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What is it and where is
it formed?
Aquamarine is the birthstone for March. It is found in
granite and
metamorphic rock. |
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How and where
is it mined? Aquamarine is
surface mined using an
open-pit. In Africa, most of the
aquamarine mining is done by hand. Fires are set next to
giant boulders so that the rock will split open. This is
used instead of blasting with dynamite. Once the rock
splits open, the miners use picks, chisels, and hammers to
break it down so that they can get to the gemstones.
Aquamarine is found in: Brazil, Pakistan, Madagascar,
Siberia, and the United States (Colorado). |
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What is it
used for? It is used in jewelry. |
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It is not an expensive gemstone
because there is a lot of it around. |
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Mineral Characteristic |
What the
mineralogists say |
Kid's Guide: What it REALLY
means! |
| Chemical Symbol |
Be3Al2SiO6 |
It has oxygen, silicon, aluminum, and beryllium in it. |
| Color |
Green, blue, yellow, pink |
The most usual color is blue or blue-green. The color
comes from iron. |
| Streak |
White |
If you crush this stone, it will make white dust no
matter what color stone it is. |
| Transparency |
Transparent |
You can see through it clearly. |
| Luster |
Vitreous |
It shines like glass. |
| Cleavage |
Imperfect |
When it is split, the stone doesn’t break in a regular
pattern each time. |
| Fracture |
Conchoidal |
When it shatters, the pieces have smooth surfaces. |
| Magnetism |
None |
It is not attracted to and will not attract a magnet. |
| Hardness |
7.5 |
It is a hard stone that can scratch glass. |
| Specific gravity |
2.8 |
If you held a stone, it would seem like the right weight
for its size—not light or heavy. It is average. |
| Crystal Shape |
Hexagonal |
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Some people
believe that aquamarines will stop you from being lazy, and make you
smarter and braver. |
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Links:
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This is what it looks like when it
comes
out of the ground. |
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Printer
friendly version |
Citations:
“Aquamarine.” World
Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.
“Aquamarine.” 21 Oct.
2005. <http://www.minerals.net/gemstone/gemstone/aquamari/aquamari.htmaquamari.htm>
[This site worked at the time of research].
“Aquamarine.” 24 Oct.
2005. <http://www.minerals-n-more.com/Aqua_Info.html>.
Pellant, Chris.
Rocks and Minerals. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
Zim, Herbert S. Rocks and minerals:
a guide to familiar minerals, gems, ores and rocks. New York:
Golden Press, 1957. |
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