Three varieties of beryl: Morganite, Aquamarine, and Heliodor

The mineral beryl is a beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆. The hexagonal crystals of beryl may be very small or range to several meters in size. Terminated crystals are relatively rare. Beryl exhibits conchoidal fracture, has a hardness of 7.5-8, a specific gravity of 2.63-2.80. It has a vitreous luster and can be transparent or translucent. Its cleavage is poor basal and its habit is dihexagonal bipyramidal. Pure beryl is colorless, but it is frequently tinted by impurities; possible colors are green, blue, yellow, red, and white. The name comes from the Greek beryllos for the precious blue-green color of sea water. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 756 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1210 × 960 pixel, file size: 235 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: Chris Ralph. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 756 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1210 × 960 pixel, file size: 235 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: Chris Ralph. ... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... General Name, Symbol, Number beryllium, Be, 4 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 2, s Appearance white-gray metallic Standard atomic weight 9. ... General Name, Symbol, Number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 3, p Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 26. ... The silicate minerals make up the largest and most important class of rock-forming minerals. ... A chemical formula (also called molecular formula) is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. ... A regular hexagon A hexagon (also known as sexagon) is a polygon with six edges and six vertices. ... Quartz crystal Synthetic bismuth crystal Insulin crystals Gallium, a metal that easily forms large single crystals A huge monocrystal of potassium dihydrogen phosphate grown from solution by Saint-Gobain for the megajoule laser of CEA. In chemistry and mineralogy, a crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules... Conchoidal fracture describes the way that brittle materials break when they do not follow any natural planes of separation. ... The Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material. ... Relative density (also known as specific gravity) is a measure of the density of a material. ... Mossy, green fountain in Wattens, Austria. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A yellow Tulip. ... Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye. ... This article is about the color. ...

Varieties

Varieties of beryl have been considered gemstones since prehistoric times. Recognized for its beauty, in the Bible, in Ezekiel 1:16, the wheels of God's throne are described as having the appearance of "gleaming beryl". Green beryl is called emerald, red beryl is bixbite or red emerald or scarlet emerald, blue beryl is aquamarine, pink beryl is morganite, white beryl is goshenite, and a clear bright yellow beryl is called golden beryl. Other shades such as yellow-green for heliodor and honey yellow are common. Red beryl is extremely rare and is not used in jewelry as the crystals it forms are very small. Blue beryl (aquamarine) when exposed to sunlight will not fade in color. Maxixe type beryl is a deep blue stone that fades to white when exposed to sunlight or is subjected to heat treatment, color returns with irradiation A selection of gemstone pebbles made by tumbling rough rock with abrasive grit, in a rotating drum. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ... For other uses, see Emerald (disambiguation). ... Bixbite (also known as red beryl, red emerald, or scarlet emerald) is a red variety of beryl (emerald), Be3(Al,Mn)2Si6O18. ... Aquamarine Aquamarine (Lat. ... Morganite is a pink coloured gem quality beryl, orange/yellow morganite is sometimes found also, it turns pink upon high temperature treatment. ... Golden beryl is one of the many hues of the gemstone mineral beryl. ... Beryl var. ...

Deposits

Beryl is found most commonly in granitic pegmatites, but also occurs in mica schists in the Ural Mountains and is often associated with tin and tungsten orebodies. Beryl is found in certain European countries such as Austria, Germany, and Ireland. It also occurs in Madagascar (especially morganite). Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Mica (disambiguation). ... Schist The schists form a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. ... Map of the Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains (Russian: , Uralskiye gory) (also known as the Urals, the Riphean Mountains in Greco-Roman antiquity, and known as the Stone Belt) are a mountain range that runs roughly north and south through western Russia. ... General Name, Symbol, Number tin, Sn, 50 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Standard atomic weight 118. ... General Name, Symbol, Number tungsten, W, 74 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 6, d Appearance grayish white, lustrous Atomic mass 183. ...

The most famous source of emeralds in the world is at Muzo and Chivor, Boyacá, Colombia, where they make a unique appearance in limestone. Emeralds are also found in the Transvaal, South Africa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and near Mursinka in Urals. In the United States emeralds are found in North Carolina. New England's pegmatites have produced some of the largest beryls found, including one massive crystal with dimensions 5.5 m by 1.2 m (18 ft by 4 ft) with a mass of around 18 metric tons. Other beryl locations include South Dakota, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and California. Motto: Capital Tunja Governor Jorge Eduardo Londoño Area 23,189 km² Population  - Total (2003)  - Density   1,411,239 61 people/km² Adjective Boyaca (Spanish: Boyacá) is a department of Colombia, one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. Boyacá is centrally located within Colombia, almost... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Flag of Transvaal For the Russian theme park, see Transvaal Park. ... Flag of Minas Gerais See other Brazilian States Capital Belo Horizonte Largest City Belo Horizonte Area 586,528. ... The Ural Mountains, (Russian: Ура́льские го́ры = Ура́л) also known simply as the Urals, are a mountain range that run roughly north and south through western Russia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... A tonne or metric ton (symbol t), sometimes referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  Ranked 13th  - Total 84,876 sq mi (219,887 km²)  - Width 270 miles (435 km)  - Length 350 miles (565 km)  - % water 3. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) English Capital  Sacramento Largest city  Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Applications

Massive beryl is a primary ore of the metal beryllium. Iron ore (Banded iron formation) Manganese ore Lead ore Gold ore An ore is a volume of rock containing components or minerals in a mode of occurrence which renders it valuable for mining. ... General Name, Symbol, Number beryllium, Be, 4 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 2, s Appearance white-gray metallic Standard atomic weight 9. ...

The druids used beryl for scrying,^{[citation needed]} while the Scottish called them “stones of power”.^{[citation needed]} The earliest crystal balls were made from beryl,^{[citation needed]} later being replaced by rock crystal.^{[citation needed]} Druidry or Druidism was the religion of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic and Gallic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ... Seer stone redirects here. ...

Beryl var. emerald. Emerald, rough. ... For other uses, see Emerald (disambiguation). ...	Beryl var. aquamarine, Brazil Image File history File links BeriloEZ.jpg File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Beryl ...	Synthetic beryl made in Tajikistan Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1683x1997, 987 KB) ファイルの概要 Beryl made in Tajikistan. ...	Heliodor Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x3072, 507 KB) Work by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Beryl Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner...
Morganite Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2048, 1683 KB) Work by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Beryl Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner...	Emerald with host rock Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1057x1524, 483 KB) Specimen of emerald with attached host rock. ...

References and external links

• Sinkankas, John, 1994, Emerald & Other Beryls, Geoscience Press, ISBN 0-8019-7114-4
• Hurlbut, Cornelius S.; Klein, Cornelis, 1985, Manual of Mineralogy, 20th ed., John Wiley and Sons, New York ISBN 0-471-80580-7
• Minerals.net
• Webmineral.com
• Gems Explained
• Mineral Galleries

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Beryl

Look up beryl in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• List of minerals