1.9" Purple Chromium-Bearing Iowaite with Serpentine - Siberia

This is a beautiful, 1.9" wide mass of purple iowaite with serpentine that was collected from the Kaznakhtinskii massif of Siberia, Russia. It owes its vivid purple color to chromium impurities (Chromian Iowaite).

Iowaite is a hydrous magnesium hydroxide-ferric oxychloride that commonly forms in compact masses, but it can also be found as isolated crystals like those collected from the Palabora mine in South Africa. It owes its name to the state of Iowa, where it was first discovered at a depth of approximately 1500 feet in a Precambrian serpentine. It typically occurs as blue-green crystals, though once introduced to the atmosphere, the color often changes due to chemical alteration. Impurities can result in iowaite bearing a variety of colors: for example, chromium-bearing iowaite specimens like those found in Siberia, Russia will typically display a vibrant purple coloration.

Chemical formula - Mg6Fe3+2(OH)16Cl2 · 4H2O
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Iowaite var. Chromium-Bearing & Serpentine
LOCATION
Kaznakhtinskii Massif, Ust-Koksinsky District, Altai Republic, Siberia, Russia
SIZE
1.9 x 1.75"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#211528