Wehrlite
“Olivine and clinopyroxene from the deep”
Wehrlite is an ultramafic intrusive rock composed mainly of olivine and clinopyroxene with little to no orthopyroxene. It's found in layered intrusions and ophiolite complexes, representing cumulate rocks that crystallized from mafic magmas deep in the crust or upper mantle.
olivine, clinopyroxene (diopside/augite), hornblende (minor), chromite, magnetite
Bushveld Complex (South Africa), Troodos Ophiolite (Cyprus), Rum (Scotland), Horoman (Japan), Oman
5.5-6.5
Wehrlite layers in the Bushveld Complex of South Africa are associated with the Merensky Reef — one of the richest platinum-bearing horizons on the planet.
Test Your Knowledge
How does wehrlite's mineral composition differ from other ultramafic rocks like harzburgite?
Photo Attribution
Related Specimens
Want to identify rocks yourself?