Search Mineralpedia – A Mineral Photo Database and Identification Guide

Named for the Greek dyo, from which the prefix di- gets its origin to represent “two,” and opsi, meaning “face,” in reference to the two possible orientations of the vertical prism. Diopside is a relatively common mineral that can be found of fine quality in localities in Austria, Italy, Finland, Russia, Canada, the United States, Madagascar, China, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, among many other general localities. It occurs commonly in skarn, calcium and magnesium rich gneiss and schist, kimberlites, and peridotites and is typical of metamorphosed silicious calcium and magnesium rich rocks in the pyroxene-hornfels and epidote-amphibolite facies. Less commonly, Diopside can be found in alkaline olivine basalt and andesite.

Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/diopside.pdf

Named after the Greek words dia mesou, which means “through,” and optasia, for “vision,” in reference to the ability of the viewer to look through the mineral and see the internal cleavage directions. Found in oxidixed copper deposits, Dioptase is a somewhat uncommon mineral that can be found in localities in Kazakhstan, Romania, the United States, Argentina, Chile, the Congo Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe, and many other min or localities. Dioptase is pyroelectric and will generate a charge in response to temperature changes.

Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/dioptase.pdf

Named for the Greek dyo, from which the prefix di- gets its origin to represent “two,” and xenos, meaning “stranger,” an allusion to the, at the time, exceptional association of silica and arsenious oxide in the mineral. Dixenite is a rare mineral that can be found at its type, and only, locality at Langban in Sweden. There it occurs in metamorphosed iron-manganese orebodies in serpentine.

Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/dixenite.pdf

Arsenatnaya fumarole, Second scoria cone of the Northern Breakthrough of the Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption, Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka Peninsula, Far-Eastern Region, Russia

Please ref. 

Pekov, I.V., Zubkova, N.V.,
Belakovskiy, D.I., Yapaskurt, V.O., Vigasina,
M.F., Sidorov, E.G. and Pushcharovsky, D.Y.
(2013) Dmisokolovite, IMA 2013-079. CNMNC
Newsletter No. 18, December 2013, page 3253;
Mineralogical Magazine, 77, 32493258.