VERMICULITE
Specimen ver-1

Dims: 4.4x3.4x2.5" (11.2x8.6x6.4 cm)

Wt: 14.3 oz. (405g)

Malmberget, Sweden

I never expected to see a vermiculite specimen, let alone a crystal, other than in massive form (or in potting soil), but here is one. The sides of this cabinet specimen are a dull olive-green, while the cleavage, fracture, and damaged surfaces are a light silvery-green. The layers of this crystal curve such that what appears to be the top and bottom cleavage surfaces are not parallel. The specimen is fairly light for its size, and has a greasy luster. Thre are many tiny transparent colorless crystals in various pockets on the vermiculite. I am fairly certain that they are not calcite or quartz, but I have not identified them. The dull olive-green color on the sides (and in some areas on the top and bottom) may be a crust of some other mineral. Vermiculite from the Malberget region is often associated with stellerite, but is typically a dark greenish-black instead of the light silvery-green of this specimen.