Khatyrkite

CuAl2
IMA status
  • Approved
IMA symbol
Ktk
Discovered
1985
Also known as
  • IMA1983-085
  • Khatyrkiet

Where it forms, where it's found

Geological setting

Meteorite panned from river.

Type locality
Khatyrka meteorite
  1. Iomrautvaam massif
  2. Anadyrsky District
  3. Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
  4. Russia

62.6531°, 174.5006°

4recorded occurrences
Source · OpenStreetMap

Physical

Hardness
123456789105.5/ 10 MOHS
  1. 1Talc
  2. 2Gypsum
  3. 3Calcite
  4. 4Fluorite
  5. 5Apatite
  6. 6Orthoclase
  7. 7Quartz
  8. 8Topaz
  9. 9Corundum
  10. 10Diamond
Lustre
Metallic
Transparency
Opaque
Colour
Greyish-yellow
Tenacity
malleable
Cleavage
Distinct/Good

(100), distinct.

Density
4.42 g/cm³

Optical

Optical colour
isotropic sections are pale blue, anisotropic sections are blue to creamy pink
Anisotropism
Distinct, grayish yellow to brownish red.
Tropism
Anisotropic

Crystallography

Crystal system
Tetragonal
Space group
I4/mcm
Cell parameters
a = 6.06(1) Å · c = 4.87(1) Å
Z
4
Type-locality form

As prismatic crystals, to 400 µm, and intimately intergrown with cupalite in small grains

Crystal structure

Chemical composition

Constituent elements
Mass composition breakdown
ElementAtoms At. mass g/mol Mass g/molMass share
29CuCopperCopper163.54663.546
54.08%
13AlAluminiumAluminium226.98253.964
45.92%
Total117.510100.00%

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

From IMA formula

Synonyms

  • IMA1983-085
  • Khatyrkiet

In other languages

German
IMA 1983-085 · Khatyrkit
Spanish
Khatyrkita
Italian
Khatyrkite
Japanese
カチルク鉱

Classification

Strunz
10th ed.

1.AA.15

  • 1ElementsClass
  • 1.AMetals and Intermetallic AlloysDivision
  • 1.AACopper-cupalite familyGroup
  • 1.AA.15KhatyrkiteSpecies
Dana
8th ed.

01.01.15.02

  • 01Native Elements and AlloysClass
  • 01.01Metals, other than the Platinum GroupType
  • 01.01.15— unnamed intermediate level —Group
  • 01.01.15.02KhatyrkiteSpecies
CIM

1.22

  • 1Elements and Alloys (including the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au)Class
  • 1.22— unnamed intermediate level —Group
  • 1.22KhatyrkiteSpecies

Literature, links & citation

Citations
  1. https://www.doitpoms.ac.uk/miclib/phase_diagrams.php?id=2
  2. 1971Havinga, E.E., Damsma, H., Hokkeling, P. (1971) Compounds and pseudo-binary alloys with the CuAl2(C16)- type structure. Journal of the Less-Common Metals: 27: 169-186.
  3. 1985Razin, L.V., Rudashevskij, N.S., and Vyalsov, L.N. (1985) New natural intermetallic compounds of aluminium, copper and zinc—khatyrkite CuAl2, cupalite, CuAl and zinc aluminides—from hyperbasites of dunite-harzburgite formation. Zapiski Vsesoyuznogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva: 114: 90–100 (in Russian).
  4. 1986Hawthorne, Frank C., Fleischer, Michael, Grew, Edward S., Grice, Joel D., Jambor, John L., Puziewicz, J., Roberts, Andrew C., Vanko, D. A., Zilczer, J. A. (1986) New mineral names. American Mineralogist, 71. 1277-1282
  5. 1989Meetsma, A., De Boer, J.L., Van Smaalen, S. (1989) Refinement of the crystal structure of tetragonal Al2Cu. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 83. 370-372 doi:10.1016/0022-4596(89)90188-6DOI: 10.1016/0022-4596(89)90188-6
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
  author    = {Mineral Index editorial board},
  title     = {Khatyrkite — Mineral Index},
  year      = {2026},
  url       = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/khatyrkite-2197},
  note      = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}