Where does beryl occur?

Where does beryl occur?

Beryl is often found in granites and granitic pegmatites but it can also be found in metamorphic rocks or in the veins and cavities of limestones and marbles.

How is beryl formed?

While gem beryls are ordinarily found in pegmatites and certain metamorphic stones, red beryl occurs in topaz-bearing rhyolites. It is formed by crystallizing under low pressure and high temperature from a pneumatolytic phase along fractures or within near-surface miarolitic cavities of the rhyolite.

When was beryl found?

Red Beryl and “Bixbite” Maynard Bixby discovered red beryl in Utah in 1904. Two years later, Alfred Eppler gave it the name “bixbite” in honor of Bixby. That name was often confused with “bixbyite,” a manganese oxide mineral also named after Bixby. The name bixbite was depreciated by the World Jewelry Federation.

What rock does beryl form in?

Beryl minerals are made of beryllium aluminum silicate: Be3Al2(Si6O18). They form in granite pegmatite rocks and hydrothermal carbonate veins and cavities, where hydrothermal processes have modified the granitic composition. Beryls can also be found in gem-gravel placer (alluvial) deposits.

What mineral is beryl?

beryllium aluminum silicate
beryl, mineral composed of beryllium aluminum silicate, Be3Al2(SiO3)6, a commercial source of beryllium. It has long been of interest because several varieties are valued as gemstones. These are aquamarine (pale blue-green); emerald (deep green); heliodor (golden yellow); and morganite (pink).

How common is beryl?

Beryl is a relatively rare mineral because beryllium rarely occurs in large enough quantities to produce minerals.

Is beryl a mineral?

beryl, mineral composed of beryllium aluminum silicate, Be3Al2(SiO3)6, a commercial source of beryllium. It has long been of interest because several varieties are valued as gemstones. These are aquamarine (pale blue-green); emerald (deep green); heliodor (golden yellow); and morganite (pink).

What does beryl mean?

Definition of beryl : a mineral consisting of a silicate of beryllium and aluminum of great hardness that occurs in colorless hexagonal prisms when pure and in various colors (such as green, blue, yellow, or pink) when not pure, that is valued as a source of gems, and that is the principal source of beryllium.

Is beryl a rock or mineral?

How do you identify beryl?

Beryl can be difficult to identify. When it occurs as a well-formed crystal, its prismatic, hexagonal form with flat terminations and lack of striations is a good aid in identification. Beryl’s high hardness and relatively low specific gravity are helpful for separating it from similar gem materials.

Is beryl the same as emerald?

Both emerald and green beryl are a variety of beryl. Emerald is the green to greenish-blue variety of beryl. Green beryl, on the other hand, is light green or, as it is sometimes referred to, pale green beryl. Thus, all emeralds are green beryls in a sense, but not all green beryls are emeralds.

What is the mineral beryl used for?

Small amounts of beryl, mostly produced as a by-product of gemstone mining, are still used to produce beryllium. The most important use of beryl today is as a gemstone.