Table of Contents
- 1 What are some properties of olivine?
- 2 What is the significance of olivine?
- 3 What is Augite describe its physical properties?
- 4 What is the texture of halite?
- 5 What are the other properties of feldspar?
- 6 What are the physical properties of the mineral olivine?
- 7 What kind of materials can olivine be used for?
What are some properties of olivine?
Physical Properties of Olivine Olivine is usually green in color but can also be yellow-green, greenish yellow, or brown. It is transparent to translucent with a glassy luster and a hardness between 6.5 and 7.0. It is the only common igneous mineral with these properties.
What are the optical properties of olivine?
Olivine Optical Properties
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Cleavage | Poor cleavage on (010) and (110) |
| Color/Pleochroism | Olive or yellowish-green in hand samples. Colorless to pale green in thin section. Weak, pale green pleochroism in thin section. |
| Optic Sign | Biaxial (-); or Biaxial (+) |
| 2V | 82-90; forsterite 46-90; fayalite |
What is the significance of olivine?
Olivine is considered to be an important mineral due to its presence in the seismic waves that cross the boundary between the Earth’s crust and mantle. Olivine is also found in high levels in the pieces of oceanic crust that are pushed up onto a continent or island.
What are the two most common elements in olivine?
The olivine group (Mg,Fe)2SiO4, is a group of igneous minerals which is commonly abundant, and quickly weathered, on the Earth’s subsurface. Olivine is a mixture of magnesium-rich forsterite (Mg2SiO4) and iron-rich fayalite (Fe2SiO4). Forsterite is more common than fayalite (Klein and Hurlbut, 1993).
What is Augite describe its physical properties?
| Physical Properties of Augite | |
|---|---|
| Chemical Classification | A single chain inosilicate |
| Luster | Vitreous on cleavage and crystal faces. Dull on other surfaces. |
| Diaphaneity | Usually translucent to opaque. Rarely transparent. |
| Cleavage | Prismatic in two directions that intersect at slightly less than 90 degrees. |
How would you differentiate a ball from olivine?
The most common amphibole is hornblende. It has a transparent appearance and a glassy gloss. It has very long and thin crystals. Olivine is a silicate mineral with a general chemical composition of (Mg, Fe)2 SO4, however, magnesium and iron can be replaced with calcium, manganese, and nickel.
What is the texture of halite?
Rock Salt
| Type | Sedimentary Rock |
|---|---|
| Texture | Nonclastic; Fine-grained |
| Composition | Halite |
| Color | Colorless |
| Miscellaneous | Crystalline; Tastes salty; Hardness < Glass |
Does halite have optical properties?
It also occurs in coarse, crystalline masses or in granular and compact forms. Halite crystals are usually cubic….Optical Properties of Halite.
| Type | Isotropic |
|---|---|
| Color / Pleochroism | Weak |
| Birefringence | Isotropic minerals have no birefringence |
What are the other properties of feldspar?
| Generalized Physical Properties of Feldspar Minerals | |
|---|---|
| Chemical Classification | Silicate |
| Mohs Hardness | 6 to 6.5 |
| Specific Gravity | 2.5 to 2.8 |
| Diagnostic Properties | Perfect cleavage, with cleavage faces usually intersecting at or close to 90 degrees. Consistent hardness, specific gravity and pearly luster on cleavage faces. |
What property would you use to distinguish between augite and hornblende?
Augite is most easily confused with hornblende. Hornblende has highly reflective cleavages whereas augite cleavages are dull. Hornblende tends to form elongate rectangular crystals whereas augite crystals tend to be blocky.
What are the physical properties of the mineral olivine?
Olivine Physical Properties Olivine is typically inexperienced in color however also can be yellow-inexperienced, greenish yellow, or brown. It is obvious to translucent with a glassy luster and a hardness between 6.5 and 7.0. It is the simplest not unusual igneous mineral with these residences.
What’s the hardness of an olivine meteorite?
Photograph by Geoffrey Notkin, copyright Aerolite Meteorites, used with permission. Olivine is usually green in color but can also be yellow-green, greenish yellow, or brown. It is transparent to translucent with a glassy luster and a hardness between 6.5 and 7.0. It is the only common igneous mineral with these properties.
What kind of materials can olivine be used for?
Olivine has also been used as a refractory material. It is used to make refractory brick and used as a casting sand. Both of these uses are in decline as alternative materials are less expensive and easier to obtain. Olivine peridot rough: These three specimens are peridot, a gem variety of olivine, from a deposit in Arizona.
What kind of pleochroism does olivine have?
Weak, pale green pleochroism in thin section. Olivine is commonly recognized by it high retardation, distinctive fracturing, lack of cleavage, and alteration to serpentine. Colorless to olive green in thin section. Second-order interference colors.