Very dark green single crystal of the extremely rare Na-Mg-Cr silicate from the type locality in Canyon Diablo meteorite (Canyon Diablo Meteorite, Meteor Crater, Coconino County, Arizona, United States of America). Ex Vandenbroucke Museum collection specimen, from Waregem, Belgium. — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY-SA 4.0
Krinovite
An emerald-green meteorite mineral of the aenigmatite group, discovered in graphite nodules inside iron meteorites.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Krinovite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula Na₄[Mg₈Cr³⁺₄]O₄[Si₁₂O₃₆].
It crystallizes in the triclinic crystal system (space group P-1). It is a member of the Sapphirine structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 5.5–7; specific gravity 3.38; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Kvi, IMA status: approved, named in 1967.
Disseminated within graphite nodules in some octahedrite iron meteorites.
It is found associated with Graphite, roedderite, high albite, richterite, forsterite, kosmochlor, chromite.
The name refers to Evgeny Leonidovich Krinov, noted Russian investigator of meteorites.