Article
Article
Stishovite
Article By:
Chao, Edward C. T. U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior, Reston, Virginia.
Last reviewed:December 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.656400
Naturally occurring stishovite, SiO2, is a mineral formed under very high pressure with the silicon atom in sixfold, or octahedral, coordination instead of the usual fourfold, or tetrahedral, coordination. It was discovered in the same type of Coconino sandstone from the Meteor Crater of Arizona. Stishovite has since been found in rocks from the Ries Crater of Germany. The presence of stishovite indicates formation pressures in excess of 106 lb/in.2 (7.5 gigapascals). The possibility of the existence of stishovite at great depths strongly influences the interpretations of geophysicists and solid-state physicists regarding the phase transitions of mineral matter, as well as the interpretation of seismic data in the study of such regions of the interior of the Earth. See also: Silica minerals
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
