Moganite

Moganite is a silicate mineral with the chemical formula SiO₂ (silicon dioxide) that was discovered in 1984.^[1] It is made up of covalent bonds and has a lattice structure known as a monoclinic crystal system. Moganite is considered a polymorph of quartz because it has the same chemical composition but a different chemical structure.^[2]

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As of 1994, the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) had disapproved it as being a separate species because it was not clearly distinguishable from quartz.^[3] It has only recently been approved as a valid species by the CNMNC, the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (part of the IMA).^[4]

This mineral is “virtually indistinguishable” from a rock called chalcedony that is made up of both moganite itself and quartz. It has been mainly found in dry locales such as Gran Canaria and Lake Magadi.^[5] It is even named for a municipality of Gran Canaria called Mogán.^[6] Physically, it has a hardness of about 6, a dull luster and appears gray in color but transparent.

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