Melanite

Where it forms, where it's found

209recorded occurrences

Source · OpenStreetMap

Physical

Colour: Black

Chemical composition

Constituent elements: Mass composition breakdown
Element Atoms At. mass g/mol Mass g/mol Mass share
8OOxygen Oxygen 12 15.999 191.988
37.78%
20CaCalcium Calcium 3 40.078 120.234
23.66%
26FeIron Iron 2 55.845 111.690
21.98%
14SiSilicon Silicon 3 28.085 84.255
16.58%
Total 508.167 100.00%
Mass share = atoms × atomic mass ÷ molar mass × 100
From Mindat formula

Mass composition breakdown
Element	Atoms	At. mass g/mol	Mass g/mol	Mass share
8OOxygen	Oxygen	12	15.999	191.988	37.78%
20CaCalcium	Calcium	3	40.078	120.234	23.66%
26FeIron	Iron	2	55.845	111.690	21.98%
14SiSilicon	Silicon	3	28.085	84.255	16.58%
	Total	508.167	100.00%

Synonyms

Melanit
Melanita
Pyreneite

Literature, links & citation

Citations

1799Werner, Abraham Gottlob (1799) in L. A. Emmerling, Lehrbuch für Mineralogie, second edition, volume 1, p. 172.
1894Piners, Μ. (1894) Ueber Topazolith und Melanit. Zeitschrift für Krystallographie, 22 (1-6). 479-496 doi:10.1524/zkri.1894.22.1.479DOI: 10.1524/zkri.1894.22.1.479
1968Howie, R. A., Woolley, A. R. (1968) The role of titanium and the effect of TiO2 on the cell-size, refractive index, and specific gravity in the andradite-melanite-schorlomite series. Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society, 36 (282) 775-790 doi:10.1180/minmag.1968.036.282.04 DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1968.036.282.04
1977Huggins, Frank E., Virgo, David, Huckenholz, H. Gerhard (1977) Titanium-containing silicate garnets. II. The crystal chemistry of melanites and schorlomites. American Mineralogist, 62 (7-8) 646-665
1980Schwartz, Kenneth B., Nolet, Daniel A., Burns, Roger G. (1980) Mössbauer spectroscopy and crystal chemistry of natural Fe-Ti garnets. American Mineralogist, 65 (1-2) 142-153

Cite this entry

@misc{mineral2026,
  author    = {Mineral Index editorial board},
  title     = {Melanite — Mineral Index},
  year      = {2026},
  url       = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/melanite-7443},
  note      = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}