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1.9" Polished Purple Chromium-Bearing Iowaite w/ Serpentine Egg
This is a beautiful, 1.9" tall polished egg made of purple iowaite with serpentine collected from the Kaznakhtinskii massif of Siberia, Russia. It owes its vivid purple color to chromium impurities (Chromian Iowaite). The polish on this specimen is outstanding.
Comes with an acrylic ring display stand.
Comes with an acrylic ring display stand.
About Iowaite
Iowaite is a rare magnesium–iron hydroxychloride mineral that belongs to the hydrotalcite group of layered double hydroxides. It was first described in 1967 from Precambrian iron formations in Iowa County, Wisconsin, which is the source of its name.
Iowaite typically forms as a secondary mineral through the alteration of iron-rich minerals such as serpentine or magnetite in highly alkaline environments. Its crystal structure consists of layered sheets of magnesium and iron hydroxides separated by chloride ions and water molecules. This layered structure is similar to other hydrotalcite-group minerals and can give Iowaite a platy or massive appearance.
In hand specimens, Iowaite is usually found as green to yellow-green crusts, coatings, or fine-grained masses rather than well-formed crystals. It has a vitreous to dull luster, a pale green streak, and is relatively soft, with a Mohs hardness of about 2–3. Because it forms under very specific geochemical conditions, it is considered uncommon to rare in the mineral record.
Iowaite is a rare magnesium–iron hydroxychloride mineral that belongs to the hydrotalcite group of layered double hydroxides. It was first described in 1967 from Precambrian iron formations in Iowa County, Wisconsin, which is the source of its name.
Iowaite typically forms as a secondary mineral through the alteration of iron-rich minerals such as serpentine or magnetite in highly alkaline environments. Its crystal structure consists of layered sheets of magnesium and iron hydroxides separated by chloride ions and water molecules. This layered structure is similar to other hydrotalcite-group minerals and can give Iowaite a platy or massive appearance.
In hand specimens, Iowaite is usually found as green to yellow-green crusts, coatings, or fine-grained masses rather than well-formed crystals. It has a vitreous to dull luster, a pale green streak, and is relatively soft, with a Mohs hardness of about 2–3. Because it forms under very specific geochemical conditions, it is considered uncommon to rare in the mineral record.
$165 $124
SPECIES
Iowaite var. Chromium-Bearing & Serpentine
LOCATION
Kaznakhtinskii Massif, Ust-Koksinsky District, Altai Republic, Siberia, Russia
SIZE
1.9" tall, 1.35" wide
CATEGORY
ITEM
#356562
