Smaragdite
Smaragdite is an emerald green variety of an Amphibole similar to Actinolite and colored by its slight chromium (Cr) content. Smaragdite is named from the Ancient Greek word smaragdos, originally meaning emerald but later meaninggreen gem or green. Smaragdite is a green foliated material often found in eclogite and some varieties of gabbro. Smaragdite is not mineralogically related to Emerald. An Emerald imitation from fused masses is also called Smaragdite.
A well known location for Smaragdite is the Emerald deposit at Leckbachgraben Nasenkopf, Habach Valley, Hohe Tauern, Salzburg, Austria where elongated prismatic crystals are found. Other locations are the Věžná serpentinite quarry, Věžná, Žďár nad Sázavou, Vysočina Region, Moravia, Czech Republic; the Altermark talc mine, Altermark area, Rana, Nordland, Norway and a possible source in Italy.
| Category: | Actinolite |
| Chemical Formula: | Ca2(Mg,Fe2+)5Si8O22(OH)2 + Cr |
| Calcium Magnesium Iron Silicate Hydroxide + Chromiu |
| Cleavage: | Perfect |
| Hardness (Mohs): | 5.5 |
| Density: | 3.24 to 3.50 |
| Color: | Emerald green |
| Transparency: | Transparent,Translucent |
| Luster: | Vitreous |
