Vesuvianite — Vesuvianite
Vesuvianite Robert M. Lavinsky, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY SA 3.0

Mineral · Sorosilicates

Vesuvianite

(Ca,Na)19(Al,Mg,Fe)13(SiO4)10(Si2O7)4(OH,F,O)10

Vesuvianite (idocrase) is the green to brown tetragonal prism of skarns and altered limestones, classic from the Jeffrey Mine (Quebec, purple and green), Bellecombe (Italy), Vesuvius and Pakistan. It is often confused with grossular garnet from the same rocks; square prisms with striations versus dodecahedra settle it. Jeffrey Mine vesuvianite is a collector's classic now that the mine is closed.

Formula(Ca,Na)19(Al,Mg,Fe)13(SiO4)10(Si2O7)4(OH,F,O)10
IMA statusgrandfathered
Crystal systemTetragonal
Mohs hardness6–7
GroupSorosilicates
Type localityVesuvius, Italy
StreakWhite
Specific gravity3.4
Reference listIMA List of Minerals (RRUFF) — verify formula and status against the current list

Elsewhere

Cite this article

Stratum Study. "Vesuvianite" (Mineral). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/minerals/vesuvianite. Accessed 2026-09-20.

@misc{stratum-vesuvianite,
  title        = {Vesuvianite},
  author       = {{Stratum Study}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/minerals/vesuvianite}},
  year         = {2026},
  note         = {Mineral article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
}

Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.

Sources for this article: Stratum editorial (Stratum editorial);Wikidata (CC0);Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-4.0). As of 2026-09-19; Study pack 2026.09. Data reproduced under the licences shown; text in Stratum's own words unless a section names its source.

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