Mineral 1.0Test your knowledge of specific minerals

M
E
N
U
« Home | Browse Minerals | QuizzesMinerals by letter: All | K | G | O | A | H | T | P | C | Q | N | Z | S | E | W | M | B | F | D | L
Minerals by class: Silicates | Halides | Carbonates | Sulfates | Oxides | Phosphates | Hydroxides | Native elements | Sulfides
Silicate Subclasses: Nesosilicates | Pyroxenes | Amphiboles | Frameworks | Sorosilicates | Cyclosilicates | Phyllosilicates
  

« Back to mineral listing

E
P
I
D
O
T
E

Click for expanded view




(c) Mineral Picture courtesy of www.yuprocks.com
Mineral Picture courtesy of www.yuprocks.com

EpidoteCa2(Fe,Al)3(SiO4)3(OH)

Class: Silicate
Subclass: Sorosilicate
Hardness: 6 - 7
Density: 3.4 - 3.5
Streak: White
Lustre: Vitreous
Habit: Aggregate of small grains, striated faces, small but visible crystals
Colours: Greeny, yellow-green, black

  Crystal System: Monoclinic
Cleavage: Perfect
Fracture: Uneven
Magnetism: None
Reaction with HCl: None

Identification in hand sample:
Slight colour difference between this mineral and olivine, but only under magnification (where details in the crystals can be seen). Also indicitive is the presence of a cleavage plane.

Associations:
Common accessory mineral in many regional and contact metamorphed rocks, particularly in more iron-rich rocks.

Industrial / ecomonic uses:
Semiprecious gemstone

  

Inaccurate data? Better photos? .