Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
peridotite

peridotite

1 9.9
A dark rock from deep inside the Earth made mostly of the green mineral olivine
  • noun
  • /ˈpɛrɪdəˌtaɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : peridotita
  • The researchers discovered a large mass of peridotite that had been pushed to the surface by tectonic activity.

Examples

  • Oxides of silicon, aluminum, and magnesium (eclogites and peridotites in perovskite form)... 3486? 6350 kilometers.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • -Icelandic peridotite, naturally.

    Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

  • But Professor, that-that would be Icelandic peridotite.

    Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

  • Table 7: Water contents from Pingnan peridotite xenoliths Sample

    Academic text (2018)

  • Table 1: Rock types and mineral modes from Pingnan peridotite xenoliths.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Table 5: Major-element concentrations in spinels from Pingnan peridotite xenoliths

    Academic text (2018)

  • Table 3: Major-element concentrations in orthopyroxenes from Pingnan peridotite xenoliths

    Academic text (2018)

  • Geologists study peridotite because it helps them understand the composition of the Earth's mantle.

  • Samples of peridotite were collected from deep within the Earth to analyze their mineral content.

Surface Forms

peridotite singular
peridotites plural

Morphology

peridotite = peridot (transparent) = peridot + ite

Formed by the mineral-name 'peridot' plus the productive mineral/rock suffix '-ite', meaning a rock composed mainly of that mineral.

Etymology

Peridotite comes from the green gem peridot plus the ending -ite, which means 'rock' or 'stone'. Peridotite contains the mineral olivine, the same mineral that makes peridot green, so the name helps you remember this dark, often greenish rock.