olivine

plural olivines

1. countableuncountablechemistryAny of a group of olive green magnesium-iron silicate minerals that crystallize in the orthorhombic system.

   The olivine crystals in most basalts are imperfect, lacking clear crystal faces.

   2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 51

   1 more example

   To do so, his team mixed together limestone with a crushed silicate mineral that contains magnesium — such as olivine, an olive-tinted mineral that can be found around the world. When heated to furiously high temperatures in a kiln, calcium in the limestone and magnesium in the silicate jiggle and switch sides, like participants in a square dance.

   2025 February 19, Dino Grandoni, “We may be able to trap climate pollution in ordinary rocks. Scientists say they have figured out how to transform rocks into something extraordinary: a high-tech, low-cost substance that can bend geological time and help stall — or even reverse — planetary warming”, in Washington Post

   Synonyms: chrysolite, Hawaiian peridot