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)
orthorhombiccommonSilicates
Olivine
(Mg,Fe)2SiO4
This specimen showcases a lustrous, gemmy, olive-green olivine crystal, approximately 1.1 cm in size, embedded within a matrix.
Olivine Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
6.5Crystal System
orthorhombicLuster
vitreousStreak Color
whiteCleavage
poor to distinct on {010}, poor on {100}Fracture
conchoidalSpecific Gravity
3.3Colors
green, yellowish-green, olive-green, brownish-green, brown, yellowTransparency
transparentType Locality
Totenkopf Mt. (incl. Lower Riffl glacier), Stubach valley, Hohe Tauern Mts, Salzburg, AustriaMineral Group
SilicatesUses
jewelry, refractory material, metallurgical flux, collectorAssociated Minerals
pyroxene, plagioclase, chromite, magnetite, spinelRarity
commonGeological Context
Olivine is a common rock-forming mineral found in mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks like basalt, gabbro, and peridotite, and is a major component of the Earth's upper mantle. It crystallizes at high temperatures from magnesium-rich magmas.
