How to identify Uvarovite Garnet

To correctly identify Uvarovite Garnet (Ca3Cr2(SiO4)3), check each of these features in order. Many rocks and minerals look alike, so cross-reference multiple properties before deciding.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Color

   Overall color and any zoning or banding

   Vibrant emerald-green to dark green. The color is diagnostic for uvarovite among garnets.

2. 2

   Luster

   How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull

   Vitreous (glassy) to adamantine (diamond-like) when well-crystallized.

3. 3

   Texture

   Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy

   Typically forms as small, distinct crystals, often as a druzy coating or embedded in a matrix. Individual crystals are usually euhedral.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Cubic system, commonly forming dodecahedra or trapezohedra, or combinations thereof. Crystals are typically small, often less than a few millimeters.

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   None. Garnets are known for their lack of cleavage.

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

   Found in chromium-rich metamorphic rocks, particularly serpentinites, chromitites, and altered ultramafic rocks. Also occurs in skarns and hydrothermal veins associated with these environments.

Key Facts

Hardness

6.5 - 7.5 on the Mohs scale

Specific Gravity

3.41 - 3.85 (typically around 3.77)

Crystal System

Cubic

Color

Emerald-green to dark green

Luster

Vitreous to adamantine

Transparency

Transparent to translucent

Fracture

Conchoidal to uneven

Cleavage

None

Composition

Calcium chromium silicate

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Typically dodecahedral or trapezohedral crystals, often forming drusy coatings or embedded grains. Crystals are usually small, rarely exceeding a few millimeters.
• Cleavage Type: Absent (no cleavage)
• Fracture Type: Conchoidal to uneven
• Tenacity: Brittle
• Luster Type: Vitreous to adamantine

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