Materials
Peridotite
Igneous Rocks
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Peridotite is a dense, coarse-grained igneous rock consisting mostly of the silicate minerals olivine and pyroxene. It is ultramafic, containing less than forty five percent silica, and is derived from Earth's mantle either as solid blocks and fragments or as crystals accumulated from mantle magmas; it is the dominant rock of the upper mantle.
Facts
Formation ClassIgneous, ultramafic (a coarse-grained mantle rock dominated by olivine and pyroxene) 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes bring up peridotite nodules/xenoliths from mantle depth; diamond forms within this peridotite mantle source rock.
Olivine is the defining, essential mineral of peridotite.
Protolith: hydrated peridotite is the parent rock serpentinite forms from (serpentinization); cites peridotite's own page since serpentinite's registered quote names only mafic rock generically.
Held Differently
Kimberlite, Materials Variant, not a derivation: kimberlite is classified as a rare variant of peridotite per its own lead sentence, matching the live Stance=variant precedent (continental-drift precursor-to plate-tectonics).
In Discipline
Sources
1. Peridotite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
Peridotite is ultramafic, as the rock contains less than 45% silica.
1. Peridotite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Serpentinite, Economic geology sectionQuote, Associated With: Serpentinite, Economic geology section
Peridotite that has been hydrated at low temperatures is the protolith for serpentinite, which may include chrysotile asbestos (a form of serpentine) and talc.
1. Peridotite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Diamond, Body, mantle-xenolith discussionQuote, Associated With: Diamond, Body, mantle-xenolith discussion
The compositions of peridotite nodules found in certain basalts are of special interest along with diamond pipes (kimberlite), because they provide samples of Earth's mantle brought up from depths ranging from about 30 km to 200 km or more.
Kimberlite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Kimberlite, Lead sectionQuote, Associated With: Kimberlite, Lead section
Kimberlite is an igneous rock and a rare variant of peridotite.
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