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Meieranite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Meieranite
Formula:
Na2Sr3MgSi6O17
Colour:
Light blue to blue
Lustre:
Vitreous
Hardness:
5½
Specific Gravity:
3.41
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Member of:
Name:
Named in honor of Eugene Stuart Meieran (b. 23 December 1937, Cleveland, Ohio, USA), a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He worked at Intel as a materials scientist, studying and minimizing material defects in the raw silicon used in microchips. He was also responsible for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (IISEF), to promote scientific literacy in young people. He has donated significant specimens to several major museums and is a board member for several museums as well. He was awarded the Carnegie Medal in 2004.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
46586
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:46586:9
IMA Classification of Meieranite
Approved
Approval year:
2015
First published:
2019
Type description reference:
Yang, Hexiong, Gu, Xiangping, Downs, Robert T., Evans, Stanley H., Van Nieuwenhuizen, Jaco J., Lavinsky, Robert M., Xie, Xiande (2019) Meieranite, Na2Sr3MgSi6O17, a New Mineral from the Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa. The Canadian Mineralogist, 57 (4) 457-466 doi:10.3749/canmin.1800067
Classification of Meieranite
9.DO.15
9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
O : Inosilicates with 7-, 8-, 10-, 12- and 14-periodic chains
9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
O : Inosilicates with 7-, 8-, 10-, 12- and 14-periodic chains
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 for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Mei | 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 Meieranite
Vitreous
Transparency:
Transparent
Colour:
Light blue to blue
Streak:
White
Hardness:
5½ on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
Distinct/Good
On {010}
On {010}
Parting:
None observed
Density:
3.41(3) g/cm3 (Measured) 3.410 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Meieranite
Type:
Biaxial (-)
RI values:
nα = 1.610(1) nβ = 1.623(1) nγ = 1.630(1)
2V:
Measured: 70° (1), Calculated: 72°
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.020
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
High (positive)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized biaxial acute bisectrix (Bxa) interference figure
- the conoscopic view for a grain cut perpendicular to the acute bisectrix, using
this mineral's 2V. The two small white dots mark the melatopes - the points
where the two optic axes emerge - and are shown only when they fall within the
field of view. The coloured bands are isochromatics, and the dark bands are
isogyres.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Dispersion:
strong, r > v
Optical Extinction:
X = a, Y = b, Z = c
Pleochroism:
Strong
Comments:
X = violet, Y = blue/violet, and Z = blue
Chemistry of Meieranite
Mindat Formula:
Na2Sr3MgSi6O17
Element Weights:
Crystallography of Meieranite
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Cell Parameters:
a = 7.9380(2) Å, b = 10.4923(3) Å, c = 18.2560(6) Å
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.757 : 1 : 1.74
Unit Cell V:
1520.5 ų
Twinning:
None observed
Comment:
P21nb
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 3.166 Å | (27) |
| 2.990 Å | (100) |
| 2.800 Å | (38) |
| 2.425 Å | (42) |
| 2.391 Å | (21) |
| 1.853 Å | (27) |
| 1.778 Å | (21) |
| 1.749 Å | (47) |
Reference:
Yang, Hexiong, Gu, Xiangping, Downs, Robert T., Evans, Stanley H., Van Nieuwenhuizen, Jaco J., Lavinsky, Robert M., Xie, Xiande (2019) Meieranite, Na2Sr3MgSi6O17, a New Mineral from the Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa. The Canadian Mineralogist, 57 (4) 457-466 doi:10.3749/canmin.1800067
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Near-surface Processes | |
| 22 : Hydration and low-? subsurface aqueous alteration (see also #23) | |
| High-? alteration and/or metamorphism | |
| 32 : Ba/Mn/Pb/Zn deposits, including metamorphic deposits |
Type Occurrence of Meieranite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Isolated granular aggregates embedded in a matrix mainly of sugilite. Crystals up to 0.5x0.5x0.4 mm in size.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Co-type material is deposited in the collections of the Mineral Museum of the University of Arizona, USA, Catalogue # 20011, and the RRUFF Project, deposition # R140947.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Hydrothermal.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Reference:
Yang, Hexiong, Gu, Xiangping, Downs, Robert T., Evans, Stanley H., Van Nieuwenhuizen, Jaco J., Lavinsky, Robert M., Xie, Xiande (2019) Meieranite, Na2Sr3MgSi6O17, a New Mineral from the Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa. The Canadian Mineralogist, 57 (4) 457-466 doi:10.3749/canmin.1800067
Synonyms of Meieranite
Other Language Names for Meieranite
Dutch:Meieraniet
German:Meieranit
Relationship of Meieranite to other Species
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 9.DO. | Braccoite | NaMn2+5[Si5As5+O17(OH)](OH) |
| 9.DO. | Illoqite-(Ce) | Na2NaBaCeZnSi6O17 |
| 9.DO.05 | Pyroxferroite | (Fe,Mn,Ca)SiO3 |
| 9.DO.05 | Pyroxmangite | Mn2+SiO3 |
| 9.DO.10 | Pellyite | Ba2CaFe2+2Si6O17 |
| 9.DO.15 | Manganonordite-(Ce) | Na3SrCeMn2+Si6O17 |
| 9.DO.15 | Ferronordite-(Ce) | Na3SrCeFe2+Si6O17 |
| 9.DO.15 | Nordite-(Ce) | (Ce,La)(Sr,Ca)Na2(Na,Mn)(Zn,Mg)Si6O17 |
| 9.DO.15 | Nordite-(La) | (La,Ce)(Sr,Ca)Na2(Na,Mn)(Zn,Mg)Si6O17 |
| 9.DO.15 | Ferronordite-(La) | Na3Sr(La,Ce)FeSi6O17 |
| 9.DO.20 | Alamosite | PbSiO3 |
| 9.DO.25 | Liebauite | Ca3Cu5Si9O26 |
| 9.DO.30 | Vladykinite | Na3Sr4(Fe2+Fe3+)Si8O24 |
| 9.DO.30 | Rundqvistite-(Ce) | Na3(Sr3Ce)[Zn2Si8O24] |
Other Information
Notes:
Insoluble in water, acetone, and hydrochloric acid
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 Meieranite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-46586.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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External Links:
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References for Meieranite
Reference List:
Hålenius, U., Hatert, F., Pasero, M., Mills, S. J. (2015) New minerals and nomenclature modifications approved in 2015, CNMNC Newsletter No 25. Mineralogical Magazine, 79 (3) 529-535 doi:10.1180/minmag.2015.079.3.02
Yang, Hexiong, Gu, Xiangping, Downs, Robert T., Evans, Stanley H., Van Nieuwenhuizen, Jaco J., Lavinsky, Robert M., Xie, Xiande (2019) Meieranite, Na2Sr3MgSi6O17, a New Mineral from the Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa. The Canadian Mineralogist, 57 (4) 457-466 doi:10.3749/canmin.1800067
Localities for Meieranite
Showing 1 localities.
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.
South Africa (TL) | |
| Hålenius et al. (2015) +1 other reference |
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Wessels Mine, Joe Morolong Local Municipality, John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, Northern Cape, South Africa