Zoisite

Related to Zoisite: epidote

zoisite

[′zȯi‚sīt]

(mineralogy)

Ca₂ Al₃Si₃O₁₂(OH) A white, gray, brown, green, or rose-red orthorhombic mineral of the epidote group consisting of a basic calcium aluminum silicate and occurring massive or in prismatic crystals.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Zoisite

(after the Slovenian enlightener S. Zois [1747–1819]), a mineral of the class of nesosilicates, with a chemical composition of Ca₂Al₃ [SiO₄] [Si₂O₇](OH). The typical impurities are Fe³⁺, Fe²⁺, Mn, Mg, and, less frequently, Cr, V³⁺, Na, and K. The structure of zoisite is based on single and twinned tetrahedrons of [SiO₄]^4– radicals. Zoisite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, forming prismatic crystals with striations on the faces. It is usually found in granular, columnar, fibrous, and occasionally radiated aggregates. The color is gray or greenish. Manganese-containing zoisite, called thulite, is pink; the chromium-containing variety is bright green. The vanadium-containing zoisite, called tanzanite, exhibits dichroism between dark blue and red violet. Zoisite has a hardness of 6–6.5 on Mohs’ scale and a density of 3,250–3,370 kg/m³.

Zoisite is a rock-forming mineral for several metamorphosed shales and hydrothermally altered basic igneous rocks (it is the chief component of saussurite). It is also found in crystal-bearing veins, skarns, corundum plagioclasites (anorthosites), and other formations. Certain transparent colored varieties are used in jewelry-making.

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References in periodicals archive ?

It's a gem-quality zoisite ranging in colour from deep blue to burgundy red through violet and purple and several gem hunters have claimed they were the first to find it.

Rarer than diamonds; Only in the last few decades has Africa begun to give up one of its most beautiful gems

Wilson and partners are exploring the possibility of extracting a mineral called zoisite from the mountain, which may, or may not, have a bizarre application.

Mountain quarry plans could rock folk of Harris

UBAIDULLAH QADRI: Pakistan has enormous wealth of expensive gems such as ruby, emerald, tourmaline, garnet, topaz, peridot, aquamarine, spinel, pargasite, diopside, moonstone, pink topaz, sapphire, zircon, feldspar, agate, serpentine jade, epidote, pink beryl (morganite), purple beryl, sphene, zoisite, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and kunzite etc.

INTERVIEW WITH MR UBAIDULLAH QADRI, CHAIRMAN STANDING COMMITTEE OF FPCCI ON GEMS and JEWELLERY PRODUCERS, MANUFACTURERS and EXPORTERS

Of course, the blues (and purple-blues, and some yellows) are tanzanite zoisite, and the greens are "tsavorite" grossular and chromium-rich diopside.

San Francisco Show 2010

The metabasic rocks include common amphibolites and zoisite and rutile-rich amphibolites.

The basal tectonic melange of the Cabo Ortegal Complex (NW Iberian Massif): a key unit in the suture of Pangea/La melange tectonica basal del Complejo de Cabo Ortegal (NW del Macizo Iberico): una unidad clave en la sutura de Pangea

The REE in clastic sediments are concentrated in detrital accessory minerals, mainly phosphates (notably monazite and apatite for LREE and xenotime for HREE), minor silicates (notably allanite, titanate, and zoisite for LREE, garnet and zircon for HREE), and adsorbed to clays (especially HREE).

Trace element fractionation processes in resuspended mineral aerosols extracted from Australian continental surface materials

The gem that put Tanzania on the world precious stone map was its namesake tanzanite, a blue zoisite found solely near the town of Arusha in northern Tanzania.

Africa--home to world's most wanted minerals: generally speaking there is virtually no mineral that Africa does not have in exploitable quantities but the continent tends to follow its economic nose and root out those that are the money-making flavours of the day. Tom Nevin digs out the story

(a) The long vowel sound is preceded and succeeded by a short 's' sound Long A Sevssel (the name of 2 villages on the upper Rhone), sayst Long E deceased, caecitis Long I incisor, syce (an Indian horse groom) Long O saussurite (variety of the mineral zoisite), society Long U disuse

Sacred manuscripts boast secret ciphers

That's why you'll find Zababa, Zincenite, Zippeite, Zoisite, Zoubekite, Zunyite, Zussmanite, Zvyagintsevite, Zweiselite in the Z section of the alphabet.

Peter's picks & pans

Other minor constituents of marbles can include fluorite, apatite, brucite, laumontite, olivine, scheelite, spinel, zoisite, and magnetite.

The Elegant Stone

Primary ores, assigned to the gold-sulphide formation, are represented by metasomatically altered rocks composed of carbonates, quartz, micas, chlorite and zoisite. The discovery of Olimpiadninskoe is one of the proofs for the high potential of finding further deposits in the Yenisei goldfield.