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Khmaralite

A valid IMA mineral species
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06920400017271928767895.jpg
Khmaralite

"Zircon Point" pegmatite, Khmara Bay, Casey Bay, Napier Complex, Enderby Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica
03782840017271928792092.jpg
Khmaralite

"Zircon Point" pegmatite, Khmara Bay, Casey Bay, Napier Complex, Enderby Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica
06920400017271928767895.jpg
Khmaralite

"Zircon Point" pegmatite, Khmara Bay, Casey Bay, Napier Complex, Enderby Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica
03782840017271928792092.jpg
Khmaralite

"Zircon Point" pegmatite, Khmara Bay, Casey Bay, Napier Complex, Enderby Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica
06920400017271928767895.jpg
Khmaralite

"Zircon Point" pegmatite, Khmara Bay, Casey Bay, Napier Complex, Enderby Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica
03782840017271928792092.jpg
Khmaralite

"Zircon Point" pegmatite, Khmara Bay, Casey Bay, Napier Complex, Enderby Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica
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About KhmaraliteHide

Formula:
(Mg,Al,Fe)16[(Al,Si,Be)12O36]O4
Colour:
Dark greenish blue to very dark green
Lustre:
Vitreous
Hardness:
7
Specific Gravity:
3.61 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Name:
For the locality, Khmara Bay, Antartica, which in turn was named in honor of Ivan Fedorovich Khmara (1936-1956), a tractor driver who perished in Antarctica.
Compare Beryllium-bearing Sapphirine.


Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:
7136
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:7136:5

IMA Classification of KhmaraliteHide

IMA status:
Approved
IMA Formula:
Mg4(Mg3Al9)O4[Si5Be2Al5O36]
Approval year:
1998
First published:
1999

Classification of KhmaraliteHide

Strunz-mindat (2026):
9.DH.50

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
H : Inosilicates with 4-periodic single chains, Si4O12

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

SymbolSourceReference for Standard
KmaIMA–CNMNCWarr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43

Physical Properties of KhmaraliteHide

Lustre:
Vitreous
Transparency:
Translucent
Colour:
Dark greenish blue to very dark green
Streak:
Green-gray
Hardness:
7 on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
None Observed
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven
Density:
3.61 g/cm3 (Calculated)

Optical Data of KhmaraliteHide

Type:
Biaxial (-)
RI values:
nα = 1.725 nβ = 1.740 nγ = 1.741
2V:
Measured: 34° , Calculated: 28°
Birefringence:
0.016
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.016
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.

Surface Relief:
Very High (positive)
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.
Dispersion:
r > v strong
Optical Extinction:
Y // b.
Pleochroism:
Strong
Comments:
X = colorless or very light tan, Y = blue-green, and Z = deep blue-green.
Comments:
Very like sapphirine.

Chemistry of KhmaraliteHide

Mindat Formula:
(Mg,Al,Fe)16[(Al,Si,Be)12O36]O4
Element Weights:
Element% weight
O47.313 %
Mg28.750 %
Al23.937 %

Calculated from ideal end-member formula.
O
Mg
Al
Elements listed:
Al, Be, Fe, Mg, O, Si - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Crystallography of KhmaraliteHide

Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Class (H-M):
2/m - Prismatic
Space Group:
P21/b
Cell Parameters:
a = 18.8 Å, b = 14.371 Å, c = 11.254 Å
β = 125.53°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 1.308 : 1 : 0.783
Unit Cell V:
2,474.43 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
4
Morphology:
Tablets flattened parallel to {010}.
Comment:
Related to sapphirine-2M but with different cation ordering and doubled chain repeat.

Crystal StructureHide

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IDSpeciesReferenceLinkYearLocalityPressure (GPa)Temp (K)
0002331KhmaraliteBarbier J, Grew E S, Moore P B, Su S-C (1999) Khmaralite, a new beryllium-bearing mineral related to sapphirine: A superstructure resulting from partial ordering of Be, Al and Si on tetrahedral sites American Mineralogist 84 1650-166019990293
CIF Raw Data - click here to close

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:
d-spacingIntensity
7.7321 Å(6)
7.1859 Å(2)
5.3655 Å(2)
4.4217 Å(3)
4.1150 Å(2)
4.0336 Å(6)
3.5906 Å(5)
3.2643 Å(13)
3.2151 Å(2)
3.0817 Å(7)
2.9974 Å(5)
2.9852 Å(38)
2.9615 Å(2)
2.8341 Å(30)
2.8260 Å(45)
2.7598 Å(20)
2.7407 Å(2)
2.7169 Å(5)
2.6850 Å(5)
2.6691 Å(3)
2.6408 Å(16)
2.6240 Å(12)
2.5990 Å(5)
2.5745 Å(8)
2.5659 Å(36)
2.5153 Å(8)
2.4804 Å(4)
2.4446 Å(100)
2.4387 Å(44)
2.4316 Å(2)
2.4261 Å(6)
2.4111 Å(5)
2.3948 Å(4)
2.3756 Å(15)
2.3405 Å(43)
2.3312 Å(3)
2.3138 Å(3)
2.2892 Å(2)
2.2349 Å(7)
2.2110 Å(2)
2.1511 Å(3)
2.1289 Å(3)
2.1235 Å(11)
2.0657 Å(5)
2.0453 Å(3)
2.0140 Å(61)
2.0106 Å(85)
2.0034 Å(2)
1.9515 Å(2)
1.9392 Å(3)
1.8914 Å(29)
1.8874 Å(3)
Comments:
Barbier, J., Grew, E.S., Moore, P.B., and Su, S.-C. (1999) American Mineralogist, 84, 1650–1660.

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):
Paragenetic ModeEarliest Age (Ga)
Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks>3.0
34 : Complex granite pegmatites

Type Occurrence of KhmaraliteHide

Type Locality:
ⓘ "Zircon Point" pegmatite, Khmara Bay, Casey Bay, Napier Complex, Enderby Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica
General Appearance of Type Material:
Foliated aggregates nearly 3 cm across of parallel tablets. The tablets are flattened parallel to {010} and range from 1-7 mm across and from 0.5-4 mm thick.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, NMNH 171532.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Pegmatite.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
'Apatite'BiotiteDumortieriteGarnet GroupMagnesiotaaffeite-6N’3S
RutileSillimaniteSpinelSurinamite

Synonyms of KhmaraliteHide

Other Language Names for KhmaraliteHide

Relationship of Khmaralite to other SpeciesHide

Member of:
Sapphirine Group > Sapphirine Supergroup
Other Members of Sapphirine Group:
AddibischoffiteCa2Al6Al6O20Tric. 1 : P1
LouisfuchsiteCa2(Mg4Ti2)(Al4Si2)O20Tric. 1 : P1
SapphirineMg4(Mg3Al9)O4[Si3Al9O36]Mon. 2/m : P21/b
'UM2002-52-SiO:AlFeMg'Mg4(Mg1.5Fe+20.3Fe+31.6Al8.5)O4[Si1.7Al10.3O36]
WarkiteCa2Sc6Al6O20Tric. 1 : P1

Common AssociatesHide

Associations Based on Photo Data:
3 photos of Khmaralite associated with Surinamite(Mg,Fe)3Al4BeSi3O16
1 photo of Khmaralite associated with QuartzSiO2

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

9.DH.DevilliersiteCa4Ca2Fe3+10O4[(Fe3+10Si2)O36]Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.'Gageite-2M'(Mn,Mg,Zn)42Si16O54(OH)40Mon. 2/m
9.DH.BavsiiteBa2V2O2[Si4O12]Tet. 4/m : I4/m
9.DH.YuzuxiangiteSr3Fe3+(Si2O6)2(OH) · 3H2OMon. 2/m : P21/m
9.DH.LouisfuchsiteCa2(Mg4Ti2)(Al4Si2)O20Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.05LeucophaniteNaCaBeSi2O6FOrth. 222 : P212121
9.DH.10OhmiliteSr3(Ti,Fe3+)(Si4O12)(O,OH) · 2-3H2OMon. 2/m : P21/m
9.DH.15HaradaiteSrVSi2O7Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m)
9.DH.15SuzukiiteBaVSi2O7Orth.
9.DH.20Shcherbakovite(K,Ba)KNa(Ti,Nb)2(Si4O12)O2Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Imma
9.DH.20BatisiteBaNaNaTi2(Si4O12)O2Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Imma
9.DH.20NoonkanbahiteBaKNaTi2(Si4O12)O2Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Imma
9.DH.25TaikaniteSr3BaMn2+2(Si4O12)O2Mon. 2 : B2
9.DH.30KrauskopfiteBaSi2O5 · 3H2OMon. 2/m : P21/b
9.DH.35GageiteMn21(Si4O12)2O3(OH)20Mon. 2/m
9.DH.35Balangeroite(Mg,Fe2+,Fe3+,Mn2+)42Si16O54(OH)40Mon. 2/m
9.DH.40KuratiteCa2(Fe2+5Ti)O2[Si4Al2O18]Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.40AenigmatiteNa4[Fe2+10Ti2]O4[Si12O36]Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.40DorriteCa4(Mg3Fe3+9)O4(Si3Al8Fe3+O36)Tric.
9.DH.40SerendibiteCa4[Mg6Al6]O4[Si6B3Al3O36]Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.40RhöniteCa4[Mg8Fe3+2Ti2]O4[Si6Al6O36]Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.40KhesiniteCa4(Mg3Fe3+9)O4(Fe3+9Si3)O36Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.40'UM1991-29-SiO:FeMgNa'Na4(Mg5Fe3+7)O4[Si9Fe3+3O36]
9.DH.40HøgtuvaiteCa4[Fe2+6Fe3+6]O4[Si8Be2Al2O36]Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.40'Leucorhönite'Ca2(Mg,Fe3+,Al)6(Si,Al)6O20Tric.
9.DH.40WelshiteCa4Mg9Sb3O4[Si6Be3AlFe2O36]Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.40WilkinsoniteNa2Fe2+4Fe3+2(Si6O18)O2Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.40KrinoviteNa2Mg4Cr3+2(Si6O18)O2Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.40Makarochkinite(Ca,Na)4[Fe2+8Fe3+2Ti2]O4[Si8Be2Al2O36]Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.45SapphirineMg4(Mg3Al9)O4[Si3Al9O36]Mon. 2/m : P21/b
9.DH.55'UM1988-26-SiO:AlMg'Mg4Al2O[Si3Al2O15]
9.DH.55Surinamite(Mg,Fe)3Al4BeSi3O16Mon. 2/m
9.DH.60DeeriteFe2+6Fe3+3(Si6O17)O3(OH)5Mon. 2/m : P21/b
9.DH.65Taneyamalite(Na,Ca)Mn2+12(Si,Al)12(O,OH)44Tric.
9.DH.65HowieiteNa(Fe2+,Fe3+,Al,Mg)12(Si6O17)2(O,OH)10Tric. 1 : P1
9.DH.70JohninnesiteNa2Mn2+9Mg7(OH)8[AsO4]2[Si6O17]2Tric.
9.DH.75AgrelliteNaCa2Si4O10FTric. 1 : P1

Other InformationHide

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 KhmaraliteHide

References for KhmaraliteHide

Localities for KhmaraliteHide

Showing 4 localities.

This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.
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Locality ListHide

- 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). Struck out - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).

All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Antarctica
 
  • East Antarctica
    • Enderby Land
gsa.confex.com (n.d.)
        • Casey Bay
          • Khmara Bay
Grew et al. (2000)
Grew (1981) +2 other references
        • Tula Mountains
          • Amundsen Bay
            • Mount Pardoe
Grew et al. (2000)
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