Scientific Name: Ferroan Enstatite
Group: Silicates – inosilicates
Chemical composition: Mg2Si2O6
Colors: colorless, green, brown, or yellowish
Hardness: 5 to 6
Formation: Orthorhombic – Dipyramidal
Principal Sources: New York, USA
Special Notes: Hypersthene is found in igneous and some metamorphic rocks as well as in stony and iron meteorites. The name hypersthene comes from the Greek and means “over strength”. It is in allusion to its greater hardness than the amphibole mineral hornblende, a mineral with which it is often confused. Hypersthene has strong peochroism, an optical phenomenon in which mineral grains within a rock appear to be different colors when observed at different angles.