Kirschsteinite Locality: Harstigen Mine, Pajsberg, Filipstad , Värmland , Sweden ( Locality at mindat.org ) Colourless crystals of Kirschsteinite (analysed). Field of view 5 mm. Specimen and photo Leon Hupperichs. — Photo: Leon Hupperichs · CC BY-SA 3.0
Kirschsteinite
The iron end-member of the monticellite olivine pair — calcium-iron silicate CaFeSiO₄.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Kirschsteinite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula CaFe²⁺(SiO₄).
It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system (space group Pbnm). It is a member of the Olivine structural group.
Key properties: specific gravity 3.434; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Kir, grandfathered status — known before the IMA’s founding, named in 1957.
Found in melilite-nephelinite lava (Mt. Shaheru, Congo); in calcareous skarn (Tazheran massif, Russia).
It is found associated with Melilite, nepheline, clinopyroxene, kalsilite, gÄotzenite, combeite, sodalite, magnetite, perovskite, apatite, \hornblende, " biotite (Mt. Shaheru, Congo).
The name refers to Dr. Egon Kirschstein, German geologist, a pioneer in the geological exploration of Kivu Province, Congo (Zaire).