Tschaunerite

(Fe2+)(Fe2+Ti4+)O4
IMA status
  • Approved
IMA symbol
Tsc
IMA approved
2018
Also known as
  • IMA2017-032a
  • Tschauneriet

Where it forms, where it's found

Geological setting

In a Fe-, Ti-rich clast within a shock-induced melt pocket, in a highly shocked Martian meteorite.

Type locality
Shergotty Martian meteorite
  1. Gaya District
  2. Bihar
  3. India

24.5500°, 84.8333°

1recorded occurrences
Source · OpenStreetMap

Physical

Transparency
Opaque
Colour
Black
Density
6.41 g/cm³

Crystallography

Crystal system
Orthorhombic
Space group
Cmcm
Cell parameters
a = 2.708(16) Å · b = 9.216(8) Å · c = 9.103(4) Å
Ratio a:b:c
1 : 3.403 : 3.362
Unit cell volume
227.2 ų
Z
4
Type-locality form

Lathe-shaped crystals, 1 – 5 µm in size.

Crystal structure

Chemical composition

Constituent elements
Mass composition breakdown
ElementAtoms At. mass g/mol Mass g/molMass share
26FeIronIron255.845111.690
49.96%
8OOxygenOxygen415.99963.996
28.63%
22TiTitaniumTitanium147.86747.867
21.41%
Total223.553100.00%

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

From IMA formula

Synonyms

  • IMA2017-032a
  • Tschauneriet

In other languages

German
IMA 2017-032a · Tschaunerit
Italian
Tschaunerite

Classification

Strunz
10th ed.

4.BB.45

  • 4OxidesClass
  • 4.BMetal: Oxygen = 3:4 and similarDivision
  • 4.BBWith only medium-sized cationsGroup
  • 4.BB.45TschauneriteSpecies

Group, growth & confusion

In the same group
6 members
Commonly confused with
1 mineral

Literature, links & citation

Citations
  1. 2018Hålenius, Ulf, Hatert, Frédéric, Pasero, Marco, Mills, Stuart J. (2018) IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) NEWSLETTER 46. European Journal of Mineralogy, 30 (6) 1181-1189 doi:10.1127/ejm/2018/0030-2819DOI: 10.1127/ejm/2018/0030-2819
  2. 2021Ma, C., Beckett, J.R., Prakapenka, V. (2021) Discovery of New High-Pressure Mineral Tschaunerite, (Fe2+)(Fe2+Ti4+)O4, a Shock-Induced, Post-Spinel Phase in the Martian Meteorite Shergotty. 52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, held virtually, 15-19 March, 2021. LPI Contribution No. 2548, id.1720.
  3. 2022(2022) Tschaunerite. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
  author    = {Mineral Index editorial board},
  title     = {Tschaunerite — Mineral Index},
  year      = {2026},
  url       = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/tschaunerite-53238},
  note      = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}