Purple Vivianite on matrix-
Blackbird Mine, Lemhi County, Idaho
10 cm across
Mined in the 1960s
One of the finest purple Vivianite specimens to come out of this mine. …
Vivianite (Fe2+e2+2(PO4)2·8H2O) is a hydrated iron phosphate mineral found in a number of geological environments. Small amounts of manganese Mn2+, magnesium Mg and calcium Ca may substitute for iron Fe2+ in the structure. Pure fresh vivianite is colorless, but the mineral oxidizes very easily, changing the color, and it is usually found as deep blue to deep bluish green prismatic to flattened crystals, and on rare occasion, purple.
Vivianite crystals are often found inside fossil shells, such as those of bivalves and gastropods, or attached to fossil bone.
Blackbird Mine, Lemhi County, Idaho
10 cm across
Mined in the 1960s
One of the finest purple Vivianite specimens to come out of this mine. …
Vivianite (Fe2+e2+2(PO4)2·8H2O) is a hydrated iron phosphate mineral found in a number of geological environments. Small amounts of manganese Mn2+, magnesium Mg and calcium Ca may substitute for iron Fe2+ in the structure. Pure fresh vivianite is colorless, but the mineral oxidizes very easily, changing the color, and it is usually found as deep blue to deep bluish green prismatic to flattened crystals, and on rare occasion, purple.
Vivianite crystals are often found inside fossil shells, such as those of bivalves and gastropods, or attached to fossil bone.
