Ellenbergerite, a new high-pressure Mg-Al-(Ti,Zr)-silicate with a novel structure based on face-sharing octahedra

Abstract

Ellenbergerite occurs as purple millimetre-size grains associated with talc, kyanite, clinochlore, rutile, and zircon in composite inclusions within decimetre-large pyrope crystals (90–98 mole percent end-member) in the quartzite layer of the Dora Maira massif, Western Alps, from which coesite has been recently reported (Chopin 1984). It is hexagonal, a=12.255(8), c=4.932(4) A, Z=1, space group P63. Mohs hardness 6.5; Dmes 3.15, Dcal 3.10; no cleavage. Uniaxial negative and vividly pleochroic,ω colourless,e colourless to deep lilac with colour zoning. The intensely coloured variety hasω 1.6789(5),e 1.670(1); microprobe analysis yields SiO2 39.1, P2O5 0.45, Al2O3 25.1, TiO2 4.0, MgO 22.2, FeO 0.20, sum 99.05 wt.% including H2O 8.0 (coulometrically). The formula calculated on a O28(OH)10 basis (implying 7.5 wt.% H2O) is Mg6.71 Fe0.03 Ti0.61 Al6.00 Si7.92 P0.08 O28(OH)10 The colour zoning is due to nearly complete Ti⇌Zr substitution. In addition ellenbergerite may contain more than 8 wt.% P2O5 with strictly correlated changes of Si, Mg, Al and Ti+Zr contents, over 80% of which represent the SiAl⇌PMg substitution.