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)
monocliniccommonsilicates (pyroxene group)
Diopside
CaMgSi₂O₆
This specimen displays a large, intensely lime-green prismatic crystal of Diopside, characteristic of its monoclinic crystal system.
Diopside Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
6Crystal System
monoclinicLuster
vitreousStreak Color
whiteCleavage
good on {110} at 87° and 93°Fracture
conchoidal to unevenSpecific Gravity
3.27Colors
green, white, gray, brown, black, violet-blueTransparency
transparent to translucentType Locality
Merelani Hills (Mererani), Lelatema Mts, Arusha Region, TanzaniaMineral Group
silicates (pyroxene group)Uses
jewelry, collector, industrialAssociated Minerals
calcite, dolomite, garnet, vesuvianite, spinel, phlogopite, serpentine, tremoliteRarity
commonGeological Context
Diopside is a common mineral found in a variety of metamorphic rocks, such as marble and skarns, and also occurs in some igneous rocks like ultramafic intrusions and kimberlites, forming under high temperature and pressure conditions.
