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The mineral olivine (/ ˈ ɒ l. ɪ ˌ v iː n /) is a magnesium iron silicate with the chemical formula (Mg,Fe) 2 Si O 4.It is a type of nesosilicate or orthosilicate.The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle, [9] it is a common mineral in Earth's subsurface, but weathers quickly on the surface.
Peridotite (US: / ˈ p ɛ r ɪ d oʊ ˌ t aɪ t, p ə ˈ r ɪ d ə-/ PERR-ih-doh-tyte, pə-RID-ə-) is a dense, coarse-grained igneous rock consisting mostly of the silicate minerals olivine and pyroxene. Peridotite is ultramafic, as the rock contains less than 45% silica.
The atomic scale structure of olivine looking along the a axis. Oxygen is shown in red, silicon in pink, and magnesium/iron in blue. A projection of the unit cell is shown by the black rectangle. The molecular structure of peridot consists of isomorphic olivine, silicate, magnesium and iron in an orthorhombic crystal system.
Reaction 1a tightly binds silica, lowering its chemical activity to the lowest values seen in common rocks of the Earth's crust. [14] Serpentinization then continues through the hydration of olivine to yield serpentine and brucite (Reaction 1b). [15]
A mafic mineral or rock is a silicate mineral or igneous rock rich in magnesium and iron. Most mafic minerals are dark in color, and common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Common mafic rocks include basalt, diabase and gabbro. Mafic rocks often also contain calcium-rich varieties of plagioclase ...
Dunite may also form by the accumulation of olivine crystals on the floor of large basaltic or picritic magma chambers. These " cumulate " dunites typically occur in thick layers in layered intrusions , associated with cumulate layers of wehrlite , olivine pyroxenite , harzburgite , and even chromitite (a cumulate rock consisting largely of ...
Orange forsterite with a portion of tephroite. Pure forsterite is composed of magnesium, oxygen and silicon. The chemical formula is Mg 2 SiO 4.Forsterite, fayalite (Fe 2 SiO 4) and tephroite (Mn 2 SiO 4) are the end-members of the olivine solid solution series; other elements such as Ni and Ca substitute for Fe and Mg in olivine, but only in minor proportions in natural occurrences.
Most chondrules are composed primarily of the silicate minerals olivine and pyroxene, surrounded by feldspathic material that may either be glassy or crystalline. Small amounts of other minerals are often present, including Fe sulfide (), metallic Fe-Ni, oxides such as chromite, and phosphates such as merrillite.