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Pyrope

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Governador Valadares, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil
© 2003 John H. Betts

Show Pyrope Photos (33)
Formula:
Mg
 
3
Al
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
System:IsometricColour:Blood red, orange red, ...
Lustre:VitreousHardness:7½
Name:From the Greek, pyropos, "fiery-eyed" in allusion to the red hue.


Garnet Group. Almandine-Pyrope Series, Knorringite-Pyrope Series, Pyrope-Grossular Series.

Occurs in ultra basic igneous rocks.

Classification of Pyrope

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Strunz 8th edition ID:8/A.08-10
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:9.AD.25

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
A : Nesosilicates
D : Nesosilicates without additional anions; cations in [6] and/or greater coordination
Dana 8th edition ID:51.4.3a.1

51 : NESOSILICATES Insular SiO4 Groups Only
4 : Insular SiO4 Groups Only with cations in [6] and >[6] coordination
Hey's CIM Ref.:16.7.1

16 : Silicates Containing Aluminum and other Metals
7 : Aluminosilicates of Mg
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Type Occurrence of Pyrope

Type Locality:Czech Republic
Year of Discovery:1803

Physical Properties of Pyrope

Lustre:Vitreous
Colour:Blood red, orange red, purple red, pink, or black red
Streak:White
Hardness (Mohs):7½

Crystallography of Pyrope

Crystal System:Isometric
Cell Parameters:a = 11.45Å
Unit Cell Volume:V 1,501.12 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
X-Ray Powder Diffraction:
Image Loading

Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Horizontal Axis: ° to ° Vertical Axis: % Source Data: Filtered Data: Peaks:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

Optical Data of Pyrope

Type:Isotropic

Chemical Properties of Pyrope

Formula:
Mg
 
3
Al
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
Essential elements:Al, Mg, O, Si
All elements listed in formula:Al, Mg, O, Si
Common Impurities:Fe,Mn,Ca

Relationship of Pyrope to other Species

Series:Forms a series with Almandine (see here)
Forms a series with Knorringite (see here)
Forms a series with Grossular (see here)
Forms a series with Majorite (see here)
Member of:Garnet Group
Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- +
9.AD.05Larnite
Ca
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
9.AD.10Calcio-Olivine
Ca
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
9.AD.15Merwinite
Ca
 
3
Mg[SiO
 
4
]
 
2
9.AD.20Bredigite
Ca
 
7
Mg[SiO
 
4
]
 
4
9.AD.25Andradite
Ca
 
3
Fe
3+
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Almandine
Fe
2+
3
Al
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Calderite
(Mn
2+
 
,Ca)
 
3
(Fe
3+
 
,Al)
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Goldmanite
Ca
 
3
(V
3+
 
,Al,Fe
3+
 
)
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Grossular
Ca
 
3
Al
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Henritermierite
Ca
 
3
(Mn
3+
 
,Al)
 
2
[(OH)
 
4
|(SiO
 
4
)
 
2
]
9.AD.25Hibschite
Ca
 
3
Al
 
2
[(OH)
 
6-1
|(SiO
 
4
)
 
1.5-2.5
]
9.AD.25Hydroandradite
Ca
 
3
Fe
3+
2
(SiO
 
4
)
 
3-x
(OH)
 
4x
9.AD.25Katoite
Ca
 
3
Al
 
2
[(OH)
 
8-6
|(SiO
 
4
)
 
1-1.5
]
9.AD.25Kimzeyite
Ca
 
3
(Zr,Ti)
 
2
[(Si,Al,Fe
3+
 
)O
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Knorringite
Mg
 
3
Cr
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Majorite
Mg
 
3
(Fe
2+
 
,Si,Al)
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Morimotoite
Ca
 
3
(Ti,Fe
2+
 
,Fe
3+
 
)
 
2
[(Si,Fe
3+
 
)O
 
4
]
 
3
 (?)
9.AD.25Schorlomite
Ca
 
3
(Ti,Fe
3+
 
)
 
2
[(Si,Fe
3+
 
,Fe
2+
 
)O
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Spessartine
Mn
2+
3
Al
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Uvarovite
Ca
 
3
Cr
 
2
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.25Wadalite
Ca
 
6
(Al,Mg)
 
4
[Cl
 
3
|O
 
4
|{(Si,Al,Fe
3+
 
)O
 
4
}
 
3
]
9.AD.25Holtstamite
Ca
 
3
(Al,Mn
3+
 
)
 
2
(SiO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
4
9.AD.25IMA2009-029
Ca
 
3
Zr
 
2
(Fe
3+
2
Si)O
 
12
9.AD.25IMA2009-033
Ca
 
3
Sn
 
2
(Fe
 
2
Si)O
 
12
9.AD.25IMA2009-026
(Mn
2+
 
,Ca)
 
3
V
3+
2
(SiO
 
4
)
 
3
9.AD.30Coffinite
(U,Th)[(OH)
 
4x
|(SiO
 
4
)
 
1-x
]
9.AD.30Hafnon
(Hf,Zr)[SiO
 
4
]
9.AD.30Thorite
(Th,U)[SiO
 
4
]
9.AD.30Thorogummite
(Th,U)[(OH)
 
4x
|(SiO
 
4
)
 
1-x
]
9.AD.30Zircon
Zr[SiO
 
4
]
9.AD.30Stetindite
CeSiO
 
4
9.AD.35Huttonite
Th[SiO
 
4
]
9.AD.35Tombarthite-(Y)
Y
 
4
[HSiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.40Eulytine
Bi
 
4
[SiO
 
4
]
 
3
9.AD.45Reidite
Zr[SiO
 
4
]
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
16.7.2Sapphirine
(Mg,Fe)
 
4-x
Al
 
4+x
[Al
 
4+x
Si
 
2-x
O
 
18
]O
 
2
16.7.3Sapphirine-1A
(Mg,Al,Fe
2+
 
)
 
8
[(Al,Si,Fe
3+
 
)
 
6
O
 
18
]O
 
2
16.7.4Magnesiochloritoid
MgAl
 
2
[O|(OH)
 
2
|SiO
 
4
]
16.7.5Kulkeite
Mg
 
8
Al(AlSi
 
7
)O
 
20
(OH)
 
10
16.7.6Palygorskite
(Mg,Al)
 
5
(Si,Al)
 
8
O
 
20
(OH)
 
2
·8H
 
2
O
16.7.7Saponite
Ca
 
0.25
(Mg,Fe)
 
3
(Si,Al)
 
4
O
 
10
(OH)
 
2
·nH
 
2
O
16.7.8Aliettite
Ca
 
0.2
Mg
 
6
(Si,Al)
 
8
O
 
20
(OH)
 
4
·4H
 
2
O
16.7.9Montmorillonite
(Na,Ca)
 
0.33
(Al,Mg)
 
2
Si
 
4
O
 
10
(OH)
 
2
·nH
 
2
O
16.7.10Baumite
(Mg,Al,Mn,Zn,Fe)
 
3
(Si,Al)
 
2
O
 
5
(OH)
 
4

Other Names for Pyrope

Synonyms:
Arizona RubyBohemian GarnetBöhmischer GranatCape RubyColorado Ruby
Elie RubyGreenlandite (of Klaproth)Pyrope GarnetVogesite
Other Languages:
Dutch:Pyroop
German:Vogesit
Hungarian:Pirop
Italian:Piropo
Lithuanian:Piropas
Polish:Pirop
Russian:Пироп
Slovak:Pyrop
Spanish:Vogesita
Swedish:Pyrop
Ukrainian:Піроп
Varieties:
RhodoliteTitanian Pyrope

Other Information

Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

References for Pyrope

Reference List:Klaproth, M.H. (1797): Untersuchung des böhmischen Granats, Beiträge zur chemischen Kenntniss der Mineralkörper, Zweiter Band, Rottmann Berlin, 16-21

American Mineralogist (1971): 56: 791.

Kolesnik, Y.N., Nogteva, V.V., and Paukov, I.Y. (1977) The specific heat of pyrope at 13 to 300 K and the thermodynamic parameters of some natural varieties of garnet. Geochemistry International 1977: 126-133.

Richet, P. and Bottinga, Y. (1984b) Anorthite, andesine, wollastonite, diopside, cordierite, and pyrope thermodynamics of melting, glass transitions, and properties of the amorphous phases. Earth and Planetary Science Letters: 67: 415-432.

Rossman, G.R., Rauch, F., Livi, R., Tombrello, T.A., Shi, C.R., and Zhoi, Z.Y. (1988) Nuclear reaction analysis of hydrogen in almandine, pyrope and spessartine garnets. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie Monatshefte: 4: 172-178.

Hofmeister, A.M. and Chopelas, A. (1991) Thermodynamic properties of pyrope and grossular from vibrational spectroscopy. American Mineralogist: 76: 880-891.

American Mineralogist (1992): 77: 512-521.

Pavese, A., Artioli, G., and Moze, O. (1998) Inelastic neutron scattering from pyrope powder: experimental data and theoretical calculations. European Journal of Mineralogy: 1: 59-70.

Wang, L., E.J. Essene, & Y. Zhang (1999a), Mineral inclusions in pyrope crystals from Garnet Ridge, Arizona, USA; implications for processes in the upper mantle: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology: 135: 164-178.

Gwanmesia, G.D., J. Liu, G. Chen, S. Kesson, S.M. Rigden, & R.C. Liebermann (2000), Elasticity of the pyrope (Mg3Al2Si3O12) - majorite (MgSiO3) garnets solid solution: Physics and Chemistry of Minerals: 27: 445-452.

Kolesov, B.A. and Geiger, C.A. (2000) Low-temperature single-crystal Raman spectrum of pyrope. Physics and Chemistry of Minerals: 27: 645-649.

Wang, L., Essene, E.J., and Zhang, Y. (2000) Direct observation of immiscibility in pyrope-almandine-grossular garnet. American Mineralogist: 85: 41-46.

Li, L., Hongbo Long, Paul Raterron, & Dnald Weidner (2006), Plastic flow of pyrope at mantle pressure and temperature: American Mineralogist: 91: 517-525.

Internet Links for Pyrope

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    Localities for Pyrope

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