Cochise College          Photos of Minerals

                          Geology Home Page                

                          Roger Weller, geology instructor

                          [email protected]
                                  copyright 2007-R.Weller

 

Mineral Information on:
diopside

Chemical Group:  silicate-pyroxene

Chemical Formula:  CaMgSi₂O₆

Color: white, yellowish, pale gray, pale green, dark green, black, colorless            

Luster:  vitreous     Transparency: transparent to translucent

Hardness:  5 to 6                Specific Gravity:   3.2 to 3.38              

Cleavage:  imperfect prismatic cleavage (110); angles of 87⁰ and 93⁰.

Crystal Forms: Monoclinic system
     Crystal prismatic with square or 8-sided cross section.

Mineral Associations: Diopside is commonly a contact metamorphic mineral
in crystalline limestones.  It is associated with tremolite, scapolite, idocrase,
garnet,  and sphene.

Identifying Characteristics:  crystal form, light color, and angles between cleavage surfaces.

Uses:  If transparent, it is cut as a gemstone.

Occurrences:  U.S.S.R, Austia, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden: in the USA in Connecticut and New York

Toxicity:      when-swallowed-                            when inhaled-

Additional Information: