Where it forms, where it's found
- Geological setting
IAB Complex iron meteorite
- Type locality
- El Ali meteorite
- Hiran Region
- Somalia
4.2881°, 44.8983°
1recorded occurrences
Physical
- Density
- 3.52 g/cm³
Optical
- Notes
The Gladstone-Dale relationship gives n = 1.66
Crystallography
- Space group
- Pnnm
- Cell parameters
- a = 9.81(1) Å · b = 16.51(1) Å · c = 6.27(1) Å
- Ratio a:b:c
- 1 : 1.683 : 0.639
- Z
- 4
- Type-locality form
irregular crystals, 1 to 5 μm in size
- Comment
Electron backscatter diffraction
Crystal structure
Chemical composition
Synonyms
- Olseniet
In other languages
- French
- olsénite
- German
- IMA 2022-100 · Olsenit
- Italian
- Olsenite
- Japanese
- オルセン石
Classification
Strunz
10th ed.8.AB
- 8Phosphates, Arsenates, VanadatesClass
- 8.APhosphates, etc. without additional anions, without H2ODivision
- 8.ABWith medium-sized cationsGroup
- 8.ABOlseniteSpecies
Literature, links & citation
Citations
- 2023Ma, C, Herd, CDK, Locock, AJ (2023) Nanomineralogy of the El Ali Meteorite: Discovery of Olsenite, KFe4 (PO4) 3, the Third New Mineral from this IAB Iron. LPI Contributions, 2806. 1883
- 2023Bosi, Ferdinando; Miyawaki, Ritsuro; Hatert, Frédéric; Pasero, Marco; Mills, Stuart J. (2023) IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) – Newsletter 71. European Journal of Mineralogy, 35 (1). 75-79 doi:10.5194/ejm-35-75-2023 DOI: 10.5194/ejm-35-75-2023
- 2024Herd, Christopher DK, Ma, Chi, Locock, Andrew J, Saini, Radhika, Walton, Erin L (2024) Three new iron-phosphate minerals from the El Ali iron meteorite, Somalia: Elaliite F e 8 2+ Fe3+ (PO4) O8, elkinstantonite Fe4 (PO4) 2O, and olsenite KFe4 (PO4) 3. American Mineralogist, 109 (12). 2142-2151
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
author = {Mineral Index editorial board},
title = {Olsenite — Mineral Index},
year = {2026},
url = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/olsenite-470466},
note = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}