Mineral Guide · Mineral
Xiexiandeite is an ultra-high-pressure silica polymorph identified in meteorites, important for understanding shock transformation among the SiO2 structures.
Xiexiandeite is an ultra-high-pressure silica polymorph identified in meteorites, important for understanding shock transformation among the SiO2 structures.
Reference formula: SiO2. Xiexiandeite has the SiO2 composition and a monoclinic high-pressure structure. The species was approved recently and no matching public COD CIF was selected, so the page intentionally has no artificial lattice. Xiexiandeite is classified with oxides and has monoclinic crystal symmetry. Typical hardness is 6–7 on the Mohs scale and specific gravity is approximately 2.3–2.5.
Typical colours include colourless, white, pale grey. The usual granular, massive, microscopic habit and vitreous, dull lustre help describe a specimen, but colour alone is not diagnostic.
Xiexiandeite forms in or is associated with meteorite shock veins and ultra-high-pressure impact assemblages. Important documented localities include the Muonionalusta meteorite in Sweden and other strongly shocked extraterrestrial materials.
Xiexiandeite shows how the same SiO2 chemistry can adopt radically different structures under extreme pressure. It belongs in a meteorite reference story, not as a duplicate quartz colour page.
Protect microscopic grains and keep the meteorite provenance intact; do not grind or acid-test.
Reviewed by NotOnlyRocks Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 30 August 2026
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