Mineralogy Database

Diopside Mineral Data

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General Diopside Information

Help on Chemical  Formula: Chemical Formula: CaMgSi2O6
Help on Composition: Composition: Molecular Weight = 216.55 gm
   Calcium    18.51 %  Ca   25.90 % CaO
   Magnesium  11.22 %  Mg   18.61 % MgO
   Silicon    25.94 %  Si   55.49 % SiO2
   Oxygen     44.33 %  O
             ______        ______ 
             100.00 %      100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Help on Empirical Formula: Empirical Formula: CaMg(Si2O6)
Help on Environment: Environment: Basic and ultrabasic igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Help on IMA Status: IMA Status: Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1800
Help on Locality: Locality: Wide spread occurrence. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Help on Name Origin: Name Origin: From the Greek dis - "two kinds" and opsis - "opinion."
Help on Name Pronunciation: Name Pronunciation: Diopside Say DIOPSIDE
Help on Synonym: Synonym: Dillage
  ICSD 100738
  PDF 19-239
 

Diopside Image

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  Diopside   Grossular

Comments: Pale blue prismatic crystal of diopside with orange-brown grossular.
Location: Val d'Aosta, Italy. Scale: Not Given.
© Lou Perloff / Photo Atlas of Minerals

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  Magnesioferrite   Diopside

Comments: Very dark brown Magnesioferrite Pleonaste (Iron-Magnesium spinel) with cream colored Calcite and gray green diopside.
Location: Aldan, Gon River, Russia. Scale: 6 x 4.5 cm.
© Fabre Minerals

Diopside Crystallography

Help on Axial Ratios: Axial Ratios: a:b:c =1.0935:1:0.589
Help on Cell Dimensions: Cell Dimensions: a = 9.761, b = 8.926, c = 5.258, Z = 4; beta = 105.8° V = 440.80 Den(Calc)= 3.26
Help on Crystal System: Crystal System: Monoclinic - Prismatic H-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: C 2/c
Help on X Ray Diffraction: X Ray Diffraction: By Intensity(I/Io): 2.991(1), 2.528(0.4), 2.893(0.3),
Help on Forms: Forms:

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Help on Above

Forms: ( 0 1 0) ( 1 1 1) ( 2 2 1) ( 1 0 1) ( 1 0 0) ( 0 0 1)

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Physical Properties of Diopside

Help on Cleavage: Cleavage: {110} Good, {???} Indistinct
Help on Color: Color: Blue, Brown, Colorless, Green, Gray.
Help on Density: Density: 3.25 - 3.55, Average = 3.4
Help on Diaphaneity: Diaphaneity: Transparent to translucent
Help on Fracture: Fracture: Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.
Help on Habit: Habit: Blocky - Crystal shape tends to be equant (e.g. feldspars).
Help on Habit: Habit: Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.
Help on Habit: Habit: Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).
Help on Hardness: Hardness: 6 - Orthoclase
Help on Luminescence: Luminescence: Sometimes fluorescent.- red-purple
Help on Luster: Luster: Vitreous (Glassy)
Help on Streak: Streak: white green
 

Optical Properties of Diopside

Help on Gladstone-Dale: Gladstone-Dale: CI meas= 0.015 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.027 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2126,KPDmeas= 0.2039,KC= 0.207
Ncalc = 1.67 - 1.73
Help on Optical Data: Optical Data: Biaxial (+), a=1.663-1.699, b=1.671-1.705, g=1.693-1.728, bire=0.0290-0.0300, 2V(Calc)=56-64, 2V(Meas)=58-63. Dispersion weak to distinct, r > v.
Help on Pleochroism (x): Pleochroism (x): pale bluish green or dark blue green.
Help on Pleochroism (y): Pleochroism (y): brownish green or dark blue green.
 

Calculated Properties of Diopside

Help on Electron Density: Electron Density: Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.39 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Diopside =3.40 gm/cc.
Help on Fermion Index: Fermion Index: Fermion Index = 0.02
Boson Index = 0.98
Help on Photoelectric: Photoelectric: PEDiopside = 3.51 barns/electron
U=PEDiopside x rElectron Density= 11.91 barns/cc.
Help on Radioactivity: Radioactivity: GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Diopside is Not Radioactive
 

Diopside Classification

Help on  Dana Class: Dana Class: 65.01.03a.01 (65)Inosilicate Single-Width Unbranched Chains, W=1
  (65.01)with chains P=2
  (65.01.03a)C2/c clinopyroxenes (Ca clinopyroxenes)
 
65.01.03a.01 Diopside CaMgSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m
 
65.01.03a.02 Hedenbergite CaFeSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m
 
65.01.03a.03 Augite (Ca,Na)(Mg,Fe,Al,Ti)(Si,Al)2O6 C 2/c 2/m
 
65.01.03a.04 Johannsenite CaMnSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m
 
65.01.03a.05 Petedunnite Ca(Zn,Mn,Fe,Mg)Si2O6 C 2/c 2/m
 
65.01.03a.06 Esseneite CaFeAlSiO6 C 2/c 2/m
 
65.01.03a.07 Davisite! Ca(Sc,Ti,Mg,Ti)AlSiO6 C 2/c 2/m
Help on  Strunz Class: Strunz Class: 09.DA.15 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)
  09.D - Inosilicates* Structural terminology according to Liebau (1985)
  09.DA -Inosilicates with 2-periodic single chains, Si2O6; pyroxene family
 
09.DA.15 Augite (Ca,Na)(Mg,Fe,Al,Ti)(Si,Al)2O6 C 2/c 2/m
 
09.DA.15 Esseneite CaFeAlSiO6 C 2/c 2/m
 
09.DA.15 Diopside CaMgSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m
 
09.DA.15 Johannsenite CaMnSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m
 
09.DA.15 Hedenbergite CaFeSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m
 
09.DA.15 Petedunnite Ca(Zn,Mn,Fe,Mg)Si2O6 C 2/c 2/m
 
09.DA.15 Davisite! Ca(Sc,Ti,Mg,Ti)AlSiO6 C 2/c 2/m
 

Other Diopside Information

Help on See Also: See Also: Links to other databases for Diopside :
1 - Alkali-Nuts(English)
2 - Alkali-Nuts(Francais)
3 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
4 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
5 - Athena
6 - CalTech Mineral Spectroscopy
7 - EUROmin Project
8 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
9 - Franklin Minerals(Dunn)
10 - Franklin Minerals(Palache)
11 - GeoScienceWorld
12 - Google Images
13 - Google Scholar
14 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
15 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
16 - HyperPhysics
17 - MinDAT
18 - Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
19 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
20 - Online Mineral Museum
21 - QUT Mineral Atlas
22 - Ruff.Info
23 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
24 - Tradeshop.com - The Rainbow of Gems
25 - UCLA - Petrography Thin-Sections
26 - WWW-MINCRYST
27 - theimage

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Diopside Specimen Label here :

Diopside

CaMgSi2O6
Dana No: 65.01.03a.01 Strunz No: 09.DA.15
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