Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 18, 2026

Breyite

Breyite is a high pressure calcium silicate mineral (CaSiO3) found in diamond inclusions. It is the second most abundant inclusion after ferropericlase, for diamonds with a deep Earth origin. Its occurrence can also indicate the host diamond's super-deep origin. This mineral is named after German mineralogist, petrologist and geochemist Gerhard P. Brey.

Last revised
Jun 18, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
227 w
Citations
7
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Breyite
General
CategoryMinerals
FormulaCa3.01(2)Si2.98(2)O9
IMA symbolByi1
Crystal systemTriclinic
Space groupP1
Unit cella0 = 6.6970(4) Å,

b0= 9.2986(7) Å,
c0 = 6.6501(4) Å,
α = 83.458(6)°,
β = 76.226(6)°,

γ = 69.581(7)°
Identification
Colourcolorless
Cleavagenot observed
Lustervitreous
Density3.072 g/cm3
Ultraviolet fluorescencenon-fluorescent
References2

Breyite is a high pressure calcium silicate mineral (CaSiO3) found in diamond inclusions.34 It is the second most abundant inclusion after ferropericlase, for diamonds with a deep Earth origin.54 Its occurrence can also indicate the host diamond's super-deep origin. This mineral is named after German mineralogist, petrologist and geochemist Gerhard P. Brey.

CaSiO3 phase diagram showing Breyite is stable around 3-9 GPa6 source ↗
References

References

  1. "Breyite". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  2. Brenker, Frank E.; Nestola, Fabrizio; Brenker, Lion; Peruzzo, Luca; Harris, Jeffrey W. (1 January 2021). "Origin, properties, and structure of breyite: The second most abundant mineral inclusion in super-deep diamonds". American Mineralogist. 106 (1): 38–43. Bibcode:2021AmMin.106...38B. doi:10.2138/am-2020-7513. S2CID 231543488.
  3. Alderton, David; Elias, Scott (2020). Encyclopedia of Geology. Elsevier Science. p. 467. ISBN 9780081029091.
  4. Brenker, Frank E.; Nestola, Fabrizio; Brenker, Lion; Peruzzo, Luca; Harris, Jeffrey W. (2021-01-01). "Origin, properties, and structure of breyite: The second most abundant mineral inclusion in super-deep diamonds". American Mineralogist. 106 (1): 38–43. Bibcode:2021AmMin.106...38B. doi:10.2138/am-2020-7513. ISSN 1945-3027. S2CID 231543488.
  5. "Breyite". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  6. Milani, Sula; Comboni, Davide; Lotti, Paolo; Fumagalli, Patrizia; Ziberna, Luca; Maurice, Juliette; Hanfland, Michael; Merlini, Marco (2021-06-19). "Crystal Structure Evolution of CaSiO3 Polymorphs at Earth's Mantle Pressures". Minerals. 11 (6): 652. Bibcode:2021Mine...11..652M. doi:10.3390/min11060652. hdl:11368/2993918. ISSN 2075-163X.