| Khatyrkite | |
|---|---|
 Khatyrkite sample. | |
| General | |
| Category | Native element class, alloy |
| Formula (repeating unit) | (Cu,Zn,Fe)Al2 |
| IMA symbol | Ktk[1] |
| Strunz classification | 1.AA.15 |
| Crystal system | Tetragonal |
| Crystal class | Ditetragonal dipyramidal (4/mmm) H-M symbol: (4/m 2/m 2/m) |
| Space group | I4/mcm |
| Unit cell | a = 6.06, c = 4.87 [Å]; Z = 4 |
| Identification | |
| Color | Gray-yellow (reflection) |
| Crystal habit | Prismatic crystals and intergrowths with cupalite |
| Cleavage | {100}, distinct |
| Tenacity | Malleable |
| Mohs scale hardness | 5–6 |
| Luster | Metallic |
| Streak | Dark gray |
| Diaphaneity | Opaque |
| Specific gravity | 4.42 (calculated) |
| Optical properties | Distinctly anisotropic, grayish yellow to brownish red |
| References | [2][3][4] |
Khatyrkite (/ˈkætiərkaɪt/ KAT-ee-ər-kyte)[5] is a rare mineral which is mostly composed of copper and aluminium, but may contain up to about 15% of zinc or iron.[4][6] Its chemical structure is described by an approximate formula (Cu,Zn)Al2 or (Cu,Fe)Al2. It was discovered in 1985 in a placer in association with another rare mineral cupalite ((Cu,Zn,Fe)Al). These two minerals have only been found at 62°39′11″N 174°30′02″E / 62.65306°N 174.50056°E in the area of the Iomrautvaam, a tributary of the Khatyrka river, in the Koryak Mountains, in Anadyrsky District (former Beringovsky District), Chukotka, Russia. Analysis of one of the samples containing khatyrkite showed that the small rock was from a meteorite.[7] A geological expedition has identified the exact place of the original discovery and found more specimens of the Khatyrka meteorite.[8][9] The mineral's name derives from the Khatyrka (Russian: Хатырка) zone where it was discovered.[10] Its type specimen (defining sample) is preserved in the Mining Museum in Saint Petersburg, and parts of it can be found in other museums, such as Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze.[2][3][6]
- ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
- ^ a b "Khatyrkite" (PDF). Mineral Data Publishing. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ a b "Khatyrkite". Mindat.org. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
- ^ a b "Khatyrkite". Webmineral. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
- ^ Khatyrkite Mineral Data
- ^ a b Steinhardt, Paul; Bindi, Luca (2010). "Once upon a time in Kamchatka: the search for natural quasicrystals". Philosophical Magazine. 91 (19–21): 1. Bibcode:2011PMag...91.2421S. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.670.9567. doi:10.1080/14786435.2010.510457. S2CID 120117070.
- ^ Bindi, Luca; John M. Eiler; Yunbin Guan; Lincoln S. Hollister; Glenn MacPherson; Paul J. Steinhardt; Nan Yao (2012-01-03). "Evidence for the extraterrestrial origin of a natural quasicrystal". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 109 (5): 1396–1401. Bibcode:2012PNAS..109.1396B. doi:10.1073/pnas.1111115109. PMC 3277151. PMID 22215583.
- ^ Nadia Drake, Prospecting for Quasicrystals, Science News, Print edition: Nov. 3, 2012; Vol.182 #9 (p. 24)/ Web edition: October 19, 2012
- ^ A second natural quasicrystal with a different (decagonal) structure has been identified in the samples, Bindi L., and al, Natural quasicrystal with decagonal symmetry, Nature - Scientific Reports 5, Article number: 9111 doi:10.1038/srep09111.
- ^ Razin, L.V., N.S. Rudashevskii, and L.N. Vyal'sov. (1985) New natural intermetallic compounds of aluminum, copper and zinc—khatyrkite CuAI2, cupalite CuAI and zinc aluminides—from hyperbasites of dunite-harzburgite formation. Zap. Vses. Mineral. Obshch., 114,90–100 (in Russian). c.f. (1986) Amer. Mineral., 71, 1278