Enstatite
Species
Common · Mg₂Si₂O₆
The magnesium pyroxene of mantle peridotites and of stony meteorites, common in both. Clear green crystals, from Sri Lanka and Tanzania among other places, are occasionally faceted.
Identity
- Formula
- Mg₂Si₂O₆
- Chemical class
- Silicate
- Mineral group
- Aegirine, Diopside, Hiddenite, Jade, Jadeite, Kunzite
- Also known as
- Bronzite
Crystallography
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Habits
- Prismatic, Massive, Fibrous
- Fracture
- Uneven
Physical properties
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5
- Density
- 3.2 g/cm³
- Luster
- Pearly, Vitreous
- Colors
- white, yellowish green, brown, greenish white, gray
- Streak
- gray
- Transparency
- Translucent, Opaque
Geology
- Origins
- Igneous, Metamorphic
- Host rocks
- Volcanic rock, Ultramafic rock (peridotite, serpentinite)
- Associated minerals
- Olivine, Diopside, Spinel, Garnet
- Geography
- worldwide
Classification
- Rarity
- Common
- Gem quality
- Yes
Sources
- M. Pasero and others, IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, The New IMA List of Minerals, updated September 2026. International Mineralogical Association (CNMNC), 2026.
- J. W. Anthony, R. A. Bideaux, K. W. Bladh, M. C. Nichols, Enstatite. Mineral Data Publishing, Handbook of Mineralogy, 2001.
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