Hemleyite
Hemleyite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula FeSiO₃.
It crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system (space group R-3). It is a member of the Corundum structural group.
Key properties: specific gravity 4.383.
IMA symbol Hle, IMA status: approved, named in 2016.
Found in an unmelted portion of the heavily shocked (<20 GPa; <2000 flC) L6 Suizhou chondrite meteorite. Perhaps relevant to the mineralogy of Earth’s deep interior.
It is found associated with Forsterite, clinoferrosilite, Fe-bearing pyroxene with a composition nearly identical to hemleyite.
The mineral was named to honor Russell J. Hemley (b. 1954), former Director of the Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution, Washington D.C., USA.