Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2018
Numerous small octahedra of a black, brittle, magnetic mineral were found in calciphyre and brucite marble, occurring in the northern part of the exocontact zone of the Kondyor ultramafic-alkalic massif (south-eastern part of the Aldan Shield, 250 km north west of sea port Ayan). Their composition corresponds to the group from titanium magnesioferrite (11.53% TiO2) to titanium-rich magnesian spinel (27.34% TiO2), similar to spinellide found in Greenland (Gittins et al., 1982) and in Iraq (Al-Hermezi, 1985) and approved by the Commission on New Minerals as a new mineral named qandilite. Hardness, specific gravity, and reflectance of Kondyor qandilite are similar to those of the Iraq mineral. Peaks of IR-absorption spectra are equal to 580-590 cm−1 (v2) and 431-438 cm−1 (v2). There is a positive correlation between lattice parameters and the amount of Mg2TiO4: from 8.368 Å at 26.6% to 8.429 Å at 60.4%. Kondyor qandilite crystallized together with geikielite, oxidized alumina spinel (8.55% Fe2O3, ftotal : 16.5%), periclase, and forsterite.