Title | Serpentine |
Description | Serpentine is a magnesium iron silicate hydroxide. 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 a general name applied to several members of a polymorphic group. It has been used as a substitute for jade and is sometimes difficult to distinguish from jade. Serpentine's chemical formula is (Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4. The name comes from the Greek, chrysos, meaning “gold” and tilos, meaning “fiber”. |
Photographer | Shannon Heinle. 2001-10-22. |
Collection | University of North Dakota Mineralogy Collection #1883. |
Key words | serpentine, silicate, polymorph, jade |
Tech details | 338 KB. Hand specimen. Fujifilm FinePix S1Pro digital camera; 60mm AF Nikon micro lens. |
GeoDIL number | 1678 |
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