Dravite (NaMg₃Al₆(BO₃)₃Si₆O₁₈(OH)₄) is the magnesium-rich end-member of the tourmaline group, completing the species trio with iron-rich Schorl and lithium-rich Elbaite. Its name comes from the Drave (Drava) River valley in Carinthia, Austria — its type locality. Dravite typically forms brown to yellow-brown prismatic crystals in metamorphic dolomitic marbles, contact aureoles, and sedimentary borate environments.
Key Facts
- Mohs hardness 7–7.5.
- Trigonal symmetry; signature triangular cross-section visible at terminations.
- Brown to dark-brown color from Mg+Fe combination; rare green and zoned varieties also occur.
- Forms a partial solid-solution series with Schorl (iron-end) and uvite (Ca-Mg variant).
- Common in metamorphic dolomites, evaporites, and contact-altered carbonates — different genesis than schorl/elbaite pegmatites.
Notable Localities
Drave Valley (Carinthia, Austria) is the type locality. Yinnietharra Pegmatite (Western Australia), Lerin (Norway), and Bahia (Brazil) yield collector-grade specimens.
Found at these Localities
- Eastern Brazilian Pegmatite Province (巴西东部伟晶岩省)
- Trimouns Talc Mine (特里穆滑石矿(法国))
- Madagascar Pegmatites (Sahatany / Antsirabe) (马达加斯加伟晶岩区)
- Mogok Stone Tract (抹谷宝石产地)
