chalcedony
Sign in to saveChalcedony ( or ) is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite. These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monoclinic. Chalcedony's standard chemical structure (based on the chemical composition of quartz) is (silicon dioxide).
AI overview
Chalcedony is a type of mineral made from extremely fine mixtures of quartz and moganite, both forms of silicon dioxide, that are so tiny they can't be seen individually with the naked eye. It's composed of the same basic material as regular quartz, but has a different internal structure due to the way these two mineral components are interwoven together.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Mineral.name
- Chalcedony
- Mineral.category
- Tectosilicate minerals
- Mineral.group
- Quartz group
- Mineral.IMAstatus
- Variety of quartz
- Mineral.image
- Quartz-46809.jpg
- Mineral.imagesize
- 260px
- Mineral.caption
- A botryoidal geode specimen from Mexico
- Mineral.formula
- (silica)
- Mineral.molweight
- 60 g/mol
- Mineral.color
- Various
- Mineral.habit
- Various
- Mineral.system
- Trigonal (quartz) or monoclinic (moganite)
- Mineral.cleavage
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Varieties
- Agate
- Carnelian
- Chrysoprase
- Fire agate
- Heliotrope
- Moss agate
- Chrome chalcedony
- Onyx
- Chalcedony ice-blue
- History
- Geochemistry
- Structure
- Solubility
- Solubility of quartz and chalcedony in pure water
- See also
- References
- External links
Chalcedony ( or ) is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite. These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monoclinic. Chalcedony's standard chemical structure (based on the chemical composition of quartz) is (silicon dioxide).
Chalcedony has a waxy luster, and may be semitransparent or translucent. It can assume a wide range of colors, but those most commonly seen are white to gray, grayish-blue or a shade of brown ranging from pale to nearly black. The color of chalcedony sold commercially is often enhanced by dyeing or heating.