Olivine (forsterite, Mg2SiO4)
Mg2SiO4 · orthorhombic, Pbnm
Forsterite (Mg2SiO4), the magnesium end member of the olivine group, has a calculated bulk density of 3.25 g/cm3 (WebMineral, Calculated Properties) and a calculated refractive index (Ncalc) of 1.65 to 1.68 (WebMineral, Optical Properties).
Evidence level
2 of 5
Lab-measured
- 0Predicted only. No one has made it, or no measurement exists.
- 1Calculated. Only calculated or predicted values from sources.
- 2Lab-measured. Measured properties with their conditions stated.
- 3Space-relevant tests. Measured in conditions relevant to space, such as vacuum or atomic oxygen.
- 4Ground-qualified. Qualified for an application on the ground.
- 5Flown or field-proven. Flight or field results exist.
Density
3.25 g/cm³
Refractive index
1.636 to 1.73 -
Hardness
7 -
Oxide split
57.29 %
Simulant content
9 %
Recipe, share of the weight
- Mg not statedMagnesium
- Si not statedSilicon
- O not statedOxygen
Best for
Reference values for forsterite, and the olivine share of two lunar simulants (9.0% in JSC-1A, 11.1 wt.% in LMS-1)
Weakest at
No measured density with a printed unit, no melting point, and no flight, space-environment or ISRU data in the sources read in this run
Risk at a glance
- People None found. Eye irritant under GHS in the PubChem record
- If it fails No data. No failure risks recorded
- Corrosion Low. Forsterite dissolves more slowly as water activity falls, according to a 2007 Virginia Tech dissertation.
Quick facts: Olivine (forsterite, Mg2SiO4)
| Property | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Density | 3.25 g/cm³ | 1 sourced value |
What is the density of Olivine?
Olivine has a density of 3.25 g/cm³. The source and test conditions are listed in the properties table on this page.
What is Olivine used for?
Uses recorded in the sources include Lunar mare simulant LMS-1 (ground test material); JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant (ground test material); Refractory linings (industrial use, not a space application).
Why it exists
Forsterite (Mg2SiO4) is the magnesium end member of the olivine group, and fayalite (Fe2SiO4) is the iron end member (Wikipedia). The Handbook of Mineralogy lists its occurrence in mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks. Wikipedia's olivine page shows an olivine basalt from the Moon, collected by the Apollo 15 crew. Two lunar simulant pages read for this profile list olivine as a mineral phase: 9.0% of JSC-1A by modal mineralogy, and 11.1 wt.% of LMS-1.
Where it's used
Ground test simulants
NASA's ARES page says JSC-1A is crushed from basaltic ash, and lists olivine at 9.0% in its modal mineralogy. The CLASS Exolith Lab page for LMS-1 lists olivine at 11.1 wt.%.
Refractories
The US Geological Survey says that the remaining magnesium compounds used in the United States went to refractories, in the form of dead-burned magnesia, fused magnesia and olivine.
Recipe
Mg2SiO4
Forsterite is Mg2SiO4: two magnesium atoms, one silicon atom and four oxygen atoms per formula unit (WebMineral and the Handbook of Mineralogy). Natural olivine is a series between forsterite and fayalite, Fe2SiO4, the iron end member (Wikipedia).
| Ingredient | Share of the weight | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Magnesium Mg | not stated | The main metal in forsterite. Forsterite is the magnesium end member of the olivine group. |
| Silicon Si | not stated | The silicon atom in the formula Mg2SiO4. |
| Oxygen O | not stated | The four oxygen atoms per formula unit. |
Weight shares are as printed in the sources.
What it can do
Density
3.25 g/cm³
worked out from the formula
WebMineral prints a calculated bulk density of 3.25 g/cm3 for forsterite. No measured density with a printed unit was found in the sources read.
Refractive index
1.636 to 1.73 -
measured
WebMineral gives a calculated refractive index (Ncalc) of 1.65 to 1.68, and printed ranges of 1.636 to 1.73 for index a, 1.65 to 1.739 for index b and 1.669 to 1.772 for index g.
Hardness
7 -
measured
The Handbook of Mineralogy gives a hardness of 7, and WebMineral gives 6 to 7. Neither page names the scale.
Oxide split
57.29 %
worked out from the formula
The theoretical composition is 57.29% MgO and 42.71% SiO2, per WebMineral's stoichiometric composition.
Simulant content
9 %
measured
Olivine is 9.0% of the modal mineralogy of JSC-1A (NASA ARES) and 11.1 wt.% of LMS-1 (CLASS Exolith Lab).
How it compares
Olivine is a named phase in the two lunar simulants read here: 9.0% of JSC-1A by modal mineralogy and 11.1 wt.% of LMS-1 by the CLASS mineralogy table. The forsterite end member is the magnesium-rich form, with a theoretical 57.29% MgO and a calculated bulk density of 3.25 g/cm3. A density comparison with other regolith materials was not made in this run, because their figures were not read here.
The same measurements for each material, so you can compare them. Each row names the key condition under the value; the full conditions and methods are in the numbered notes under Technical details.
| Measurement | Olivine (forsterite, Mg2SiO4) |
|---|---|
| Thermal behavior and safety | |
| SiO2, theoretical oxide content of forsteriteComposition section of WebMineral, Silicon row | 42.71 % |
| Physical and electrical | |
| Bulk density, forsterite (calculated, as printed by WebMineral) | 3.25 g/cm³1 |
| Hardness, Handbook of Mineralogy | 7 -3 |
| Hardness range, WebMineralRange printed on WebMineral, Physical Properties | 6 to 7 - |
| Other measurements | |
| Refractive index, calculated (Ncalc), forsterite | 1.65 to 1.68 -2 |
| Refractive index range printed as a, WebMineralRange printed on WebMineral, Optical Properties | 1.636 to 1.73 - |
| Refractive index range printed as b, WebMineralRange printed on WebMineral, Optical Properties | 1.65 to 1.739 - |
| Refractive index range printed as g, WebMineralRange printed on WebMineral, Optical Properties | 1.669 to 1.772 - |
| Birefringence range, WebMineralRange printed on WebMineral, Optical Properties | 0.033 to 0.042 - |
| molecular weight | 140.7 gm4 |
| MgO, theoretical oxide content of forsteriteComposition section of WebMineral, Magnesium row | 57.29 % |
| Olivine in JSC-1A, modal mineralogyModal mineralogy printed on the NASA ARES page | 9 % |
| Olivine in LMS-1, mineralogy table | 11.1 wt.%5 |
Why choose it, and why not
Good for
- Ground-test simulant work: NASA's JSC-1A page and CLASS's LMS-1 page both name olivine as a phase, at 9.0% and 11.1 wt.%.
- A reference silicate with a printed formula, space group and oxide split (57.29% MgO and 42.71% SiO2 in theory).
Watch out for
- The 9.0% and 11.1 wt.% figures describe olivine as one phase of a whole simulant. They are not properties of pure forsterite.
- WebMineral's printed refractive index ranges are wide, for example 1.636 to 1.73 for index a.
- PubChem's hazard record is for a mixed magnesium-iron olivine (formula Fe2Mg8O20Si5), not for pure forsterite.
Forsterite is well described as a mineral in the sources read, but this profile has no flight, space-environment or processing data for it. Its role here is as a named phase in lunar simulants and as a magnesium-bearing silicate, not as a proven engineering material.
Technical details
For scientists and researchers. Everything above comes from the record below: every number with its method, its conditions and its source.
Notes
The method, full conditions and any caveat for the numbered rows above.
| # | Measurement | Method | Conditions | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulk density, forsterite (calculated, as printed by WebMineral) | Calculated value printed on WebMineral; the page prints the unit as gm/cc, which is the same unit as g/cm3 | basis bulk density from electron density, listed under Calculated Properties on the pageunit in source gm/ccmineral forsterite, Mg2SiO4 | — |
| 2 | Refractive index, calculated (Ncalc), forsterite | Calculated value printed on WebMineral, Optical Properties | basis Ncalc as printed on WebMineral; the page gives no wavelengthmineral forsterite | — |
| 3 | Hardness, Handbook of Mineralogy | Single value printed in the Physical Properties block of the Handbook | scale not named in the source; the Handbook prints Hardness = 7mineral forsterite | — |
| 4 | molecular weight | Printed as 140.69 gm in the Composition section of WebMineral; the unit is kept as printed | basis molecular weight of Mg2SiO4 as printedmineral forsterite | — |
| 5 | Olivine in LMS-1, mineralogy table | Mineralogy table on the CLASS Exolith Lab LMS-1 page | material LMS-1 lunar mare simulant; olivine is one phase of the simulant, not pure forsteritecolumn Wt.% as printed | — |
Corrosion and compatibility
What happens when it meets other materials and environments.
| Environment | Concern | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Aqueous acidic solution (oxalic acid, pH 0 to 7, 25°C), laboratory dissolution test | low | Forsterite dissolves more slowly as water activity falls, according to a 2007 Virginia Tech dissertation.1 |
| # | Environment | Details | Test conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aqueous acidic solution (oxalic acid, pH 0 to 7, 25°C), laboratory dissolution test | The dissertation abstract states 'However, decreasing aH2O slows forsterite dissolution rates.' It attributes this to water acting as a ligand in the dissolution process. The experiments used oxalic acid solutions, not humid air, so this is a dissolution result and not a measured corrosion rate. | basis laboratory dissolution kinetics in oxalic acid solutions over a pH range of 0 to 7 at 25°C, as printed in the abstractmaterial forsteritetest no exposure time or numeric dissolution rate is quoted in this entry |
Risks and side effects
Hazards to people, what happens when a cell overheats, and how the material is handled and stored.
For people
The PubChem record for olivine is an eye irritant in most reports. That record is a mixed magnesium-iron silicate, not pure forsterite, and no forsterite safety data sheet was read in this run.
- Eyes
- PubChem's GHS summary gives H319, causes serious eye irritation, for 95.7% of notifications, with the signal word Warning.
- Notifications
- 22 of 23 reports gave a hazard code. 1 of 23 reports (4.3%) says the record does not meet GHS hazard criteria.
- Dust
- PubChem's uses section describes low levels of free silica in this sand. No dust exposure limit was read in this run.
Handling and storage
The sources read give only short precautionary codes.
- Precautionary codes
- PubChem lists P264+P265, P280, P305+P351+P338 and P337+P317 for the olivine record. The wording of these statements was not read in this run.
- Storage
- No storage or incompatibility advice for pure forsterite was read in this run.
Test details
The original wording and numbers from the sources, for readers who want them.
Handling and storage
- No supplier safety data sheet for pure forsterite was read in this run. The hazard codes above come from a PubChem record for a mixed magnesium-iron olivine.
Supply and geography
How common the raw materials are and where they come from.
Magnesium (the metal in olivine; the critical-list entries name magnesium, not olivine)
USGS: resources of dolomite, forsterite, magnesium-bearing evaporite minerals and magnesia-bearing brines are estimated at billions of tons. No tonnage for forsterite alone is printed.
- Critical mineral lists
- US: listed, EU: listed
- Recycling
- USGS magnesium chapter: some magnesia-based refractories are recycled as construction aggregate, reused in refractory, and as foundry sand. Olivine recycling is not mentioned.
- Substitutes
- USGS: alumina, chromite and silica substitute for magnesia in some refractory applications. Olivine is not named.
Documents
Datasheets, safety data sheets, papers and standards you can open.
Full record
The complete spore, as stored. Free to reuse under CC-BY-4.0. Images keep the licence shown with each one.
Show the full YAML
spore: profile
id: olivine-forsterite
spore_version: 0.2
family: regolith
name: Olivine (forsterite, Mg2SiO4)
role: Silicate mineral in mare basalt; a named phase in the lunar simulants JSC-1A and LMS-1
category: regolith
type: lunar-simulants
summary: 'Forsterite (Mg2SiO4), the magnesium end member of the olivine group, has a calculated bulk density of 3.25 g/cm3 (WebMineral, Calculated Properties) and a calculated refractive index (Ncalc) of 1.65 to 1.68 (WebMineral, Optical Properties). Olivine is a named phase in two lunar simulants: NASA lists 9.0% olivine in the modal mineralogy of JSC-1A, and the CLASS Exolith Lab lists 11.1 wt.% in LMS-1. No measured density with a printed unit, no melting point, and no space-environment or processing data for forsterite were found in the sources read for this profile.'
best_for: Reference values for forsterite, and the olivine share of two lunar simulants (9.0% in JSC-1A, 11.1 wt.% in LMS-1)
weakest_at: No measured density with a printed unit, no melting point, and no flight, space-environment or ISRU data in the sources read in this run
identity:
formula: Mg2SiO4
crystal_system: orthorhombic
space_group: Pbnm
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Crystallography table (WebMineral); the Handbook of Mineralogy prints the space group as P bnm (synthetic)
tags:
environments: []
stresses: []
applications:
- rovers-and-surface-systems
- thermal-control
properties:
- benchmark: density
label: Bulk density, forsterite (calculated, as printed by WebMineral)
value: 3.25
unit: g/cm3
scope: material
conditions:
basis: bulk density from electron density, listed under Calculated Properties on the page
unit_in_source: gm/cc
mineral: forsterite, Mg2SiO4
method: Calculated value printed on WebMineral; the page prints the unit as gm/cc, which is the same unit as g/cm3
status: calculated
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Calculated Properties, Bulk Density (Electron Density) row
- benchmark: refractive_index
label: Refractive index, calculated (Ncalc), forsterite
value: 1.65
value_high: 1.68
bound: range
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: Ncalc as printed on WebMineral; the page gives no wavelength
mineral: forsterite
method: Calculated value printed on WebMineral, Optical Properties
status: calculated
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Optical Properties, Ncalc row
- benchmark: refractive_index
label: Refractive index range printed as a, WebMineral
value: 1.636
value_high: 1.73
bound: range
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: range printed for index a; the page gives no wavelength or sample
mineral: forsterite
method: Range printed on WebMineral, Optical Properties
status: ground
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Optical Properties, Refractive index a row
- benchmark: refractive_index
label: Refractive index range printed as b, WebMineral
value: 1.65
value_high: 1.739
bound: range
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: range printed for index b; the page gives no wavelength or sample
mineral: forsterite
method: Range printed on WebMineral, Optical Properties
status: ground
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Optical Properties, Refractive index b row
- benchmark: refractive_index
label: Refractive index range printed as g, WebMineral
value: 1.669
value_high: 1.772
bound: range
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: range printed for index g; the page gives no wavelength or sample
mineral: forsterite
method: Range printed on WebMineral, Optical Properties
status: ground
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Optical Properties, Refractive index g row
- benchmark: birefringence
label: Birefringence range, WebMineral
value: 0.033
value_high: 0.042
bound: range
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: range printed on the page; the page does not state the wavelength or the definition used
mineral: forsterite
method: Range printed on WebMineral, Optical Properties
status: ground
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Optical Properties, Birefringence row
- benchmark: hardness
label: Hardness, Handbook of Mineralogy
value: 7
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
scale: not named in the source; the Handbook prints Hardness = 7
mineral: forsterite
method: Single value printed in the Physical Properties block of the Handbook
status: ground
source: handbook-forsterite
where: Physical Properties block
- benchmark: hardness
label: Hardness range, WebMineral
value: 6
value_high: 7
bound: range
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
scale: not named; the page pairs the range with orthoclase and quartz as reference minerals
mineral: forsterite
method: Range printed on WebMineral, Physical Properties
status: ground
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Physical Properties, Hardness row
- benchmark: molecular_weight
value: 140.69
unit: gm
scope: material
conditions:
basis: molecular weight of Mg2SiO4 as printed
mineral: forsterite
method: Printed as 140.69 gm in the Composition section of WebMineral; the unit is kept as printed
status: calculated
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Composition section, Molecular weight
- benchmark: mgo_content
label: MgO, theoretical oxide content of forsterite
value: 57.29
unit: '%'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: theoretical stoichiometric composition of Mg2SiO4, not a measured analysis
oxide: MgO
method: Composition section of WebMineral, Magnesium row
status: calculated
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Composition section, Magnesium row (57.29 % MgO)
- benchmark: sio2_content
label: SiO2, theoretical oxide content of forsterite
value: 42.71
unit: '%'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: theoretical stoichiometric composition of Mg2SiO4, not a measured analysis
oxide: SiO2
method: Composition section of WebMineral, Silicon row
status: calculated
source: webmineral-forsterite
where: Composition section, Silicon row (42.71 % SiO2)
- benchmark: olivine_modal_abundance
label: Olivine in JSC-1A, modal mineralogy
value: 9
unit: '%'
scope: material
conditions:
material: JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant, crushed from basaltic ash; olivine is one phase of the simulant, not pure forsterite
basis: abundance column of the modal mineralogy table, reference [12] as printed
method: Modal mineralogy printed on the NASA ARES page
status: ground
source: ares-jsc1a
where: Mineralogy, Modal Mineralogy table, Olivine row
- benchmark: olivine_modal_abundance
label: Olivine in LMS-1, mineralogy table
value: 11.1
unit: wt.%
scope: material
conditions:
material: LMS-1 lunar mare simulant; olivine is one phase of the simulant, not pure forsterite
column: Wt.% as printed
method: Mineralogy table on the CLASS Exolith Lab LMS-1 page
status: ground
source: class-lms-1
where: Mineralogy table, Exolith Simulant LMS-1 section, Olivine row
corrosion:
- environment: Aqueous acidic solution (oxalic acid, pH 0 to 7, 25°C), laboratory dissolution test
headline: Forsterite dissolves more slowly as water activity falls, according to a 2007 Virginia Tech dissertation.
effect: The dissertation abstract states 'However, decreasing aH2O slows forsterite dissolution rates.' It attributes this to water acting as a ligand in the dissolution process. The experiments used oxalic acid solutions, not humid air, so this is a dissolution result and not a measured corrosion rate.
rating: low
conditions:
basis: laboratory dissolution kinetics in oxalic acid solutions over a pH range of 0 to 7 at 25°C, as printed in the abstract
material: forsterite
test: no exposure time or numeric dissolution rate is quoted in this entry
source: olsen2007
where: Abstract, VTechWorks record handle 10919/28213
risks:
hazards:
- text: PubChem's GHS summary for the record named Olivine (CID 71586774, formula Fe2Mg8O20Si5) gives H319, Causes serious eye irritation, for 95.7% of notifications, with the signal word Warning. 22 of 23 reports gave a hazard code, and 1 of 23 reports (4.3%) says the record does not meet GHS hazard criteria.
ghs:
- H319
source: pubchem-olivine
where: Safety and Hazards, Hazards Identification, GHS Classification (CID 71586774)
- text: PubChem lists no pictogram for this record and gives the precautionary codes P264+P265, P280, P305+P351+P338 and P337+P317. The wording of these statements was not read in this run.
ghs: []
source: pubchem-olivine
where: Safety and Hazards, GHS Classification, Precautionary Statement Codes
- text: PubChem's uses section describes this sand as having low levels of free silica and suggests it as a less injurious substitute for silica quartz in foundries (ChemIDplus).
ghs: []
source: pubchem-olivine
where: Use and Manufacturing, Uses
failure_risks: []
side_effects: []
handling:
- text: No supplier safety data sheet for pure forsterite was read in this run. The hazard codes above come from a PubChem record for a mixed magnesium-iron olivine.
source: pubchem-olivine
where: Safety and Hazards (CID 71586774)
mitigations: []
uses:
- application: rovers-and-surface-systems
device: Lunar mare simulant LMS-1 (ground test material)
example: The CLASS Exolith Lab LMS-1 mineralogy table lists olivine at 11.1 wt.%.
source: class-lms-1
where: Mineralogy table, Exolith Simulant LMS-1 section
- application: rovers-and-surface-systems
device: JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant (ground test material)
example: NASA's ARES page says JSC-1A is crushed from basaltic ash, and its modal mineralogy lists olivine at 9.0%.
source: ares-jsc1a
where: Source material text; Mineralogy, Modal Mineralogy table
- application: thermal-control
device: Refractory linings (industrial use, not a space application)
example: USGS says the remaining magnesium compounds used in the United States went to refractories, in the form of dead-burned magnesia, fused magnesia and olivine.
source: usgs-mcs2026-magnesium
where: Domestic Production and Use, second paragraph
supply:
- subject: Magnesium (the metal in olivine; the critical-list entries name magnesium, not olivine)
abundance: 'USGS: resources of dolomite, forsterite, magnesium-bearing evaporite minerals and magnesia-bearing brines are estimated at billions of tons. No tonnage for forsterite alone is printed.'
producers: []
critical_lists:
- list: USGS 2025 List of Critical Minerals (magnesium listed as Magnesium, used in metal alloys)
listed: true
- list: EU critical raw materials list (Regulation (EU) 2024/1252; the page lists Magnesium)
listed: true
recycling: 'USGS magnesium chapter: some magnesia-based refractories are recycled as construction aggregate, reused in refractory, and as foundry sand. Olivine recycling is not mentioned.'
substitutes:
- 'USGS: alumina, chromite and silica substitute for magnesia in some refractory applications. Olivine is not named.'
source: usgs-mcs2026-magnesium
where: 'World Resources; Recycling; Substitutes; Domestic Production (one company in Washington sold and processed stockpiled olivine). Critical lists: usgs-crit2025 and ec-crm pages.'
media: []
documents:
- title: 'Handbook of Mineralogy: Forsterite (Mineral Data Publishing, version 1.2)'
type: database
url: https://handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/forsterite.pdf
year: 2001
- title: 'WebMineral: Forsterite data page'
type: database
url: https://www.webmineral.com/data/Forsterite.shtml
- title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Magnesium Compounds'
type: report
url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-magnesium-compounds.pdf
year: 2026
- title: 'PubChem: Olivine (CID 71586774), GHS classification summary'
type: database
url: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/71586774
- title: 'NASA ARES: JSC-1 and JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant project page'
type: report
url: https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/projects/simulants/jsc-1-1a.html
- title: 'Olsen (2007), Forsterite Dissolution Kinetics: Applications and Implications for Chemical Weathering, Virginia Tech dissertation'
type: paper
url: https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/28213
year: 2007
gaps:
- Melting point not found in any source the brief allows. WebMineral and the Handbook print none. Wikipedia gives almost 1,900 degC, but it is not used because the brief limits Wikipedia to composition and history.
- No measured density with a printed unit was found for forsterite. The Handbook prints D(meas.) 3.275 and D(calc.) 3.271 with no unit, and WebMineral prints 3.21 to 3.33 with no unit, so these are left out.
- Unit cell lengths a, b and c and the strongest X-ray d-spacings are printed without a unit on both pages, so they are left out.
- The Handbook's Mogok chemical analysis (SiO2, FeO, MgO) prints no unit, so it is left out.
- The Handbook's three refractive indices are printed with symbols that did not survive text extraction, so they are left out. WebMineral's a, b and g ranges are used instead.
- Hardness scale is not named in the Handbook; the unit is recorded as -.
- Corrosion in humid air and long-term ageing of forsterite or olivine were not found. The one corrosion entry is an aqueous dissolution result from a 2007 dissertation, in oxalic acid at 25°C, not a humid-air test.
- Vacuum, radiation, thermal-cycling and other space-environment data for olivine were not found.
- Failure modes, side effects and mitigations were not found, so those sections are empty.
- The 13.7 wt% olivine figure for MGS-1 (Mars Global Simulant) is not verified. No MGS-1 source was read in this run.
- ISRU oxygen and magnesium extraction from olivine is not sourced. The brief's statement that olivine is used in such studies stays unverified.
- Atomic weights were not read on a fetched page, so the recipe gives atom counts from the formula only.
- No country shares for olivine or forsterite were printed in the pages read. The USGS magnesium table covers magnesite production, not olivine.
- Crustal abundance of forsterite or olivine was not found.
- Hazard data come from PubChem's record named Olivine (CID 71586774, formula Fe2Mg8O20Si5), a mixed magnesium-iron olivine, not pure forsterite. No forsterite safety data sheet was read.
- The PubChem name lookup for forsterite returned no compound, so the forsterite record itself was not read.
- CAS number was not read on a fetched page.
- No abbreviation for olivine or forsterite was found in the sources read.
- Olivine itself is not an entry on the USGS or EU critical lists read; the listing applies to magnesium.
- 'Custom property names not in spores/property-canon.yaml: molecular_weight, mgo_content, sio2_content, hardness, birefringence, olivine_modal_abundance.'
- No media added; no image was read or licence checked in this run.
- Web search was unavailable after the first calls in this run, so no further sources could be searched for.
sources:
webmineral-forsterite:
title: 'Forsterite: mineral data (WebMineral)'
id: WebMineral forsterite data page
url: https://www.webmineral.com/data/Forsterite.shtml
kind: web
license: Web page; licence not stated on the page read
handbook-forsterite:
title: Forsterite, Handbook of Mineralogy
id: Mineral Data Publishing, version 1.2, copyright 2001
url: https://handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/forsterite.pdf
year: 2001
kind: handbook
license: All rights reserved by Mineral Data Publishing; cited, not reproduced
wikipedia-olivine:
title: Olivine (Wikipedia)
id: en.wikipedia.org, Olivine
url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivine
kind: web
license: CC BY-SA (Wikipedia text); cited for composition and history only
usgs-mcs2026-magnesium:
title: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Magnesium Compounds
id: USGS MCS 2026, February 2026
url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-magnesium-compounds.pdf
year: 2026
kind: report
license: Public domain (USGS)
usgs-crit2025:
title: About the 2025 List of Critical Minerals (USGS)
id: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
url: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/mineral-resources-program/science/about-2025-list-critical-minerals
year: 2025
kind: web
license: Public domain (USGS)
ec-crm:
title: Critical raw materials (European Commission)
id: Regulation (EU) 2024/1252
url: https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials_en
year: 2024
kind: web
license: European Commission web page
pubchem-olivine:
title: PubChem compound record, Olivine (CID 71586774)
id: CID 71586774
url: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/71586774
kind: database
license: Public domain (NCBI)
ares-jsc1a:
title: JSC-1 and JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant, NASA ARES Simulants project page
id: NASA Exploration Research and Simulation (ARES) simulants project
url: https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/projects/simulants/jsc-1-1a.html
kind: web
license: NASA web page; licence not stated on the page read
class-lms-1:
title: LMS-1 Lunar Mare Simulant, CLASS Exolith Lab (University of Central Florida)
url: https://sciences.ucf.edu/class/simulant_lunarmare/
kind: web
license: University web page; licence not checked in this run
olsen2007:
title: 'Forsterite Dissolution Kinetics: Applications and Implications for Chemical Weathering'
id: Olsen, A. A. (2007), Virginia Tech doctoral dissertation, VTechWorks handle 10919/28213
url: https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/28213
year: 2007
kind: paper
license: Virginia Tech thesis repository; licence not checked in this run
license: CC-BY-4.0
updated: '2026-11-01'
review:
status: draft
method: assistant
checked_values: 13
unreachable: 0
caveats: 3
note: Written by an AI assistant on 2026-11-01 from nine pages fetched in this run. Web search was unavailable after the first calls, so MGS-1, ISRU, corrosion and melting-point sources were not found. A corrosion entry from the Olsen (2007) dissertation abstract was added in a later pass. verify-values then found 13 of 13 values in their sources.
story:
recipe:
line: 'Forsterite is Mg2SiO4: two magnesium atoms, one silicon atom and four oxygen atoms per formula unit (WebMineral and the Handbook of Mineralogy). Natural olivine is a series between forsterite and fayalite, Fe2SiO4, the iron end member (Wikipedia).'
parts:
- name: Magnesium
symbol: Mg
role: The main metal in forsterite. Forsterite is the magnesium end member of the olivine group.
- name: Silicon
symbol: Si
role: The silicon atom in the formula Mg2SiO4.
- name: Oxygen
symbol: O
role: The four oxygen atoms per formula unit.
risk_groups:
- title: For people
level: 0
verdict: Eye irritant under GHS in the PubChem record
lead: The PubChem record for olivine is an eye irritant in most reports. That record is a mixed magnesium-iron silicate, not pure forsterite, and no forsterite safety data sheet was read in this run.
points:
- label: Eyes
line: PubChem's GHS summary gives H319, causes serious eye irritation, for 95.7% of notifications, with the signal word Warning.
- label: Notifications
line: 22 of 23 reports gave a hazard code. 1 of 23 reports (4.3%) says the record does not meet GHS hazard criteria.
- label: Dust
line: PubChem's uses section describes low levels of free silica in this sand. No dust exposure limit was read in this run.
- title: Handling and storage
lead: The sources read give only short precautionary codes.
points:
- label: Precautionary codes
line: PubChem lists P264+P265, P280, P305+P351+P338 and P337+P317 for the olivine record. The wording of these statements was not read in this run.
- label: Storage
line: No storage or incompatibility advice for pure forsterite was read in this run.
why: 'Forsterite (Mg2SiO4) is the magnesium end member of the olivine group, and fayalite (Fe2SiO4) is the iron end member (Wikipedia). The Handbook of Mineralogy lists its occurrence in mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks. Wikipedia''s olivine page shows an olivine basalt from the Moon, collected by the Apollo 15 crew. Two lunar simulant pages read for this profile list olivine as a mineral phase: 9.0% of JSC-1A by modal mineralogy, and 11.1 wt.% of LMS-1.'
uses:
- where: Ground test simulants
line: NASA's ARES page says JSC-1A is crushed from basaltic ash, and lists olivine at 9.0% in its modal mineralogy. The CLASS Exolith Lab page for LMS-1 lists olivine at 11.1 wt.%.
- where: Refractories
line: The US Geological Survey says that the remaining magnesium compounds used in the United States went to refractories, in the form of dead-burned magnesia, fused magnesia and olivine.
can_do:
- label: Density
benchmark: density
line: WebMineral prints a calculated bulk density of 3.25 g/cm3 for forsterite. No measured density with a printed unit was found in the sources read.
- label: Refractive index
benchmark: refractive_index
line: WebMineral gives a calculated refractive index (Ncalc) of 1.65 to 1.68, and printed ranges of 1.636 to 1.73 for index a, 1.65 to 1.739 for index b and 1.669 to 1.772 for index g.
- label: Hardness
benchmark: hardness
line: The Handbook of Mineralogy gives a hardness of 7, and WebMineral gives 6 to 7. Neither page names the scale.
- label: Oxide split
benchmark: mgo_content
line: The theoretical composition is 57.29% MgO and 42.71% SiO2, per WebMineral's stoichiometric composition.
- label: Simulant content
benchmark: olivine_modal_abundance
line: Olivine is 9.0% of the modal mineralogy of JSC-1A (NASA ARES) and 11.1 wt.% of LMS-1 (CLASS Exolith Lab).
compare: 'Olivine is a named phase in the two lunar simulants read here: 9.0% of JSC-1A by modal mineralogy and 11.1 wt.% of LMS-1 by the CLASS mineralogy table. The forsterite end member is the magnesium-rich form, with a theoretical 57.29% MgO and a calculated bulk density of 3.25 g/cm3. A density comparison with other regolith materials was not made in this run, because their figures were not read here.'
compare_rows:
- label: Bulk density, calculated (g/cm3)
benchmark: density
- label: Refractive index, calculated (Ncalc)
benchmark: refractive_index
- label: Olivine share in lunar simulants (%)
benchmark: olivine_modal_abundance
handling:
- No supplier safety data sheet for pure forsterite was read in this run. The hazard codes above come from a PubChem record for a mixed olivine.
- The one dust-related source read describes low levels of free silica in this sand. No dust limit was read.
- The PubChem GHS record carries an eye-irritation code (H319), so eye protection is a sensible precaution. The wording of P280 was not read in this run.
good_for:
- 'Ground-test simulant work: NASA''s JSC-1A page and CLASS''s LMS-1 page both name olivine as a phase, at 9.0% and 11.1 wt.%.'
- A reference silicate with a printed formula, space group and oxide split (57.29% MgO and 42.71% SiO2 in theory).
watch_out:
- The 9.0% and 11.1 wt.% figures describe olivine as one phase of a whole simulant. They are not properties of pure forsterite.
- WebMineral's printed refractive index ranges are wide, for example 1.636 to 1.73 for index a.
- PubChem's hazard record is for a mixed magnesium-iron olivine (formula Fe2Mg8O20Si5), not for pure forsterite.
verdict: Forsterite is well described as a mineral in the sources read, but this profile has no flight, space-environment or processing data for it. Its role here is as a named phase in lunar simulants and as a magnesium-bearing silicate, not as a proven engineering material.
References
Every number above carries a reference number. Click one to see the source and where in it the value comes from.
| # | Source | Type | Year | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forsterite: mineral data (WebMineral) | web | 11 values | ||
| Forsterite, Handbook of Mineralogy | handbook | 2001 | 1 value | |
| Olivine (Wikipedia) | web | 0 values | ||
| Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Magnesium Compounds | report | 2026 | 2 values | |
| About the 2025 List of Critical Minerals (USGS) | web | 2025 | 0 values | |
| Critical raw materials (European Commission) | web | 2024 | 0 values | |
| PubChem compound record, Olivine (CID 71586774) | database | 4 values | ||
| JSC-1 and JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant, NASA ARES Simulants project page | web | 2 values | ||
| LMS-1 Lunar Mare Simulant, CLASS Exolith Lab (University of Central Florida) | web | 2 values | ||
| Forsterite Dissolution Kinetics: Applications and Implications for Chemical Weathering | paper | 2007 | 1 value |
Updated