tourmaline: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

A sample of elbaite (tourmaline group) from the Pederneira Mine, São José da Safira, Governador Valadares Region, Minas Gerais, Braz.

See All Images →

Topics

schorl dravite Brazilian emerald achroite October birthstone cyclosilicate opal beryl cordierite axinite garnet pearl diamond emerald sapphire topaz

Key People

Torbern Bergman, detail of an oil painting by Per Krafft; in the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm

Torbern Olof Bergman

Swedish chemist and naturalist

Basalt sample returned by Apollo 15, from near a long sinous lunar valley called Hadley Rille. Measured at 3.3 years old.

(Bed) Rocks and (Flint) Stones