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spinel group
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A diagram of the spinel structure in magnesium aluminum oxide (MgAl2O4) shows large red spheres representing oxygen ions in cubic closest packing, with blue spheres for aluminum ions in octahedral sites and green spheres for magnesium ions in tetrahedral sites, all within a hexagonal outline.
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spinel group

mineralogy
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A diagram of the spinel structure in magnesium aluminum oxide (MgAl2O4) shows large red spheres representing oxygen ions in cubic closest packing, with blue spheres for aluminum ions in octahedral sites and green spheres for magnesium ions in tetrahedral sites, all within a hexagonal outline.
Figure 10: An oxygen layer in the spinel (MgAl2O4) structure. The large circles represent oxygen in approximate cubic closest packing; the cation layers on each side of the oxygen layer are also shown.

The spinel group is a collection of mineral oxides with the general chemical formula AB2O4. In this formula, 'A' can represent elements like magnesium, iron, zinc, or manganese, while 'B' can be aluminum, chromium, or iron.

The spinel group is divided into three series: the spinel (aluminum-spinel) series, the chromite (chromium-spinel) series, and the magnetite (iron-spinel) series. Aluminum spinels are typically harder, more transparent, and less dense than the others. Common minerals in the spinel series include spinel itself, hercynite, gahnite, and galaxite. These minerals are found in various igneous and metamorphic rocks.1

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  1. spinel group
  2. spinel
  3. oxide mineral

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