CHLORITE
Specimen cho-1

Dims: 2" x 1-3/8" x 7/8"

Wt: 1.21 oz

Toruadri, Malenco Valley, Soudrio, Italy

Finally, some Chlorite that is large enough to really see! This specimen consists of dozens of small, bladed Chlorite crystals. They are transparent with a pale green color and have a pseudohexagonal form, and measure 1/8" in diameter, on average. There is a substantial amount of damage, but most of the crystals are in excellent condition. We've looked for a while to get some crystals of this mineral.

Dims: 2.8 x 1.4 x 1.1" (7.1 x 3.6 x 2.8 cm)

Wt: 2.05 oz. (58.3 g)

Eden Mills, Lamoille County, Vermont, U.S.A.

One of the few specimens that I have seen from the northeastern U.S. state of Vermont, this specimen consists of many small Chlorite blades that fill a few seams in a dark green host rock. I cannot be sure, but I believe that they are made up of clinochlore, the most common member of the chlorite group. Their limited growth space and close proximity to each other keep them from exceeding 0.1" (3 mm) in any dimension of size, but also protect them. However, several of the most exposed blades are damaged to a degree. Their monoclinic prismatic form is also likely warped due to the growth restrictions, but its crystalline nature is definite. All have a very deep green coloration that approaches black, and show a dim translucence around their edges. The dark green host rock, apart from its color, looks a lot like quartzite.

Dims:2.5x1.6x1.2" (6.4x4.1x3.0 cm)

Wt: 2.6oz. (75g)

Korshunovskoe, South Siberia, Russia

This specimen consists of radiating intergrown crystals of chlorite. These crystals are so intergrown that the top of the specimen where the crystals are weathered takes on a botryoidal appearance. On the edge of the specimen one can observe a "rind" of alteration material-again, the effects of weathering. The crystals also have a "greasy" feel to them. A most unusual (and oddly aesthetic) specimen.

Dims: 1.3x0.6x0.4" (3.4x1.4x1.0cm)

Wt: 0.12 oz. (3.5g)

Itremo, Madagascar

This is a pair of phantom quartz crystals, formed when the growing quartz crystals grew a layer of chlorite crystals then continued to grow to their present size. Such phantoms are almost common. What makes this one special is that the chlorite is an especially pure green, and that there is a spray of chlorite crystals growing from the tips of each phantom. These look very much like tiny blades of moss growing inside the quartz crystals. A loupe with 15x or better magnification may be needed to appreciate this specimen, as a lower power may not resolve the individual chlorite crystals.

Dims: 2.89x2.53x2.05" (7.35x6.42x5.21cm)

Wt: 4.46oz (126.3g)

Sinia Rechka, Vladivostok, Russia

This is a specimen of "prase", an obsolete term for the green translucent variety of crystalline quartz. Chrysoprase is a (cryptocrystalline) green agate, and this specimen displays large well-formed crystals. The green color is due to chlorite inclusions, and a high-power loupe reveals the presence of chlorite crystals in some of the clearer quartz crystals, although in general the chlorite is evenly distributed and the quartz appears uniformly green. This specimen also contains a brown crust, which a loupe reveals as hundreds of andradite garnet crystals. The specimen came from the Sinia river valley, 300km from Vladivostok.