Smith College - Geology 222b - Petrology

Petrographic Data File

Forsterite
Property Value Comments

Mg endmember of
Formula Mg2SiO4
olivine (Mg,Fe)2SiO4.

Crystal System orthorhombic 2/m2/m2/m

Crystal Habit granular masses or rounded, embedded grains

conchoidal fracture,
Cleavage Cleavage: indistinct on {010},{100}
brittle

Pale, yellow-green to olive-green. Colorless to Darker with increasing

Color/Pleochroism pale green in thin section. Weak, pale green Fe, moving away from
pleochroism in thin section. pure forsterite.

Optic Sign Biaxial (+)

Varies depending on
2V 82-90
composition.

X=b
Y=c
Optic Orientation Z=a
O.A.P. = (010)

Refractive
Indices 1.62-1.64
alpha = 1.64-1.66
beta = 1.66-1.68
gamma =

Elongate crystals
Extinction parallel display parallel
extinction.

Colorless to olive green in thin section. Second-order interference colors.

Distinguishing High relief. Lack of cleavage. H= 6.5-7. G = 3.2. Streak is colorless or
Features white. May be confused with epidote, which has cleavage and a is
pistachio-green in hand sample.

Occurs in a wide variety of volcanic rocks, both as phenocrysts and as

groundmass. Occasionally found in metamorphosed carbonate-bearing
Occurrence rocks (crystalline dolomitic limestones) associated with calcite, dolomite,
diopsite, epidote-group minerals, grossular garnet, tremolite, and related
Ca-Mg-bearing minerals.

Micehelle Arsenault (01), Jamie Mitchell (03), Angelie Peterson (02),

Editors
Cheryl Mawaka (04), Stephanie Moore (07), Eli Molitors Bergman (17)

Photomicrograph of forsterite in a calcite marble in plane light.

Forsterite may display pale yellow pleochroism and no distinct
cleavage. This sample has been partially altered to serpentine in the
marble. This sample shows second order interference colors. The
forsterite interference color is 2nd order pink. Diopside grains are
also visible. Select image and roll cursor over to view in crossed
polarized light.

Photomicrograph of forsterite in metamorphosed carbonate under

plane-polarized light. Forsterite is colorless in thin section under
plane-polarized light, and thus displays no pleochroism. Under cross-
polarized light, this forsterite grain displays first order blue. Click on
then mouse over the image to change from plane-polarized to cross-
polarized light.

Photomicrograph of optic axis figure of forsterite grain in

metamorphosed carbonate. Click on then mouse over the image to
view the figure with the quartz plate inserted, displaying positive optic
sign. A positive optic sign distinguishes forsterite from other
compositions of olivine.

WWW Links

Return to Petrography Index