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The mineral olivine (/ ˈ ɒ l. ɪ ˌ v iː n /) is a magnesium iron silicate with the chemical formula (Mg,Fe) 2 Si O 4.It is a type of nesosilicate or orthosilicate.The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle, [9] it is a common mineral in Earth's subsurface, but weathers quickly on the surface.
Olivine, of which peridot is a type, is a common mineral in mafic and ultramafic rocks, often found in lava and in peridotite xenoliths of the mantle, which lava carries to the surface; however, gem-quality peridot occurs in only a fraction of these settings. Peridots can also be found in meteorites.
Recognizing the habit can aid in mineral identification and description, as the crystal habit is an external representation of the internal ordered atomic arrangement. [1] Most natural crystals, however, do not display ideal habits and are commonly malformed. Hence, it is also important to describe the quality of the shape of a mineral specimen:
Orange forsterite with a portion of tephroite. Pure forsterite is composed of magnesium, oxygen and silicon. The chemical formula is Mg 2 SiO 4.Forsterite, fayalite (Fe 2 SiO 4) and tephroite (Mn 2 SiO 4) are the end-members of the olivine solid solution series; other elements such as Ni and Ca substitute for Fe and Mg in olivine, but only in minor proportions in natural occurrences.
The process of alteration from mafic minerals to serpentine group minerals is called serpentinization. Serpentine minerals are often formed by the hydration of olivine-rich ultramafic rocks at relatively low temperatures (0 to ~600 °C). [15] The chemical reaction turns olivine into serpentine minerals.
Ringwoodite is polymorphous with forsterite, Mg 2 SiO 4, and has a spinel structure.Spinel group minerals crystallize in the isometric system with an octahedral habit. Olivine is most abundant in the upper mantle, above about 410 km (250 mi); the olivine polymorphs wadsleyite and ringwoodite are thought to dominate the transition zone of the mantle, a zone present from about 410 to 660 km
Larnite is a calcium silicate mineral with the formula Ca 2 SiO 4.It is the calcium member of the olivine group of minerals.. It was first described from an occurrence at Scawt Hill, Larne, Northern Ireland in 1929 by Cecil Edgar Tilley and named for the location. [2]
Talc dominantly forms from the metamorphism of magnesian minerals such as serpentine, pyroxene, amphibole, and olivine, in the presence of carbon dioxide and water. This is known as "talc carbonation" or "steatization" and produces a suite of rocks known as talc carbonates.