01 / Origin story
How does peridotite form?
02 / Read the clues
How can you identify peridotite?
Use several clues together.
One photograph shows one specimen, not every variation.
03 / Commonly confused with
A distinctive combination.
Not easily confused with much else — the green color from olivine is fairly distinctive once you know to look for it. Weathered surfaces can turn brownish, which sometimes throws people off.
04 / Out in the world
Where it’s found.
Rare at the surface — mainly in ophiolites (chunks of ocean floor/mantle thrust onto continents) and volcanic pipes that brought mantle material up quickly (some of which are diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes).
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