Ahrensite

SiFe2O4
IMA status
  • Approved
IMA symbol
Ahr
IMA approved
2013
Also known as
  • Ahrensiet
  • Ahrensitt
  • IMA2013-028
  • +1 more

Where it forms, where it's found

Geological setting

Shock melted Martian meteorite (the Tissint Martian meteorite).

Type locality
Tissint Martian meteorite
  1. Tata Cercle
  2. Tata Province
  3. Souss-Massa Region
  4. Morocco

29.4819°, -7.6108°

6recorded occurrences
Source · OpenStreetMap

Physical

Transparency
Translucent
Colour
Bluish-green
Density
4.135 g/cm³

Crystallography

Crystal system
Isometric
Cell parameters
a = 8.1629(7) Å
Z
8
Type-locality form

5–20 μm polycrystalline aggregates consisting of submicron-sized crystals of 50–400 nm in diameter with grain size generally increasing towards the melt pocket.

Comment

Fd-3m

Crystal structure

Chemical composition

Constituent elements
Mass composition breakdown
ElementAtoms At. mass g/mol Mass g/molMass share
26FeIronIron255.845111.690
54.81%
8OOxygenOxygen415.99963.996
31.41%
14SiSiliconSilicon128.08528.085
13.78%
Total203.771100.00%

Mass share = atoms × atomic mass ÷ molar mass × 100

From IMA formula

Synonyms

  • Ahrensiet
  • Ahrensitt
  • IMA2013-028
  • UM2002-44-SiO:FeMg

In other languages

German
Ahrensit · IMA 2013-028
Italian
ahrensite

Classification

Strunz
10th ed.

9.AC

  • 9SilicatesClass
  • 9.ANesosilicatesDivision
  • 9.ACNesosilicates without additional anions; cations in octahedral [6] coordinationGroup
  • 9.ACAhrensiteSpecies

Group, growth & confusion

In the same group
6 members
Commonly confused with
3 minerals

Literature, links & citation

Citations
  1. 2013Williams, P. A., Hatert, F., Pasero, M., Mills, S. J. (2013) New minerals and nomenclature modifications approved in 2013. CNMNC Newsletter No 16. Mineralogical Magazine, 77 (6) 2695-2709 doi:10.1180/minmag.2013.077.6.01DOI: 10.1180/minmag.2013.077.6.01
  2. 2014Ma, C., Tschauner, O., Liu, Y., Beckett, J.R., Rossman, G.R., Zuravlev, K., Prakapenka, V., Dera, P., Sinogeikin, S., Smith, J., Taylor, L.A. (2014) Discovery of Ahrensite gamma-Fe2SiO4 and Tissintite (Ca, Na, □) AlSi2O6: Two New High Pressure Minerals from the Tissint Martian Meteorite. 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
  3. 2014Ma, Chi, Tschauner, Oliver, Beckett, John R., Liu, Yang, Rossman, George R., Zuravlev, Kirill, Prakapenka, Vitali, Dera, Przemyslaw, Sinogeikin, Stanislav, Smith, Jesse, Taylor, Lawrence A. (2014) First New Minerals from Mars: Discovery of Ahrensite γ-Fe2SiO4 and Tissintite (Ca,Na,□)AlSi2O6, Two High Pressure Phases from the Tissint Martian Meteorite. Eighth International Conference on Mars.
  4. 2014Biagioni, C., Pasero, M. (2014) The systematics of the spinel-type minerals: An overview. American Mineralogist, 99 (7) 1254-1264 doi:10.2138/am.2014.4816DOI: 10.2138/am.2014.4816
  5. 2016Ma, C., Tschauner, O., Beckett, J.R., Liu, Y., Rossman, G.R., Sinogeikin, S.V., Smith, J.S., Taylor, L.A. (2016) Ahrensite, γ-Fe2SiO4, a new shock-metamorphic mineral from the Tissint meteorite: Implications for the Tissint shock event on Mars. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta: 184: 240-256.
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
  author    = {Mineral Index editorial board},
  title     = {Ahrensite — Mineral Index},
  year      = {2026},
  url       = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/ahrensite-43891},
  note      = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}