Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The members share similar physical and crystallographic properties but have a wide range of chemical compositions that define distinct species, which fall into two primary solid solution series, the pyralspite series (pyrope, almandine, spessartine) and the ugrandite series (uvarovite, grossular, andradite). The word comes from the 14th-century Middle English gernet, meaning dark red. In this atlas this entity is the garnet group as a whole, for gemstones recorded only as garnet without a named species; grossular and spessartine have their own entities.
Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The members share similar physical and crystallographic properties but have a wide range of chemical compositions that define distinct species, which fall into two primary solid solution series, the pyralspite series (pyrope, almandine, spessartine) and the ugrandite series (uvarovite, grossular, andradite). The word comes from the 14th-century Middle English gernet, meaning dark red. In this atlas this entity is the garnet group as a whole, for gemstones recorded only as garnet without a named species; grossular and spessartine have their own entities.
Facts
Hardness (Mohs)The Wikipedia article gives a range of 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale for the group; 7.0, the midpoint, is used here. Hardness (Mohs)The Wikipedia article gives a range of 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale for the group; 7.0, the midpoint, is used here. Classification
Strunz Class Strunz Class Crystal System Crystal System Connections
Caused By
Source EBSCO Research Starters: Pegmatites
Source Garnet (Wikipedia)
Crystallizes In System
In Discipline
In the Other Atlases
Mineral Species Of
Also in Divinity Atlas: of this mineral species.
Sources
1. Garnet (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationGarnet, lead paragraph
are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives
Garnet, article text
These species fall into two primary solid solution series: the pyralspite series (pyrope, almandine, spessartine)
View the Source 2. Geology.com: Garnet
Geology.comColor fieldQuote, Color field
Typically red, but can be orange, green, yellow, purple, black, or brown.
View the Source 3. minerals.net: Garnet
minerals.netLuster fieldQuote, Luster field
Vitreous, adamantine, dull
View the Source Garnet (Wikipedia)
Caused By: Metamorphism, Geological importanceQuote, Caused By: Metamorphism, Geological importance
The mineral garnet is commonly found in metamorphic and to a lesser extent, igneous rocks.
View the Source EBSCO Research Starters: Pegmatites
EBSCO Research StartersCaused By: Fractional Crystallization, Composition of pegmatitesQuote, Caused By: Fractional Crystallization, Composition of pegmatites
They are composed predominantly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and muscovite, with minor quantities of tourmaline and garnet.
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