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ML-102
Feldspar
var. Amazonite
Location:
Blue
Star Mine, Chapman
Township, Parry Sound
District, Ontario,
Canada
Reference:
T.
S. Ercit (1994) The
geochemistry and crystal
chemistry of
columbite-group minerals
from granitic
pegmatites, southwestern
Grenville Province,
Canadian Shield. The
Canadian Mineralogist
32:421-438
Collected:
1980's
Price
$580.00
Shipping
$16.50 flat rate in US
Dimensions:
L 9" x W 4" x H 6"
Weight 8 lbs
9oz
ML-102
ETSY
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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.
Crystals of amazonite can also be found
in Crystal Park, El Paso County,
Colorado. Other localities in the United
States which yield amazonite include the
Morefield Mine in Amelia, Virginia. It
is also found in pegmatite in Madagascar
and in Brazil.
Because of its bright green
color 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.
SOURCE
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