Serpentine In Thin Section

Serpentine mg 3 si 2 o 5 oh 4 serpentine was named in 1564 by georgius agrigola georg bauer from the latin serpens snake in allusion to the mottled green appearance of the mineral suggesting the resemblance to some snakes.
Serpentine in thin section. The same thin section of serpentine under unpolorized light. The main serpentine group minerals are antigorite chrysotile and lizardite. Note the orthopyroxene and its exsolution lamellae and the high birofrengence of the olivine minerals.
A generic formula that includes all members is. The serpentine group is composed of several related minerals. You should probably also know that chrysotile is both asbestiform and a form of asbestos.
A thin section of serpentine under cross polorized light. The main thing you need to know in order to distinguish between them is that chrysotile is fibrous and antigorite and lizardite are not. In thin section the rock appears pale green a colour caused by the serpentine minerals that are formed by the breakdown of olivine.
The fibrous serpentine is the vein like mineral between the orthopyroxene and olivine. Apart from the main members of antigorite and chrysotile there is usually no distinction between individual members except for scientific study and classification. Antigorite generally represents more solid forms and chrysotile often represents fibrous forms especially asbestos.