Olivine

Olivine: the term used to describe the isomorphic series consisting of Magnesium silicate (Forsterite—Mg₂SiO₄) and Iron silicate (Fayalite—Fe₂SiO₄). Yellow-green in color, also known as Peridot or Chrysolite, it is a mineral belonging to the Nesosilicate class (characterized by isolated SiO₄ tetrahedra) and crystallizes in the Orthorhombic System. It is found in mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks (especially in high abundance, such as Dunites) and in dolomitic-type metamorphic rocks.

(Photo: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0/Wikimedia Commons, License CC BY-SA 3.0)

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