Xifengite (
Fe5 Si3) is a rare metallic iron
silicide mineral. The
crystal system of xifengite is
hexagonal. It has a specific gravity of 6.45 and a
Mohs hardness of 5.5. It occurs as steel gray inclusions within other
meteorite derived nickel iron mineral phases.
It was first described in 1984 and named for the eastern passageway, Xifengkou, of the
Great Wall of China. The
type locality is the Yanshan meteorite of the Hebei Province, China. It has also been reported from dredgings along the
East Pacific Rise.
The other known natural iron silicide minerals are
gupeiite (),
hapkeite (),
linzhiite
Linzhiite is an Iron disilicide, iron silicide mineral with the formula FeSi2. It was discovered in the 1960s in Donetsk Oblast in Soviet Union, and named ferdisilicite, but was not approved by the International Mineralogical Association. It was ...
(),
luobusaite (),
naquite
Naquite is a mineral of iron monosilicide, FeSi. It was discovered in the 1960s in Donetsk Oblast in Soviet Union, and named fersilicite, but was not approved by the International Mineralogical Association. It was later rediscovered in the Nagq ...
(),
suessite
Suessite is a rare iron silicide mineral with chemical formula: Fe3Si. The mineral was named after Professor Hans E. Suess. It was discovered in 1982 during the chemical analysis of The North Haig olivine pigeonite achondrite (ureilite). It is a c ...
(), and
zangboite ().
[Mindat, http://www.mindat.org]
See also
*
Glossary of meteoritics
This is a glossary of terms used in meteoritics, the science of meteorites.
#
* 2 Pallas – an asteroid from the asteroid belt and one of the likely parent bodies of the CR meteorites.
* 4 Vesta – second-largest asteroid in the asteroid bel ...
References
Iron(II,III) minerals
Meteorite minerals
Hexagonal minerals
Minerals in space group 193
Minerals described in 1984
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