[meteorite-list] Green meteorites

From: Tracy Latimer <tracyl_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:01:35 2004
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.21.0206240828540.4235-100000_at_netra.lib.state.hi.us>

I've recently started branching out from meteorites (to the alarm of my
husband!) to semi-precious gemstones. I prefer the obscure ones, and
thought I'd found a winner when I came across "mawsitsit", a
chromium-rich relative of jade from Burma. The advertising copy on the
website says that the mineral components of mawsitsit are found in some
meteorites and also goes by the trade name of "Kosmochlor". Has anyone
ever heard of this? I don't doubt that traces of the mineral might occur
in meteorites, but not in useable quantities, i.e, make gems out of
it. The only "green" meteorites I know of are Tatahouine and Bluff (b),
and of course everyone's favorite, the "emerald" meteorite!

Chemical composition of the stone is NaCrSi2O6 (Ureyite) and NaAlSi3O8
(Albite) mixed together. The ureyite is what is supposed to be in
meteorites, as a very dark green, almost black, mineral. Hmmm...

Tracy Latimer
Received on Mon 24 Jun 2002 02:44:55 PM PDT