What is antigorite used for?

Antigorite is used as gemstones or for carvings when it appears pure and translucent, although many crystals have black specks of magnetite suspended within. The gem types of antigorite are Bowenite and Williamsite.

What is phyllosilicate mineral?

Phyllosilicates (Sheet Silicates) The phyllosilicates, or sheet silicates, are an important group of minerals that includes the micas, chlorite, serpentine, talc, and the clay minerals.

How is antigorite formed?

Antigorite belongs to the group of trioctahedral 1:1 layered silicates, consisting of one tetrahedral (T) and one octahedral (O) sheet. The T sheet is formed by the two-dimensional polymerization of Si-centered tetrahedra sharing three out of four oxygen atoms with other tetrahedra.

Is kaolinite a phyllosilicate?

Kaolinite has a low shrink–swell capacity and a low cation-exchange capacity (1–15 meq/100 g). It is a soft, earthy, usually white, mineral (dioctahedral phyllosilicate clay), produced by the chemical weathering of aluminium silicate minerals like feldspar.

Is Antigorite a silicate?

Antigorite [(Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4] is a hydrous magnesium iron member of the serpentine subgroup with alternating polymerized silicate and brucite-like magnesium octahedral layers.

What is phyllosilicate made of?

phyllosilicate, formerly called disilicate, compound with a structure in which silicate tetrahedrons (each consisting of a central silicon atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms at the corners of a tetrahedron) are arranged in sheets. Examples are talc and mica.

Is vermiculite a phyllosilicate?

Vermiculite is a hydrous phyllosilicate mineral which undergoes significant expansion when heated. Exfoliation occurs when the mineral is heated sufficiently, and commercial furnaces can routinely produce this effect. Vermiculite forms by the weathering or hydrothermal alteration of biotite or phlogopite.

Is gypsum a phyllosilicate?

All spectroscopic analyses have confirmed the composition of mineral veins/layers as gypsum and the associated groundmass as phyllosilicates.

Is olivine a phyllosilicate?

The mineral olivine (/ˈɒl. ɪˌviːn/) is a magnesium iron silicate with the chemical formula (Mg2+, Fe2+) 2SiO 4. It is a type of nesosilicate or orthosilicate.

Is serpentine rock asbestos?

Because serpentine often contains some asbestos, and exposure to asbestos fibers have potential human-health consequences, the Air Resources Board adopted regulations in 1990 restricting the use of this rock type as an unpaved road surfacing material.

Does serpentine contain gold?

Gold. Veins of gold-bearing quartz are not commonly found in serpentine, but gold veins are often in close association with serpentine.