Image of the rock fragment from Mt Carmel. A BSE image; arrows mark the (V,Al)-alloys and the VH2 fragment (kishonite) that was sampled. 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: Bindi, Luca and Cámara, Fernando and Gain, Sarah E. M. and Griffin, William L. and Huang, Jin-Xiang and Saunders, Martin and Toledo, Vered · CC BY 4.0
Kishonite
Kishonite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the organic mineral class, with the chemical formula VH₂.
It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system (space group Fm3m).
Key properties: specific gravity 5.523.
IMA symbol Kis, IMA status: approved, named in 2020.
Found in xenoliths in pyroclastic ejecta from basaltic volcanoes. This ultra-reduced mineral assemblage may reflect the interaction of deep-seated basaltic magmas with mantle derived CH4 + H2 at high fluid/melt ratios.
It is found associated with Hibonite, grossite, spinel, vanadium, V-Al alloys.
The name refers to the Kishon river, which drains Mt. Carmel and enters the sea near Haifa where the placer gemstone deposits with the studied xenoliths were collected.