Moganite is a silicate mineral with the chemical formula SiO2 (silicon dioxide) that was discovered in 1984. 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.
Moganite is a silicate mineral with the chemical formula SiO2 (silicon dioxide) that was discovered in 1984. 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. As of 1994, the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) had disapproved it as being a separate species because it was not clearly distinguishable from quartz. 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). 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. It is even named for a municipality of Gran Canaria called Mogán. Physically, it has a hardness of about 6, a dull luster and appears gray in color but transparent.