Amazonite

Amazonite

Amazonite (sometimes called "Amazon stone") is a green variety of microcline feldspar.

The name is taken from that of the Amazon River, from which certain green stones were formerly obtained, but it is doubtful whether green feldspar occurs in the Amazon area.

Amazonite is a mineral of limited occurrence. Formerly it was obtained almost exclusively from the area of Miass in the Ilmen mountains, 50 miles southwest of Chelyabinsk, Russia, where it occurs in granitic rocks. More recently, high-quality crystals have been obtained from Pike's Peak, Colorado, where it is found associated with smoky quartz, orthoclase, and albite in a coarse granite or pegmatite. Crystal Peak, Teller County, Colorado is a well-known locality for crystals of amazonite. Some other localities in the United States yield amazonite, and it is also found in pegmatite in Madagascar.

Because of its bright green colour when polished, amazonite is sometimes cut and used as a gemstone, although it is easily fractured.

For many years, the source of amazonite's color was a mystery. Naturally, many people assumed the color was due to copper because copper compounds often have blue and green colors. More recent studies suggest that the blue-green color results from small quantities of lead and water in the feldspar. (Hoffmeister and Rossman, 1985)

See also: List of minerals

References

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*http://www.mindat.org/show.php?id=184
*http://webmineral.com/data/Microcline.shtml


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Amazonite — Catégorie IX : silicates[1] Amazonite Colorado Etat Unis …   Wikipédia en Français

  • amazonite — ● amazonite nom féminin Variété verte de microcline. amazonite [amazɔnit; amazonit] n. f. ÉTYM. Av. 1898; de Amazone, fleuve d Amérique du Sud (→ 2. Amazonien), et ite. ❖ ♦ Minér. Pierre fine et d ornementation, constituée par du feldspath …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Amazonite — Am a*zon*ite, Amazon stone Am a*zon stone , n. [Named from the river Amazon.] (Min.) A variety of feldspar, having a verdigris green color. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • amazonite — s. f. [Mineralogia] Variedade de feldspato verde.   ♦ Grafia no Brasil: amazonita …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • amazonite — [am′ə zən īt΄] n. [after the AMAZON2 River] a green microcline, often cut and polished as a gem: also Amazon stone …   English World dictionary

  • amazonite — amazonitas statusas T sritis chemija apibrėžtis Žalioji mikroklino atmaina, mineralas. formulė K[AlSi₃O₈] atitikmenys: angl. amazonite rus. амазонит …   Chemijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • amazonite — noun Etymology: Amazon River Date: circa 1879 an apple green or bluish green variety of microcline …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • amazonite — /am euh zeuh nuyt /, n. Mineral. a green feldspar, a variety of microcline, used as an ornamental material. Also called Amazon stone. [1595 1605; AMAZON (river) + ITE1] * * * …   Universalium

  • amazonite — noun a gem variety of microcline feldspar, varying from bright verdigris green to a bluish green …   Wiktionary

  • amazonite — am·a·zon·ite …   English syllables

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