+Si
4O
32Cl
6
, -
, 9.AD.25 , , Hutcheonite , , Ca
3Ti
2(SiAl
2)O
12
, -
, 9.AD.30 , ,
Coffinite
Coffinite is a uranium-bearing silicate mineral with formula: U(SiO4)1−x(OH)4x.
It occurs as black incrustations, dark to pale-brown in thin section. It has a grayish-black streak. It has a brittle to conchoidal fracture. The hardness of coffini ...
, , (U
4+,Th)(SiO
4)
1-x(OH)
4x
, -
, 9.AD.30 , ,
Hafnon
Hafnon is a hafnium nesosilicate mineral, chemical formula or . In natural zircon part of the zirconium is replaced by the very similar hafnium and so natural zircon is never pure . A zircon with 100% hafnium substitution can be made synthetical ...
, , HfSiO
4
, -
, 9.AD.30 , ,
Thorite
Thorite, (Th,U)SiO4, is a rare nesosilicate of thorium that crystallizes in the tetragonal system and is isomorphous with zircon and hafnon. It is the most common mineral of thorium and is nearly always strongly radioactive. It was named in 1829 to ...
, , (Th,U)SiO
4
, -
, 9.AD.30 , ,
Zircon
Zircon () is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates and is a source of the metal zirconium. Its chemical name is zirconium(IV) silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is Zr SiO4. An empirical formula showing some of t ...
, , ZrSiO
4
, -
, 9.AD.30 , , Stetindite , , Ce
4+SiO
4
, -
, 9.AD.35 , ,
Huttonite , , ThSiO
4
, -
, 9.AD.35 , , Tombarthite-(Y) , , Y
4(Si,H
4)
4O
12−x(OH)
4+2x
, -
, 9.AD.40 , , Eulytine , , Bi
4(SiO
4)
3
See also
*
List of minerals
This is a list of minerals for which there are articles on Wikipedia.
Minerals are distinguished by various chemical and physical properties. Differences in chemical composition and crystal structure distinguish the various ''species''. Within a m ...
References
External links
List of Minerals
Nesosilicates
Zirconium minerals
Tetragonal minerals
Minerals in space group 88
Impact event minerals