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Zircon mineral

Zircon is the zirconium silicate mineral species Zr(SiO4), listed as grandfathered in the September 2026 IMA-CNMNC list. It is distinct from elemental zirconium, zirconia (ZrO2), zircon-bearing sand or concentrates, and other ZrSiO4 polymorphs. Hazen and Finger (1979) characterized two fragments of one natural, nonmetamict, gem-quality crystal from the Finsch Pipe kimberlite near Kimberley, South Africa, using single-crystal X-ray diffraction under pressure. Their specimen description reports nearly pure zircon with 1.2 weight percent HfO2 and 26 ppm uranium; these are specimen-specific values, not universal mineral composition or a resource grade. The refinements support a tetragonal I41/amd structure with four formula units per unit cell. Measurements extended to 48.1 kbar; higher-pressure phase transitions discussed in that paper are predictions or references to other studies, not transformations observed in this experiment. The two fragments are not independent geological occurrences. This identity and structural evidence does not establish microbial transformation, recovery, industrial deployment or a criticality designation for the mineral.

Sources & References

  1. ima_2026_09: IMA-CNMNC. The New IMA List of Minerals, September 2026; PDF page 1 field definitions and page 242 Zircon row: Zr(SiO4), G, 1789, Sri Lanka. The historical year is not a unique species accession or a claim about this study's locality.
    https://cnmnc.units.it/files/editor/IMA_Master_List_(2026-09).pdf (accessed 2026-10-12)
  2. hazen_finger1979: Hazen RM and Finger LW (1979). Crystal structure and compressibility of zircon at high pressure. American Mineralogist 64, 196-201. Complete six-page original inspected, including Tables 1-4; specimen and methods on page 197, structure refinement and pressure bounds on page 198. Observed/calculated structure factors offered by the authors in the page 198 footnote were not obtained.
    https://msaweb.org/AmMin/AM64/AM64_196.pdf (accessed 2026-10-12)

Curation History

Timestamp Curator Action Summary
2026-10-12T05:58:13Z codex (GPT-6; codex) create Added the distinct zircon mineral identity and natural-specimen structural context, preserving measured pressure bounds and specimen limitations. Deferred zircon-sand microbial leads pending complete supporting evidence; no criticality was inherited.

Record source: data/records/zircon.yaml