| Mineral | DIOPSIDE |
| Chemistry | CaMg[Si 2 O 6 ] |
| Class | Silicates |
| Uses | occasionally used as a gemstone and as a mineral specimen. |
| Color | light to dark Green blue brown colourlesssnow white grey |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Transparency | crystals are transparent to translucent. |
| CrystalSystem | Monoclinic |
| CrystalHabits | include short prismatic, rarely tabular crystals.The square cross section is distinctive in the prismatic crystals.Also compact, granular, columnar and massive. |
| Cleavage | Distinct/Good on {110} |
| Fracture | perfect in two lengthwise directions at close to right angles and a basal parting direction is sometimes seen. |
| Hardness | 5½ - 6 |
| Streak | white |
| Characteristics | Some specimens have been known to fluoresce and some specimens have inclusions that can form cat s eyes if polished in cabachon. |
| Occurences | include St. Lawrence Co., New York, USA; Ural Mountains, Russia; Mt. Vesuvius and other locallities in Italy; Austria; Germany; Sri Lanka; Brazil; Mogok, Burma; Madagascar; Kimberly, South Africa and Outokumpu, Finland. |
| Indicators | crystal habit, associations, color, fracture and cleavage. |
| DensityNote | slightly above average |
| IMAStatus | Approved |
| CellParameters | a = 9.76b = 8.92c = 5.25 β=105.79° |
| Ratio | a:b:c = 1.094 : 1 : 0.589 |
| OpticalType | Biaxial (+) |
| RI | n α =1.663 - 1.699 n β =1.671 - 1.705 n |
| Birefringence | δ=0.030 |
| SurfaceRelief | High |
| Synonyms | Acantoide Acimite-diopside Alat Alata Alate Chromaugit Chrome-Augite Coccot Coccota Coccote Dekalbit Dekalbita Dekalbite Kokkoth Leucaugita Leucaugite Leukaugit Malacota Malacote Malakoth Mussite (of Bonvoisin) Protheit Protheite |
| Strunz | 8/F.01-50 8 : Silicates F : Inosilicates (chain and band) double chains [Si2O6]4- 01 : Pyroxene groupClinopyroxene |
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