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Seraphinite  (variety of Clinochlore)
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

  
Seraphinite is a trade name derived from the Hebrew word "Seraph" referring to the highest rank of angels in allusion to the feathery wing patterns made by silvery micaceous inclusions. Clinochlore is named from the Greek klino meaning inclined for its inclined optic axes and chloros meaning green, its typical color.

Discovered in 1851;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered)

Chemistry

Chemical Formula:

(Mg,Fe²⁺)₅Al(Si₃Al)O₁₀(OH)₈

Magnesium Iron Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide

Molecular Weight:

595.22 gm

Composition:

Magnesium

15.31 %

Mg

25.39 %

MgO

Aluminum

9.07 %

Al

17.13 %

Al₂O₃

Iron

11.73 %

Fe

15.09 %

FeO

Silicon

14.16 %

Si

30.28 %

SiO₂

Hydrogen

1.35 %

H

12.11 %

H₂O

Oxygen

48.38 %

O

100.00 %

100.00 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates (Germanates)

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/H.23-20

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9.EC.55

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
E : Phyllosilicates
C : Phyllosilicates with mica sheets, composed of tetrahedral and octahedral nets

Related to:

Chlorite Group. Forms a solid solution series with its Fe²⁺-analogue Chamosite.

Varieties:

Chromian Clinochlore, Corundophilite, Delessite, Diabantite, Leuchtenbergite, Nickeloan Clinochlore, Pennine, Ripidolite, Sheridanite

Synonyms:

Clinochlorite, Clinocloro, Grastite, Klinochlor, Prochlorite, Seraphinite

Polytypes:

Clinochlore-1MIIb, Clinochlore-1MIa, Clinochlore-1MIb, Clinochlore-2MIIb, Clinochlore-IIb, Clinochlore-Ia

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Monoclinic - Prismatic

Crystal Habit:

In thin to thick pseudohexagonal crystals, with tapering pyramidal faces, to 10 cm. Commonly foliated, fibrous, granular, earthy, massive.

Twinning:

Twin plane {001}; twin axis [310], composition plane {001}.

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

{001} Perfect

Fracture:

Uneven

Tenacity:

Laminae Flexible, Inelastic

Moh's Hardness:

2.0 - 2.5

Density:

2.60 - 3.02 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Blackish Green, Bluish Green, White, Yellowish Green, or Olive Green

Transparency:

Transparent to Translucent

Luster:

Greasy, Pearly, Dull

Refractive Index:

1.571 - 1.599  Biaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.005 - 0.011

Dispersion:

r < v

Pleochroism:

Visible; X= light yellow green to light blue-green, Y=Z= light greenish yellow to light blue-green

Occurances

Geological Setting:

A hydrothermal alteration product of amphiboles, pyroxenes, biotite. In chlorite schists, serpentinites, marbles, calc-silicate rocks, amphibolites, less commonly in ultramafic rocks. In ore veins; a detrital component of sediments.

Common Associations:

Actinolite, Biotite, Calcite, Chromite, Dolomite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Serpentine, Talc, Uvarovite

Common Impurities:

Cr, Ca

Type Locality:

Brinton's Quarry, West Chester, Westtown Township, Chester Co., Pennsylvania, USA

Year Discovered:

1851

View mineral photos:

Clinochlore Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Seraphinite is the trade name of the gemmy green variety of the mineral Clinochlore. Clinochlore is the most common member of the Chlorite Group of minerals that includes Clinochlore and Chamosite. A chromium-rich variety of Clinochlore called Kämmererite has a beautiful, deep lavender to crimson color. Seraphinite often contains micaceous inclusions that exhibit a wavey chatoyancy similar to Charoite. Seraphinite is mainly found near the Bratsk and Lake Baikal region of Eastern Siberia, Russia.

Some localities for well-crystallized Clinochlore material are: in the USA, in the Emery mine, Chester, Hampden Co., Massachusetts; at Texas, Lancaster County, and West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania; in the Tilly Foster mine, Brewster, Putnam County, New York. In the Zillertal, Tirol, Austria. From the Patschtal, Trentino-Alto Adige; Val Malenco, Lombardy; and at Ala, Piedmont, Italy. Near Zermatt, Valais, Switzerland. From Ojen, Malaga Province, Spain. On Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland. In the Kop Krom [chrome mine], Kop Mountains, near Askale, Turkey. In Russia, in the Ural Mountains, at Akhmatovsk, Berbliouchka, and Hardadinsk; and at Miass, Ilmen Mountains, Southern Ural Mountains.
 

  
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