Moroxite
Moroxite is a bluish-green variety of Apatite, found originally at Arendal in Norway. The name is derived from a certain Greek word applied to a stone used by the Ancients in bleaching linen. Clear crystals of Moroxite have occasionally been cut and polished, but their softness renders them ill-suited for jewellery.
| General Information | ||||||||||||||
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| A variety or type of: | Apatite | |||||||||||||
| Chemical Formula |
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| Physical Properties of Moroxite | ||||||||||||||
| Mohs Hardness | 5, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||
| Specific Gravity | 3.13 to 3.26, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||
| Cleavage Quality | Fair, Gemmological Tables (2004) | |||||||||||||
| Fracture | Conchoidal, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Optical Properties of Moroxite | ||||||||||||||
| Refractive Index | 1.628 to 1.651, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||
| Optical Character | Uniaxial/-, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||
| Birefringence | 0.002 to 0.008, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||
| Colour | ||||||||||||||
| Colour (General) | Blue-green, Management Team (2012) | |||||||||||||
| Transparency | Transparent, Gemmological Tables (2004) | |||||||||||||
| Lustre | Vitreous, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Crystallography of Moroxite | ||||||||||||||
| Crystal System | Hexagonal, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||
| Habit | Prismatic, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Further Information | ||||||||||||||
| Mineral information: | Moroxite information at mindat.org | |||||||||||||
| Significant Gem Localities | ||||||||||||||
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