Areas with ellinaite in gehlenite-rankinite paralava (a–b), Hatrurim Basin, Israel. BSE and reflected light images. Symbols: Eln-1, Eln-2 – ellinaite; Po – Cr-rich pyrrhotite; Gh – gehlenite; Ran – rankinite; La – larnite–flamite; Prv – Si-rich perovskite; Alt – alteration products after pyrrhotite. The image is published in an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). — Photo: Victor V. Sharygin, Sergey N. Britvin, Felix V. Kaminsky, Richard Wirth, Elena N. Nigmatulina, Grigory A. Yakovlev, Konstantin A. Novoselov, and Mikhail N. Murashko · CC BY 4.0
Ellinaite
Ellinaite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the oxides & hydroxide class, with the chemical formula CaCr₂O₄.
It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system (space group Pnma). It is a member of the Post-spinel structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 4.5–5; specific gravity 4.609; submetallic (Israel) luster.
IMA symbol El, IMA status: approved, named in 2020.
Found in pyrometamorphic paralava (Israel) and spurite marble (Jordan). In a diamond (Brazil). Forms under highly reduced conditions at high temperatures (>1000 flC).
It is found associated with Calcite, ettringite, mcconnellite, fluorapatite, priscillagrewite-(Y), brownmillerite- srebrodolskite series, cuprite (Jordan).
The mineral was named to honor Russian mineralogist and petrologist Ellina Vladimirovna Sokol (b. 1961) from IGM, Novosibirsk, Russia.