Pyroxene Visible Spectra (generally 350 - 2500 nm)

Pictures of pyroxenes showing the pleochroism

Images of representative orthopyroxene spectra

• enstatite spectrum; Enstatite (bronzite, Fs 14.0), GRR 40, Bamble, Norway, 0.100 mm thick with Fe²⁺ in the M2 site dominating the spectrum. Data Files: alpha; beta; gamma. Image of the alpha band on scale (0.095 mm thick). Data File: alpha on scale
• enstatite spectrum; Enstatite (hypersthene, Fs 39.5), GRR 1653, Summit Rock, Oregon, 0.10 mm thick With type Fe²⁺ in the M2 site dominating the spectrum and a M1 site feature near 1200 nm. Data Files: alpha; beta; gamma
• Enstatite spectrum, GRR 1087, from Tanzania, plotted as 0.500 mm thick.  This is the sample pictured above.Data Files: alpha; beta; gamma

Synthetic orthopyroxenes containing various transition elements.

• (Mg,Co)SiO₃ spectrum, GRR 247, from Jun Ito, plotted as 0.100 mm thick. Data files:  alpha; beta; gamma
• (Mg,Ni)SiO₃ spectrum, GRR 248, from Jun Ito, plotted as 0.200 mm thick. Data files:  alpha; beta; gamma
• (Mg,Co,Mn)SiO₃ spectrum, GRR 250, from Jun Ito, plotted as 0.100 mm thick.  Data files:  alpha; beta; gamma

Synthetic clinopyroxene containing various transition elements.

• CaMgSi₂O₆ :VO²⁺ spectrum, GRR 510. Blue diopside  not perfectly aligned .

Synthetic protopyroxene containing vanadium.

• (LiScMg)SiO₃:VO²⁺ spectrum, GRR 399, Blue protoenstatite, not oriented. Data file: unoriented

Images of representative clinopyroxene spectra

• Augite spectrum; Augite, GRR 13477, Maui, Hawaii, 0.100 mm thick with Fe²⁺ in the M2 site providing major features near 1000 and 2300 nm. Data Files: alpha; beta; gamma
  
• Augite spectrum; Augite, GRR 583, CIT 13748, Cedar Butte, Oregon , 0.10 mm thick with Fe²⁺ in the M2 site dominating the spectrum. Data Files: alpha; beta; gamma
• Diopside spectrum; Diopside, GRR 472, CIT 7524, Binntal Wallis, Switzerland , 0.50 mm thick. This shows both Fe²⁺ and Fe²⁺ - Fe³⁺ intervalence charge transfer. Data Files: alpha; beta; gamma
• Diopside spectrum; Diopside, RDS 62047-70, chromian , Russia, 1.00 mm thick.  The band at 1030 nm is from Fe²⁺ whereas the other features are from Cr³⁺. The crystal contains 0.558 wt% Cr₂O₃.  This was taken with light polarized along each crystallographic axis. Data Files: E||b.
• Hedenbergite spectrum; Hedenbergite, CIT-12593, from the Obersulzbach Valley, Salzburg, Austria, 0.250 mm thick.Intervalence charge transfer between Fe²⁺ - Fe³⁺ occurs near 790 nm and  features from Fe²⁺ in the M(1) site occur near 967 and 1190 nm. A feature from Fe²⁺ in the M(2) site occurs near 1030 nm. Data Files: alpha; beta; gamma

Special Clinopyroxene Topics:

    Jadeite

• Jadeite spectrum; Jadeite from Kazakhstan, polycrystalline mass run unpolarized and normalized to 10 mm thick.  The spectrum is dominated by Cr³⁺ but also shows the Fe³⁺ band near 440 nm. Data file:  Contributed data from Anton Vasiliev, LAL, Moscow: unpolarized.
• Jadeite spectrum; Lavender jadeite from Nam Maw, Myanmar: unpolarized data.

    Spodumene

• Spodumene CIT-9564 spectrum, yellow green, Brazil?, 13.5 mm thick
• Spodumene CIT 7221 spectrum, yellow color, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 10 mm thick
• Spodumene RCH blue spectrum, blue color, Afghanistan, 10 mm thick
• Spodumene RCH yellow spectrum, yellow color, Afghanistan, 10 mm thick
• Spodumene RCH yellow-green spectrum, yellow-green color, Afghanistan, 10 mm thick

• Spodumene spectrum; GRR 151, lavendar colored kunzite variety, Pala, California, USA, 10.0 mm thick showing Mn³⁺ features. Data Files: alpha; beta; gamma

    Irradiated Kunzite

Spodumene GRR 831 from Afghanistan irradiated with Cs-137 gamma rays

• Spodumene irradiated kunzite spectrum; GRR 151, green colored irradiated with 54.1 Megarads of gamma rays. Pala, California, USA, 10.0 mm thick showing Mn³⁺ features. Data Files: alpha; beta; gamma
  

• Spodumene irradiated kunzite spectrum; GRR 744 irradiated with gamma rays. 2.06 mm thick

Data Files

• no other data files at this time

Link to an extensive collection of references to mostly color and visible spectroscopy of pyroxenes

Link to references about the spectra of spodumene

 Back to the Index of Data Files