What is "chibaite"

Chibaite is a rare silicate mineral. It is a silica clathrate with formula SiO·n(CH,CH,CH,i-CH) (n = 3/17 (max)). The mineral is cubic (isometric diploidal) and the silica hosts or traps various hydrocarbon molecules.

Chibaite was first described for specimens collected from Arakawa, Chiba Prefecture, Honshu Island, Japan. The mineral was approved by the IMA in 2009.