Uvarovite Garnet
Uvarovite
A variety of Garnet Group
What is Uvarovite Garnet?
Uvarovite Garnet is a rare variety of garnet that usually bears a rich green color. Unfortunately, its crystals are usually too small to be faceted into gemstones, though pieces are sometimes incorporated into jewelry anyway. Found in scattered locations around the world, the most prominent source of uvarovite Garnet is a mine in central Finland.
Optical Properties
- Refractive Index
- 1.87
- Optical Character
- Isotropic
- Dispersion
- 0.014-0.021
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Key Characteristics
Characteristics of Uvarovite Garnet
Minerals in the uvarovite-grossular series are stable up to temperatures of 1410 °C at low pressure.
Formation of Uvarovite Garnet
Uvarovite most commonly occurs in solid solution with grossular or andradite, and is generally found associated with serpentinite, chromite, metamorphic limestones, and skarn ore-bodies. The most significant source of uvarovite historically has been a now-closed copper mine at Outokumpu, Finland, from where most museum specimens have been collected. The uvarovite crystals found in the Outokumpu district are among a wide range of chromium-rich silicate phases found in association with volcanogenic copper-cobalt-zinc sulfide ore deposits which are known to have an unusually high chromium content. Uvarovite occurrences in the United States are predominantly found in the western portion of the country, including localities in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. In the eastern United States, uvarovite has been confirmed in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The mineral has also been reported from eastern Cuba.. 9 grains of uvarovite occur in a heavy mineral fraction of bulk stream sediment HM-10 collected in Bunker Hill creek, below the historic Bunker Hill gold mine, south of Nelson in British Columbia Canada. Its source is likely near serpentinites and argillaceous limestones within about 450 m upstream of the silt site . Notable localities in Europe besides the Outokumpu site known to bear uvarovite include Roros, Norway; Pitkaranta, Finland; Val Malenco, Italy; Pico do Posets near Venasque, Spain; Kip Daglari, Turkey; and Biserk and Sarany, Russia. In Africa, uvarovite has been reported from the Bushveld Igneous Complex of Transvaal, South Africa and from the Vumba Schist Belt in Botswana. In Asia, uvarovite has been reported from Taiwan. and Japan In Australia, uvarovite has been reported from chromite deposits in southern New South Wales.
Quick Facts
Physical Properties
- Color
- Green, emerald-green, green-black
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 6.5 - 7
- Density
- 3.848 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Crystal System
- Isometric
Chemical Properties
- Chemical Formula
- Ca3Cr2(SiO4)3
- Elements
- Ca, Cr, O, Si
Also Known As
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