earth science

Uvarovite

Uvarovite is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Uvarovite rather than just read about it. In short: Uvarovite is a chromium-bearing garnet group species with the formula: Ca3Cr2(SiO4)3. It was discovered in 1832 by Germain Henri Hess who named it after Count Sergei Uvarov (1765–1855), a Russian statesman and amateur mineral collector.

Key takeaways

Uvarovite belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Uvarovite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Uvarovite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Uvarovite is a chromium-bearing garnet group species with the formula: Ca3Cr2(SiO4)3. It was discovered in 1832 by Germain Henri Hess who named it after Count Sergei Uvarov (1765–1855), a Russian statesman and amateur mineral collector. It is classified in the ugrandite group alongside the other calcium-bearing garnets andradite and grossular. Uvarovite is the rarest of the common members of the garnet group, and is the only consistently green garnet species, with an emerald-green color. It occurs as well-formed fine-sized crystals.

Occurrence Uvarovite most commonly occurs in solid solution with grossular or andradite, and is generally found associated with serpentinite, chromite, metamorphic limestones, and skarn ore-bodies.

The most significant source of uvarovite historically has been a now-closed copper mine at Outokumpu, Finland, from where most museum specimens have been collected. The uvarovite crystals found in the Outokumpu district are among a wide range of chromium-rich silicate phases found in association with volcanogenic copper-cobalt-zinc sulfide ore deposits which are known to have an unusually high chromium content. Uvarovite occurrences in the United States are predominantly found in the western portion of the country, including localities in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. In the eastern United States, uvarovite has been confirmed in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The mineral has also been reported from eastern Cuba. 9 grains of uvarovite occur in a heavy mineral fraction of bulk stream sediment HM-10 collected in Bunker Hill creek, below the historic Bunker Hill gold mine, south of Nelson in British Columbia Canada. Its source is likely near serpentinites and argillaceous limestones within about 450 m upstream of the silt site. Notable localities in Europe besides the Outokumpu site known to bear uvarovite include Røros, Norway; Pitkyaranta, Russia; Val Malenco, Italy; Pico do Posets near Venasque, Spain; Kip Daglari, Turkey; and Biserk and Sarany, Russia. In Africa, uvarovite has been reported from the Bushveld Igneous Complex of Transvaal, South Africa and from the Vumba Schist Belt in Botswana. In Asia, uvarovite has been reported from Taiwan and Japan. In Australia, uvarovite has been reported from chromite deposits in southern New South Wales.

Properties Minerals in the uvarovite-grossular series are stable up to temperatures of 1410 °C at low pressure.

See also List of minerals named after people

References

External links

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Uvarovite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Uvarovite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Uvarovite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Uvarovite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Uvarovite

In research: Uvarovite appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Uvarovite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Uvarovite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Calcium minerals, Chromium minerals, Garnet gemstones, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Uvarovite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Uvarovite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Uvarovite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Uvarovite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Uvarovite in simple terms?

Why does Uvarovite matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Uvarovite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Uvarovite.