Verdite
“Green fuchsite rock from ancient greenstone belts”
Verdite is a vivid green metamorphic rock composed primarily of fuchsite — a chromium-rich variety of muscovite mica. It forms in ancient Archean greenstone belts where chromium-bearing ultramafic rocks underwent hydrothermal alteration and metamorphism, and it has been carved into ornamental objects for millennia.
fuchsite (chromium-muscovite), quartz, albite, chlorite, rutile, corundum (rare)
Barberton Greenstone Belt (South Africa — primary source), Zimbabwe, North Pole Dome (Western Australia), limited occurrences in other greenstone belts
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Verdite from the Barberton Belt in South Africa has been carved by local artisans for centuries — the rock comes from some of Earth's oldest greenstone belts, meaning your verdite sculpture may contain minerals that formed over 3.4 billion years ago.
Test Your Knowledge
What element gives fuchsite (and therefore verdite) its distinctive green color?
Photo Attribution
Title: Verdite (microcrystalline fuchsite metamorphite) South Africa.jpg
Author: James St. John
License: CC BY 2.0
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