Peridot Origins

Peridot Origins explores the fascinating story of peridot, a gemstone offering insights into both Earth's geology and the solar system's formation. Peridot’s vibrant green color is a clue to its creation deep within Earth's mantle and its surprising presence in meteorites. The book emphasizes how studying peridot bridges terrestrial and extraterrestrial mineralogy.

The book takes a compositional approach, linking peridot's properties to its formation environment. Beginning with an introduction to peridot's chemical formula, the book progresses to its formation in the Earth's mantle and its journey to the surface via volcanic rocks. A significant portion focuses on peridot within pallasite meteorites, offering clues about chondrule formation and the protoplanetary disk, before culminating in an examination of gemological properties and future research directions. Trace element analysis, isotope geochemistry data, and X-ray diffraction techniques are employed.

The book is a valuable resource for students and researchers in earth sciences, geology, mineralogy, and planetary science. By examining peridot's formation, properties, and occurrence, readers gain a better understanding of magma genesis, solar system evolution, and the origins of gemstones.