Diopside gallery

DIOPSIDE Gallery Return to Diopside page. Click on image for larger view

DIOPSIDE Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH 3 cm specimen with prism of iron-stained diopside.	Species: DIOPSIDE Locality: Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH Specimen Size: 3 cm specimen with prism of iron-stained diopside. Field Collected: Tom Mortimer (1994) Catalog No.: 1813 Notes: Although their color is somewhat similar to the epidote that is common at this locality, when viewed down the prism axis these crystals appear square to rectangular, quite different than the epidote. I had set these aside for about fifteen years. When I viewed them again recently, I thought they might be hedenbergite. The EDS analysis result that came back in Jan. 2012 indicated they were clearly on the diopside end of the diopside - hedenbergite series, (Mg:Fe about 2:1). These diopside crystals are the largest New Hampshire examples the author has seen.
DIOPSIDE Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH Central (terminated) diopside crystal is 1.0 cm	Species: DIOPSIDE Locality: Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH Specimen Size: Central (terminated) diopside crystal is 1.0 cm Field Collected: Tom Mortimer (1994) Catalog No.: 1812 Notes: The EDS analysis sample was taken from this specimen.
DIOPSIDE Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH 1.6 cm diopside crystal with ferrohornblende inclusions.	Species: DIOPSIDE Locality: Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH Specimen Size: 1.6 cm diopside crystal with ferrohornblende inclusions. Field Collected: Tom Mortimer (1994) Catalog No.: 879 Notes: Terminations on most of these Wheeler Mtn. diopside crystals are crude. Many of the crystals collected contained numerous blades of dark-green ferrohornblende. Very pale lemon-yellow titanite crystals are a frequent association with this diopside. The Wheeler Mtn. locality is at a contact between the Amoonusic Volcanics and a granite body to the west.
DIOPSIDE Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH 2.5 cm field of view. Parallel group of diopside crystals.	Species: DIOPSIDE Locality: Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH Specimen Size: 2.5 cm field of view. Parallel group of diopside crystals. Field Collected: Tom Mortimer (1994) Catalog No.: 1814 Notes:
DIOPSIDE Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH 1.4 cm terminated diopside crystal.	Species: DIOPSIDE Locality: Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH Specimen Size: 1.4 cm terminated diopside crystal. Field Collected: Tom Mortimer (1994) Catalog No.: 1815 Notes: This crystal has been cleaned in Iron Out.
DIOPSIDE Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH 1.5 cm diopside crystal, very crude termination.	Species: DIOPSIDE Locality: Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH Specimen Size: 1.5 cm diopside crystal, very crude termination. Some ferrohornblende inclusions. Field Collected: Tom Mortimer (1994) Catalog No.: Notes: This crystal has been cleaned in Iron Out.
DIOPSIDE Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH 1.6 cm diopside crystal, with minor feldspar.	Species: DIOPSIDE Locality: Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH Specimen Size: 1.6 cm diopside crystal, with minor feldspar. Field Collected: Tom Mortimer (1994) Catalog No.: 1816 Notes: This crystal has been cleaned in Iron Out. Lighter green on top surface is epidote.
DIOPSIDE Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH 1.6 cm diopside crystal section	Species: DIOPSIDE Locality: Wheeler Mtn., Winchester, NH Specimen Size: 1.6 cm diopside crystal section Field Collected: Tom Mortimer (1994) Catalog No.: 1816 - another view Notes: This crystal has been cleaned in Iron Out.
DIOPSIDE - HEDENBERGITE Merrimack Skate 3 parking lot ledge, Merrimack, NH Dark green diopside - hedenbergite with pale green epidote in quartz matrix	Species: DIOPSIDE - HEDENBERGITE Locality: Merrimack Skate 3 parking lot ledge, Merrimack, NH Specimen Size: 4 cm specimen. Dark green diopside - hedenbergite with pale green epidote in quartz matrix Field Collected: Tom Mortimer, Sept. 2010 Catalog No.: 1963 Notes: EDS analyzed A complete series of compositions exits between diopside and hedenbergite. Hedenbergite: CaFe²⁺Si₂O₆ Diopside: CaMgSi₂O₆ The EDS spectrum suggests an excess of Mg over Fe, (favoring a diopside ID) however the computed element atomic percents indicate an excess of Fe over Mg. However, when the EDS analysis atomic%'s are converted to APFU, I get (normalized to two silicon atoms): Ca_1.12(Mg_0.51,Fe_0.31)Si₂O_4.4 . So clearly Mg (diopside) dominant. A Raman analysis reported: "The Merrimack samples gave epidote for the light green and a good match (97%) for diopside for the single grain [of the dark green].... Raman probably can be calibrated for diopside-hedenbergite, but we'd want to have spectra at all the same laser wavelength (and [the] laser [used here] at 633 nm isn't one that the rruff database uses." An October, 2015 XRD analysis confirmed the dominant species to be diopside.
DIOPSIDE Holt's Prospect, Cambridge, NH 2.5 cm across specimen	Species: DIOPSIDE Locality: Holt's Prospect, Cambridge, NH Specimen Size: 2.5 cm across specimen Field Collected: Cliff Trebelcock Catalog No.: 2124 Notes: Dark green diopside is associated with the light green epidote and quartz at the Cambridge prospect. I [tm] had some hope that this might be hedenbergite, the Fe member of the Mg-Fe diopside-hedenbergite series, (a NH species I am looking for), but EDS analyses (BC378) showed this is diopside. This is a low-effort voucher photo.
DIOPSIDE Joppa Hill Locale, Amherst, NH 2.5 mm field of view	Species: DIOPSIDE Locality: Joppa Hill Locale, Amherst, NH Specimen Size: 2.5 mm field of view Field Collected: Bob Janules Catalog No.: A Bob Janules specimen Notes: These diopside crystals were exposed by soaking the specimen in vinegar (a weak acid) for several days to dissolve the enclosing calcite.