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Moganite



Moganite is a silicate mineral with the chemical formula SiO2 (silicon dioxide) that was discovered in 1984.[1] It is made up of covalent bonds and has a lattice structure known as a monoclinic crystal system. Moganite is considered a polymorph of quartz because it has the same chemical composition but a different chemical structure.[2]

As of 1994, the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) had disapproved it as being a separate species because it was not clearly distinguishable from quartz.[3] It has only recently been approved as a valid species by the CNMNC, the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (part of the IMA).[4]

This mineral is “virtually indistinguishable” from a rock called chalcedony that is made up of both moganite itself and quartz. It has been mainly found in dry locales such as Gran Canaria and Lake Magadi.[5] It is even named for a municipality of Gran Canaria called Mogán.[6] Physically, it has a hardness of about 6, a dull luster and appears gray in color but transparent.

References

  1. ^ Ralph, Jolyon, and Ida Ralph. "Moganite: Moganite Mineral Information and Data." MinDat. 2007. Aug. 2007 .
  2. ^ "Glossary of Rock and Mineral Terms - P." Inland Lapidary. 24 July 2007. Aug. 2007 .
  3. ^ Origlieri, Marcus. "Moganite: a New Mineral -- Not!" Lithosphere (1994). Aug. 2007 .
  4. ^ Nickel, Ernest H., and Monte C. Nichols. "IMA/CNMNC List of Mineral Names." Materials Data. June 2007. Aug. 2007 .
  5. ^ Heaney, Peter J., and Jeffrey E. Post. "The Widespread Distribution of a Novel Silica Polymorph in Microcrystalline Quartz Varieties." Science ns 255 (1992): 441-443. JSTOR. Aug. 2007. Keyword: moganite.
  6. ^ "Moganite Mineral Data." Web Mineral. Aug. 2007 .
 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Moganite". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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