The Suizhou meteorite: A treasure trove of high-pressure minerals

Abstract

The Suizhou meteorite is a heavily shock-metamorphosed L6 chondrite which contains thin shock melt veins. So far, 26 high-pressure phases have been identified from the meteorite. Among the high-pressure phases, ten of them were approved as new minerals which include tuite, xieite, wangdaodeite, chenmingite, hemleyite, poirierite, asimowite, hiroseite, elgoresyite, and ohtaniite, by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association. Other high-pressure phases identified from the meteorite are ahrensite, akimotoite, bridgmanite, lingunite, magnesiowüstite, majorite, majorite–pyrope_ss, maskelynite, riesite, ringwoodite, wadsleyite, and 5 other phases including phase A, vitrified phase B and phase C, phase D (Ca-rich majorite), and partly inverted ringwoodite. The occurrence and abundance of high-pressure phases makes this meteorite the one with the richest variety of high-pressure minerals to date.