What is "baddeleyite"

n. (context mineral English) A rare zirconium oxide mineral occurring in a variety of monoclinic prismatic crystal forms.

n. a mineral consisting of zirconium oxide

Baddeleyite is a rare zirconium oxide mineral (ZrO or zirconia), occurring in a variety of monoclinic prismatic crystal forms. It is transparent to translucent, has high indices of refraction, and ranges from colorless to yellow, green, and dark brown. See etymology below.

Baddeleyite is a refractory mineral, with a melting point of 2700 °C. Hafnium is a substituting impurity and may be present in quantities ranging from 0.1 to several percent.

It can be found in igneous rocks containing potassium feldspar and plagioclase. Baddeleyite is commonly found with zircon (ZrSiO), yet it forms in places with lower silica content, such as mafic rocks. This is because baddeleyite tends to become zircon where there is higher silica content, hence why both minerals can be found together. It belongs to the monoclinic-prismatic class, of the P2/c crystal system. It has been used for geochronology.