Garnet Family Minerals: A Spectrum of Colors and Compositions

 🌎Garnet family minerals🌎

🔶All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different species are pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular (varieties of which are hessonite or cinnamon-stone and tsavorite), uvarovite and andradite. The garnets make up two solid solution series: pyrope-almandine-spessartine (pyralspite), with the composition range [Mg,Fe,Mn]3Al2(SiO4)3; and uvarovite-grossular-andradite (ugrandite), with the composition range Ca3[Cr,Al,Fe]2(SiO4)3.

Pyralspite garnets – aluminium in Y site

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🔶Almandine: Fe3Al2(SiO4)3

🔶Pyrope: Mg3Al2(SiO4)3

🔶Spessartine: Mn3Al2(SiO4)3

🔶Ugrandite group – calcium in X site

🔶Andradite: Ca3Fe2(SiO4)3

🔶Grossular: Ca3Al2(SiO4)3

🔶Uvarovite: Ca3Cr2(SiO4)3