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| Bloodstone
is named from its appearance resembling blood spots
on a dark green background.
| Discovery
year unknown;
IMA
status: Not Valid (trade name) |
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Composition: |
Silicon |
46.74 % |
Si |
100.00 % |
SiO2 |
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Oxygen |
53.26 % |
O |
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100.00 % |
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100.00 % |
= TOTAL OXIDE |
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Classification
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Mineral
Classification: |
Oxides
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Strunz 8th
Ed. ID:
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4/D.01-10
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Nickel-Strunz 10th
Ed. ID:
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4.DA.05
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4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites,
bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates) D : Metal: Oxygen =
1:2 and similar A : With small cations: Silica family
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Related
to: |
n/a
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Varieties: |
None
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Synonyms: |
Blood Jasper,
Blue Jasper, Blutjaspis, Heliotrope, Oriental Jasper,
Xanthus
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Crystal
Data
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Crystallography:
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Trigonal
- Trapezohedal |
Crystal
Habit:
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Widely
variable; but typically long prismatic with steep pyramidal terminations, but may be short
prismatic to nearly bipyramidal; fibrous (Agate & Chalcedony)
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Twinning:
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Very
common, penetration twins on the Dauphiné law, about
[0001], and the Brazil law, with [1120] as contact plane;
contact twins on the Japan law, with [1122] as contact
plane, may be repeated; and several other laws.
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Physical
Properties
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Cleavage: |
Indistinct
on {0110}
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Fracture: |
Conchoidal
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Tenacity:
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Brittle
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Moh's
Hardness: |
7.0
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Density:
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2.60
- 2.65 (g/cm3)
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Luminescence:
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None
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Radioactivity:
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Not
Radioactive
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Optical
Properties
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Color: |
Various
shades of Green with Blood-Red to Orange spots |
Transparency: |
Opaque
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Luster: |
Vitreous
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Refractive
Index: |
1.543 - 1.554 Uniaxial
( + ) |
Birefringence: |
0.0090
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Dispersion: |
0.013
(low)
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Pleochroism: |
None
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Occurances
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Geological
Setting: |
In
hydrothermal veins, epithermal to alpine; characteristic
of granites and granite pegmatites; in sandstones and
quartzites, less abundant in other rock types; in hydrothermal
metal deposits. Common in carbonate rocks; a residual
mineral in soils and sediments. |
Common
Associations: |
Calcite,
Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspars, Fluorite, Micas, Zeolites,
many other species. |
Common
Impurities: |
Iron oxides
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Type
Locality: |
Possibly
India |
Year
Discovered: |
Unknown
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View
mineral photos: |
Bloodstone
Mineral Photos and Locations |
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More
Information
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Mindat.org
(Bloodstone) Mindat.org
(Chalcedony) Mindat.org
(Quartz) Webmineral.com
(Quartz) |
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Bloodstone,
also
known as Heliotrope, is a type of Chalcedony
which is a type of cryptocrystaline, or fine-grained,
Quartz
with a fibrous microstructure. This
type of material is also called Plasma. Plasma is a
microfibrous type of Chalcedony colored various shades
of green by densly packed fibrous Actinolite crystals
and including blood-red to orange spots of iron oxides
or red Jasper that resemble blood spots. This material
is always opaque and usually found as cabochons but
may also be faceted. It is very attractive with its
"blood" spots on a deep green background.
Bloodstone
is found in India, Brazil and South Africa and
more recently very fine examples are coming from Madagascar.
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Bloodstone
gems for sale:
We
have not photographed our Bloodstone
gems yet. Please
check back soon.
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