Physical Properties |
|
Chemical formula | Mg2Si2O4 |
Class | Inosilicate Double chains of linked tetrahedra |
Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
Habit | Massive Blocky Fibrous Lamellar Prismatic Acicular |
Color | Gray, green |
Hardness | 5 to 6 |
Specific gravity | 3.2 to 3.5 |
Cleavage | Two perfect prismatic {210} |
Fracture | Uneven |
Luster | Vitreous, pearly |
Transparency | Translucent |
Streak | White, gray |
Optical Properties |
|
PPL | Nearly colorless May display varying strengths of pink to green pleochroism |
XPL | 1st order colors Parallel extinction Straight, parallel lines |
δ | 0.008 |
after Perkins, 326-327 |
Enstatite In Hand Sample
Enstatite
Enstatite in peridotite from the Josephine ophiolite exposed in Josephine County, Oregon
Scanning electron micrograph of enstatite
Enstatite in Thin Section
Thin Section GigaPans
Enstatite in plane polars
Enstatite in crossed polars