Editing Peridot (section)

===Geologically===
[[Olivine]], of which peridot is a type, is a common mineral in [[mafic]] and [[ultramafic rock]]s, often found in [[lava]] and in [[peridotite]] [[xenolith]]s of the [[Mantle (geology)|mantle]], which lava carries to the surface; however, gem-quality peridot occurs in only a fraction of these settings. Peridots can also be found in meteorites.

Peridots can be differentiated by size and composition. A peridot formed as a result of volcanic activity tends to contain higher concentrations of lithium, nickel and zinc than those found in meteorites.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shen |first1=A. |display-authors=etal |year=2011 |title=Identification of extraterrestrial peridot by trace elements |journal=[[Gems & Gemology]] |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=208–213 |doi=10.5741/GEMS.47.3.208 }}</ref>{{full citation|date=August 2024|reason=Needs either month or issue nr.; doi & issn etc. would be good too }}

Olivine is an abundant mineral, but gem-quality peridot is rather rare due to its [[chemical stability|chemical instability]] on Earth's surface. Olivine is usually found as small grains and tends to exist in a heavily weathered state, unsuitable for decorative use. Large crystals of [[forsterite]], the variety most often used to cut peridot gems, are rare; as a result, peridot is considered to be [[precious stone|precious]].

In the ancient world, the mining of peridot was called ''topazios'' then, on [[Zabargad Island|St.&nbsp;John's Island, in the Red Sea]] began about 300&nbsp;{{sc|BCE}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=St.&nbsp;John's Island peridot information and history |website=[[Mindat.org]] |url=http://www.mindat.org/loc-6423.html }}</ref>

The principal source of peridot olivine today is the [[San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation]] in Arizona.{{efn|
"Although some good olive-colored crystals are found in a few other places, like Burma, China, Zambia, and Pakistan, ninety percent of all known peridots are found in just one place. It is a Native American reservation, and it is located in a little-visited corner of the United States: {{nobr|San Carlos." — V.&nbsp;Finlay<ref>{{cite book |last=Finlay |first=Victoria |date= |title=Jewels: A secret history |at=Kindle locations 2543–2546 |publisher=Random House |edition=Kindle}}</ref>}}{{full citation|date=August 2024|reason=needs date, ISBN, etc.}}
}}
It is also mined at another location in [[Arizona]], and in [[Arkansas]], [[Hawaii]], [[Nevada]], and [[New Mexico]] at [[Kilbourne Hole]], in the US; and in [[Australia]], [[Brazil]], [[China]], [[Egypt]], [[Kenya]], [[Mexico]], [[Myanmar]] (Burma), [[Norway]], [[Pakistan]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[South Africa]], [[Sri Lanka]], and [[Tanzania]].{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}