Amazonite (Feldspar)
Amazonite is the pale green to bluish variety that is green of which is an associate of the Feldspar band of minerals that also includes Albite, Andesine, Anorthite, Bytownite, Hyalophane, Labradorite, Moonstone, Oligoclase, Orthoclase, Sanidine and Sunstone. The color of Amazonite is generally caused by an higher lead (Pb) content of as much as 1.2% PbO. However, there are also indications that the colour that is green of Microcline is brought on by divalent Fe (Szuzkiewicz & Körber, 2010). Amazonite is available in tones of pale green to dark green, aqua bluish and green green.
A few of the most beautiful crystals that are amazonite result from the Pike’s Peak and Crystal Peak areas of Colorado, USA. Amazonite from Colorado have now been called the greatest specimens in the world for many years but a find that is new of crystals from Konso, Sidamo-Borana Province, Ethiopia are said to equal if not surpass the crystals from Colorado. The color of those Ethiopian crystals are an turquoise that is intense with outstanding luster.
Amazonite is practically always opaque and makes for beautifully colored cabochons. A find in Mogok, Myanmar (Burma) has produced a number that is tiny of rare transparent crystals which were faceted into gems. Another current find in Vietnam has produced green that is vivid that have been faceted into stunning gems of amazing clarity and color.
Amazonite was cited in 1701 in French as Pierre des Amazones, meaning stone regarding the Amazon (discussing the river that is amazon, by Nicolas Venette (1633-1698) in their Traité des Pierre (Treatise on Stones); although the title probably goes straight back further. It was cited once again in 1755 by Antoine-Joseph Dézallier d’Argenville (1680–1765) under the name that is same his book L’Histoire Naturelle. The name was modified to “Amazonite” in 1847 by Johann Friedrich August Breithaupt (1791-1873) for an type that is unspecified near the the Amazon River.
Amazonite distribution in the united states:
Haystack Mountain, Inyo Mts, Inyo County, California
Pikes Peak, El Paso County, Colorado
Crystal Peak area, Park and Teller Counties, Colorado
Lake George Area, Park County, Colorado
Gillette Quarry, Haddam Neck, Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut
Hewitt Gem Quarry, Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut
Sea Wall, Southwest Harbor, Hancock County, Maine
Blackburn Circle locality, Gloucester, Essex County, Massachusetts
Rockport, Essex County, Massachusetts
Zapot pegmatite, Gillis Range, Fitting District, Mineral County, Nevada
Ebony Cap Mountain, North Conway, Conway, Carroll County, New Hampshire
Middle Moat Hill locality, Hale’s Location, Carroll County, New Hampshire
Franklin, Franklin Mining District, Sussex County, Nj-new Jersey
Harding Mine, Picuris District, Taos County, New Mexico
Valhalla, Mount Pleasant, Westchester County, Nyc
Mineral Hill, Elwyn, Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Herbb No. 2 Mine, Flat Rock, Powhatan County, Virginia
Morefield Mine, Winterham, Amelia County, Virginia
Casper Mountain mine, Catherine No. 1 pegmatite mine, Natrona County, Wyoming
Amazonite distribution in other countries:
Kabol Province, Afghanistan
Baila Hill Mine, Koppio, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, Australia
Broken Hill, Yancowinna County, New South Wales, Australia
Paynes Find, Yalgoo Shire, Western Australia, Australia
Tulendeena, Scottsdale district, Tasmania, Australia
Amazonite occurrence, pegmatite outcrops, Pack, Packalpe, Styria, Austria
Packsattel, Modriach, Koralpe, Styria, Austria
Santa Maria de Itabira mine, Santa Maria de Itabira, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Taquaral, Itinga, Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Mogok Township, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District, Mandalay Division, Burma
Beryl Pit, Lyndoch Township, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada
Žd’ár pegmatite, Ruda nad Moravou, Šumperk, Olomouc Region, Moravia, Czech Republic
Wenshan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China
Kenticha mine, Kenticha field that is pegmatite Sidamo-Borana Province, Ethiopia
Konso, Sidamo-Borana Province, Ethiopia
Amazonite pegmatite, Laitila, Southwestern Finland Area, Finland
Arnsdorf-Hilbersdorf, Vierkirchen, Görlitz, Oberlausitz, Saxony, Germany
Zuma, Tibesti Mts, Al Kufrah District, Libya
Imalo, Andrembesoa Commune, Betafo District, Vakinankaratra Area, Antananarivo Province, Madagascar
Sahatany Valley, Sahatany Pegmatite Field, Vakinankaratra Area, Antananarivo Province, Madagascar
Mount Malosa, Zomba District, Malawi
Alto Ligonha District, Zambezia Province, Mozambique
Erongo Mountain, Erongo Area, Namibia
Klein Spitzkopje granite stock, Spitzkopje Area, Karibib District, Erongo Region, Namibia
Landsverk 1 Feldspar Quarry, Landsverk, Evje og Hornnes, Aust-Agder, Norway
Tennvatn pegmatite, Sørfold, Nordland, Norway
Paszowice, Jawor District, Strzegom-Sobótka Massif, Lower Silesia, Poland
Taião quarry, Taião, Valença do Minho, Viana do Castelo District, Portugal
Eastern Sayan, Sayan Mts, Southern Siberia, Russia
Etyka, Transbaikalia, Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia
Parusnaya Mt, Western Keivy Massif, Keivy Mountains, Kola Peninsula, Murmanskaja Oblast’, Northern Region, Russia
Kumi, Danyang, South Korea
Skuleboda, Väne Ryr, Vänersborg, Västergötland, Sweden
Väne Ryr, Vänersborg, Västergötland, Sweden
Perzhanskoe ore field, Zhytomyr Oblast’, Ukraine.
| Chemical Formula: | KAlSi3O8 + Pb or Fe |
| Potassium Aluminum Silicate + Lead or Iron | |
| Crystal system: | Triclinic |
| Crystal Habits: | Include blocky, or tabular crystals. Crystals are close to rectangular or square cross-section |
| Colour: | Light Green to Blue Green |
| Cleavage: | Perfect in one and good in another direction forming nearly right angled prisms. |
| Fracture: | Conchoidal |
| Lustre: | Vitreous |
| Transparency: | Translucent to opaque |
| Twinning: | Common |
| Specific Gravity: | About 2.5 |
| Hardness (Mohs): | 6 to 6.5 |
