Epidote
From the Greek "Epidosis" = "increase" in allusion to the crystal characteristic of one longer side at the base of the prism.Epidote has a Mohs hardness of 6 to 7. The color is usually enough to identify epidote. If you find good crystals, they show two strongly different colors (green and brown) as you rotate them. Epidote often represents alteration of the dark mafic minerals in igneous rocks such as olivine, pyroxene, amphiboles and plagioclase. Epidote thus is well known in subducted s...
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Rhodium
Rhodium is a member of the platinum metals group. The other members include platinum, palladium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium.It was first isolated in 1803 by English chemist William Wollaston. Due to the distinctive red color of the dissolved rhodium compounds, Wollaston named the new metal Rhodium based on the Greek word rhodon meaning "rose".Primary sources for rhodium are in Russia, South Africa, and Canada. The industrial extraction of rhodium is complicated by the fact that it occurs nat...
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Ruby in Fuchsite
The green chromium-rich variety of muscovite is known as fuchsite. It can have an attractive blue-green to emerald green color that can display a sparkly shine if the crystals are small. Due to its attractive color fuchsite is often used as an ornamental stone. Fuchsite is sometimes confused with Zoisite, since both green minerals can sometimes be found interspersed with ruby. But zoisite is a distinct mineral with a different chemical composition (calcium aluminum silicate). Zoisite is also a m...
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