BRYSON BURKE
Home
Mission
Board
History
Business Plan
Latest Information
Building Our Drill
Innovation
Photo Album
Satellite Weather
Free News - Sign Guestbook
INVESTING
Investment
Stock
Quotes
COMMUNICATION
Press Releases
Newsletter
Current Information
Contact
SITE GEOLOGY
Geology Reports
Site
Geologic History
Magnetic
Maps Index
Heavy
Minerals Index
Grenville Province Index
DIAMOND POLITICS
Blood Diamonds
Kimberley Process
DIAMOND GEOLOGY
Indicator
Minerals
Kimberlites
Decay
of Kimberlites
Kimberlites
& Magnetics
Placer Deposits
Magnetic Reversal
Crustal Thickness
How Diamonds are
Made
Glaciation Issues
Mineral Transport Index
Doing the Map Work
Gathering Samples
World Mining Index
Excavation
and Recovery
Mining Corporations
Mining News Magazines
Environmental Issues
Diamonds in Space
World's Only MineCam
Live
Volcano Geo-Cams
EXPLORATION
Site Exploration
History
Topography
Map Index
Location
Map
Claim Maps
Index
DIAMONDS
Diamonds and Graphite
Diamond Formation
Grading Diamonds
Price of Diamonds
Industrial
Diamonds
Drilling
Equipment
Medical Use of Diamonds
Gemstones
Birthstones
Hall of Fame
DIAMONDS
IN CULTURE
Good Books
on Diamonds
Cremains to Diamonds
Diamonds in Lawsuits
Irish Diamonds
Unusual
Diamond News
Diamonds in the
Media
Famous Jewelers
In Advertisements
Top
Twenty Cut Diamonds
Top
Diamonds
Diamond Lore
Theft/Hoaxes/and Fraud
Religion Index
Diamond/
Culture Index
Television
Movies
Games - Play Now
Music
Weddings
Royals
Our
Darlings
Diamond Animal
Index
INTERACTIVE
Reflection/Refraction Index
Crossword
Puzzle Index
Which Is A Diamond
I
Which is a Diamond II
Become a Gemologist
Chemistry: (Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4, Magnesium Iron
Silicate Hydroxide
Class: Silicates
Subclass: phyllosilicates
Group:
Kalolinite-Serpentine
Uses: many industrial applications, including brake
linings
and fireproof fabrics and as an ornamental stone.
Serpentine
is a major rock forming mineral and is found as a constituent in many metamorphic
and weather igneous rocks. It often colors many of these rocks to a green color
and most rocks that have a green color probably have serpentine in some amount.
Serpentine
is actually a general name applied to several members of a polymorphic group.
These minerals have essentially the same chemistry but different structures. The
following is a list of these minerals, their formulas and symmetry class:
Antigorite;
(Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4; monoclinic.
Clinochrysotile; Mg3Si2O5(OH)4; monoclinic.
Lizardite; Mg3Si2O5(OH)4; trigonal and hexagonal.
Orthochrysotile; Mg3Si2O5(OH)4;
orthorhombic.
Parachrysotile; (Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4; orthorhombic.
Their
differences are minor and almost indistinguishable in hand samples. However, the
chrysotile minerals are more likely to form serpentine asbestos, while antigorite
and lizardite form cryptocrystalline masses sometimes with a lamellar or micaceous
character. Asbestos had been used for years as a fire retarding cloth and in brake
linings. Its links to cancer however has led to the development of alternative
materials for these purposes.
Serpentine's structure is composed of layers
of silicate tetrahedrons linked into sheets. Between the silicate layers are layers
of Mg(OH)2. These Mg(OH)2 layers are found in the mineral brucite and are called
brucite layers. How the brucite layers stack with the silicate layers is the main
reason for the multiple polymorphs. The stacking is not perfect and has the effect
of bending the layers. In most serpentines, the silicate layers and brucite layers
are more mixed and produced convoluted sheets. In the asbestos varieties the brucite
layers and silicate layers bend into tubes that produce the fibers.
Serpentine can be an attractive green stone that takes a nice polish and is suitable for carving. It has been used as a substitute for jade and is sometimes difficult to distinguish from jade, a testament to the beauty of finer serpentine material.
Non-fiberous serpentine is not a cancer concern. Asbestos serpentines should be kept in closed clear containers, but makes an attractive specimen. Sometimes with a golden color as the name chrysotile in greek means golden fibers.
PHYSICAL
CHARACTERISTICS:
Color is olive green, yellow or golden, brown, or black.
Luster
is greasy, waxy or silky.
Transparency crystals are translucent and masses
are opaque.
Crystal System is variable, see above.
Crystal Habits: never
in large individual crystals, usually compact masses or fibrous. Veins of viberous
serpentine can be found inside of massive serpentine or other rocks.
Cleavage
the varieties of crysotile have none, in lizardite and antigorite it is good in
one direction.
Fracture is conchoidal in antigorite and lizardite and splintery
in the crysotiles.
Hardness is 3 - 4.5
Specific Gravity is 2.2 - 2.6
Streak
white
Associated Minerals include chromite, olivine, garnets, calcite, biotite
and talc.
Other Characteristics: serpentine in the rough has a silky feel
to the touch and fibers are very flexible.
Notable Occurances Val Antigorio,
Italy; Russia; Rhodesia Switzerland; North Carolina, California, Rhode Island
and Arizona, USA and Quebec, Canada.
Best Field Indicators softness, color,
silky feel and luster, asbestos if present and its flexibility.
