Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56247090" class="extiw" title="d:Q56247090"><span title="mineral collector and dealer">Robert M. Lavinsky</span></a></bdi> (CC BY-SA 3.0)
monoclinicuncommonSilicates (Humite Group)
Chondrodite
(Mg,Fe)₅(SiO₄)₂(F,OH,O)₂
This specimen features several translucent, orange-brown chondrodite crystals with a vitreous luster, embedded in a matrix and associated with a dark, likely black, spinel crystal.
Chondrodite Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
6Crystal System
monoclinicLuster
vitreousStreak Color
whiteCleavage
poor on {001}Fracture
conchoidalSpecific Gravity
3.1Colors
yellow, orange, red, brown, green, colorlessTransparency
transparentType Locality
Ladjuar Medam (Lajur Madan; Lapis-lazuli Mine), Sar-e-Sang District, Koksha Valley, Badakhshan Province, AfghanistanMineral Group
Silicates (Humite Group)Uses
collector, gemstone (rarely)Associated Minerals
spinel, phlogopite, calcite, magnetite, diopsideRarity
uncommonGeological Context
Chondrodite typically forms in metamorphosed impure limestones and dolomites, often in contact metamorphic aureoles or skarns, under high-temperature, low-pressure conditions.
