Enstatite

A magnesium pyroxene common in mantle rocks and meteorites; bronze-sheened varieties are called bronzite.

Enstatite specimen — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify enstatite

Brown to green with a bronzy, pearly sheen.
Two cleavages at nearly 90°.
Hardness about 5.5.

Often confused with

Augite
Augite is black and lacks the bronze sheen.
Compare side by side
Tiger's Eye
Tiger's eye is harder quartz with a moving silky band.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Norway
Tanzania
Sri Lanka
Meteorites

Uses

Collector specimens and polished bronzite.

Rock tumbling

Can be tumbled with care.

Did you know?

A whole class of meteorites, the enstatite chondrites, is rich in this mineral.

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