Minerals
Majorite
majorite
Mg3(Fe²⁺,Si,Al)2(SiO4)3
(PDF) "Majorite" and "Silicate Perovskite" Mineral Compositions in ... — via www.researchgate.net · Source
Overview
Majorite is a mineral found in the mantle of the Earth. Its chemical formula is Mg3(MgSi)(SiO4)3. It is a type of garnet, distinguished from other garnets in having silicon in octahedral as well as tetrahedral coordination. Majorite was first described in 1970 from the Coorara Meteorite of Western Australia and has been reported from various other meteorites in which majorite is thought to result from an extraterrestrial high pressure shock event. Mantle-derived xenoliths containing majorite have been reported from potassic ultramafic magmas on Malaita Island on the Ontong Java Plateau in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
Identification characteristics
- Mohs hardness 7.5