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peridotite

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
peridotite (pĕr'ēdō`tīt): see olivine olivine (ŏlĭv`ēn), an iron-magnesium silicate mineral, (Mg,Fe)2SiO4
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peridotite

Coarse-grained, heavy, igneous rock that contains at least 10% olivine, other iron- and magnesium-rich minerals (generally pyroxenes), and not more than 10% feldspar. Peridotite is the ultimate source of all chromium ore and naturally occurring diamonds, and of nearly all chrysotile asbestos. Nearly all peridotite is more or less altered to serpentine; in warm, humid climates peridotite and serpentine have weathered to soils and related deposits that, though now worked on a relatively small scale, are potential sources of iron, nickel, cobalt, and chromium.


peridotite [pə′rid·ə‚tīt]
(petrology)
A dark-colored, ultrabasic phaneritic igneous rock composed largely of olivine, with smaller amounts of pyroxene or hornblende.


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Bonatti studied peridotite rocks collected by dredges, drill ships and deep submersibles.
Devine says the team discovered pieces of peridotite -- the primary material of the earth's mantle -- up to the size of footballs of Lake Nyos.
The magnetic signature of the peridotite suggests a body that is triangular in shape with dimensions roughly 350 meters by 400 meters by 400 meters in size.
 
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