Event Title
Olivine: History, Properties, and Occurrences
Location
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Start Date
30-4-2015 2:00 PM
End Date
30-4-2015 3:55 PM
Project Type
Poster
Description
The goal of the pet mineral project is to recognize important mineral characteristics and properties and use them to identify an unknown mineral. I identified my pet mineral as olivine. Olivine is an abundant mineral recognized by many, whether for its characteristic olive-green color or for its prevalence on Earth. As Olivine varies in chemical composition, it is often referred to as he olivine group, with the end members identified as forsterite and fayalite. Primarily, Olivine is a major constituent of the earth's upper mantle and oceanic crust. With a general formula of X2SiO4, where X is a divalent metal cation (most commonly Fe or Mg, though other elements can also be substituted), the olivine group consists of a variety of minerals, although the majority of olivine is either iron or magnesium rich, as with fayalite and forsterite, respectively. As natural olivines crystallize from melts, vapors, and solid media that contain a variety of ions, minerals in the olivine group have a variety of chemical compositions because minor and trace elements can enter their crystal structure. Because Olivine readily undergoes alteration reactions within a vast spectrum of temperatures, the variety of secondary minerals that are produced as a result can be used as an index of past geologic processes that were influential within a specific area. Prevalent within the earth's mantle, olivine is an important mineral for geological research. For instance, by studying the thermal properties of olivine, scientists are able to better understand the thermal regimes occurring within the mantle. Thus, olivine is more than just a pretty green mineral-it can shine light on processes occurring in places that are inaccessible to scientists.
Faculty Sponsor
Herb Wilson
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Geology Dept.
CLAS Field of Study
Natural Sciences
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
1423
Olivine: History, Properties, and Occurrences
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
The goal of the pet mineral project is to recognize important mineral characteristics and properties and use them to identify an unknown mineral. I identified my pet mineral as olivine. Olivine is an abundant mineral recognized by many, whether for its characteristic olive-green color or for its prevalence on Earth. As Olivine varies in chemical composition, it is often referred to as he olivine group, with the end members identified as forsterite and fayalite. Primarily, Olivine is a major constituent of the earth's upper mantle and oceanic crust. With a general formula of X2SiO4, where X is a divalent metal cation (most commonly Fe or Mg, though other elements can also be substituted), the olivine group consists of a variety of minerals, although the majority of olivine is either iron or magnesium rich, as with fayalite and forsterite, respectively. As natural olivines crystallize from melts, vapors, and solid media that contain a variety of ions, minerals in the olivine group have a variety of chemical compositions because minor and trace elements can enter their crystal structure. Because Olivine readily undergoes alteration reactions within a vast spectrum of temperatures, the variety of secondary minerals that are produced as a result can be used as an index of past geologic processes that were influential within a specific area. Prevalent within the earth's mantle, olivine is an important mineral for geological research. For instance, by studying the thermal properties of olivine, scientists are able to better understand the thermal regimes occurring within the mantle. Thus, olivine is more than just a pretty green mineral-it can shine light on processes occurring in places that are inaccessible to scientists.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2015/program/157