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Tsavorite Garnet  (a variety of Grossular Garnet)
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  Ca₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃ + V, Cr

Discovered in 1811 (Grossular);   IMA status: Not Valid; Grossular: VALID
Tsavorite is named after the Tsavo National Park in Kenya where it is found. The name Grossular is from the Latin word Ribes Grossularium, meaning gooseberry, because of the resemblance of the light green Grossular Garnet to the color of the gooseberry fruit.
(see more below)

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/A.08-70

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9.AD.25

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
A : Nesosilicates
D : Nesosilicates without additional anions; cations in [6] and/or greater coordination

Related to:

Garnet Group. Grossular-Hibschite Series. Grossular-Katoite Series. Grossular-Uvarovite Series. Pyrope-Grossular Series

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Isometric - Hexoctahedral

Crystal Habit:

Commonly in dodecahedra or trapezohedra, up to 15 cm, with striated faces. Also granular, compact, and massive.

Twinning:

None

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

None; Parting on [110] rarely observed

Fracture:

Irregular/Uneven, Conchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

6.5 - 7.0

Density:

3.594 - 3.650 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

Usually none in UV. All massive material and many faceted gems glow orange in X-rays.

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Emerald Green

Transparency:

Transparent, Translucent, Opaque

Luster:

Vitreous to Resinous

Refractive Index:

1.743  Isotropic

Birefringence:

0.00  Isotropic; weak strain birefringence

Dispersion:

Moderate; 0.027

Pleochroism:

None

Occurances

Geological Setting:

In contact and regionally metamorphosed calcareous rocks, or rocks which have undergone calcium metasomatism; in some schists and serpentinites.

Common Associations:

Grossular: Calcite, Dolomite, Epidote, Clinozoisite, Wollastonite, Scapolite, Vesuvianite, Diopside, Tremolite, Quartz.

Type Locality:

Tsavo National Park, Voi, Taita Teveta District, Coast Province, Kenya

Year Discovered:

1811 (Grossular)

View mineral photos:

Tsavorite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org (Tsavorite)
Mindat.org (Grossular)
Webmineral.com (Grossular)

Tsavorite is a variety of Grossular Garnet which is a member of the Garnet Group of minerals that includes Almandine, Andradite, Grossular, Pyrope, Spessartine and Uvarovite. All Garnets fall into these basic varieties and some Garnets are a combination of two. The Garnets are a complex family of minerals all with similar crystalline structures but varying greatly in chemical composition and properties. Tsavorite is from the Grossular variety and is colored deep green by vanadium. It was originally thought to be colored green by chromium, but this occurs only in trace amounts. It is now known to get its incredible deep green coloring from significant amounts of vanadium. Demantoid Garnet on the other hand, gets its green color from chromium. Tsavorite is found in only a few locations in the world: the Tsavo National Park near Lualenyi, Kenya; Turkana district, Rift Valley Province, Kenya; Gogogogo Commune, Ejeda, Tulear Province, Madagascar; Merelani Hills, Umba Valley, Arusha Region, Tanzania.

Tsavorite is named after the Tsavo National Park in Kenya where it is found. The name Grossular is from the Latin word grossularia, meaning gooseberry, because of the resemblance of the light green Grossular Garnet to the color of the gooseberry fruit. The name Garnet comes from the Latin word granatus meaning grain. This is from the comparison of garnet grains in rock looking like the dark red seeds of the Pomegranite fruit scattered on the ground.
 

  
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