Abstract
Abstract Garnets have been known to man since time immemorial and are used in a wide variety of applications as well as being prototypes of useful synthetic materials. Our investigations show that in nature, garnets and minerals with a langasite-type structure can be very close in composition. Examples are cubic Ti-rich garnets with the common formula Ca3(Ti4+,Fe3+,Al)2(Si,Fe3+,Al)3O12 and the new trigonal mineral qeltite, Ca3Ti(Fe3+2Si)Si2O14, which occur in paralavas of the pyrometamorphic Hatrurim Complex, Israel. Synthetic compounds of the langasite family are important because of their functional properties, such as unique piezoelectricity, high thermal stability, and low acoustic losses, as well as optical nonlinearity and multiferroicity. Qeltite is the first high-temperature terrestrial mineral with a langasite-type structure, the description of which was a catalyst for the discovery in pyrometamorphic rocks of the Hatrurim Complex of a whole series of new natural phases with langasite-type structure and varied composition (A3BC3D2O14, where A = Ca and Ba; B = Ti, Nb, Sb, and Zr; C = Ti, Al, Fe, and Si; and D = Si). We think that qeltite and other minerals with langasite-type structure may be relatively widely distributed in terrestrial rocks that form under similar conditions to those of Ti-rich garnet but are missed by researchers.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
