esitätte

esitätte is a hypothetical mineral term used in speculative discussions within mineral physics and high-pressure geology. The term appears in thought experiments intended to illustrate how a dense silicate-oxide phase might behave under extreme conditions, such as those found in subduction zones or planetary interiors. esitätte is not recognized by the International Mineralogical Association and has no confirmed natural specimen or laboratory synthesis.

In proposed models, esitätte would be a dense silicate-oxide with a complex tetrahedral-octahedral framework, incorporating magnesium and iron along with silicon and oxygen. The structure is described as forming a three-dimensional network that could accommodate high coordination of cations, potentially producing high bulk moduli. Because esitätte is hypothetical, precise chemical formulas and structural parameters vary among authors, but the concept typically involves a high-pressure phase that is denser than common mantle minerals.

Property expectations in these models include a vitreous to sub-vitreous luster, a color range from colorless to pale green, conchoidal to indistinct cleavage, and a hardness around 6 on the Mohs scale. Densities are usually given in the range of 3.8 to 4.3 g/cm3, with refractive indices consistent with dense silicate minerals.

Applications of the esitätte concept include testing equations of state, modeling phase transitions in mantle or exoplanetary interiors, and illustrating how mineral frameworks respond to compression. See also: olivine, garnet, perovskite, high-pressure mineral physics.