Wehrlite
Image: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Strekeisen" title="User:Strekeisen">Strekeisen</a> (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Mineral NameWehrlite
Chemical FormulaA rock, primarily composed of (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 (olivine) and Ca(Mg,Fe)Si2O6 (clinopyroxene).
Mohs Hardness5
Streak ColorWhite to greenish-gray
CleavagePoor to none in olivine; good in two directions (at ~90 degrees) in clinopyroxene.
FractureConchoidal to uneven
Specific Gravity3.2
Colorsdark green, black, blue, purple, yellow, green, orange
TransparencyTransparent to translucent (for individual grains in thin section); opaque (in hand sample).
Type LocalityNot specified
Mineral GroupIgneous rock (ultrabasic, peridotite group); constituent minerals are silicates.
Usessource of nickel, source of chromium, source of platinum group elements, geological research
Associated Mineralsolivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, chromite, magnetite, plagioclase
Description
This image, taken under crossed nicols, displays a thin section of wehrlite, characterized by a mosaic of brightly colored, anhedral to subhedral mineral grains exhibiting various interference colors, indicative of its primary composition of olivine and pyroxene.
Geological Context
Wehrlite is an ultrabasic igneous rock, a type of peridotite, formed by the crystallization of mafic magma deep within the Earth's mantle or lower crust, often found in layered intrusions, ophiolite complexes, and as xenoliths in volcanic rocks.
