A Geoscience Digital Image Library
A Geoscience Digital Image Library
| Title | Serpentine, var. chrysotile |
|---|---|
| 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. 2002-09-19. |
| Collection | University of North Dakota Mineralogy Collection. |
| Key words | serpentine, silicate, polymorph, jade |
| Tech details | 177 KB. Hand specimen. Fujifilm FinePix S1Pro digital camera; 60mm AF Nikon micro lens. |
| GeoDIL number | 2944 |
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