File:Magnesioriebeckite (blue asbestos) (Alto Chapare, Bolivia) (29998586301).jpg

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Magnesioriebeckite from Bolivia. (Robert Lauf collection)

A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 5100 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.

The silicates are the most abundant and chemically complex group of minerals. All silicates have silica as the basis for their chemistry. "Silica" refers to SiO2 chemistry. The fundamental molecular unit of silica is one small silicon atom surrounded by four large oxygen atoms in the shape of a triangular pyramid - this is the silica tetrahedron - SiO4. Each oxygen atom is shared by two silicon atoms, so only half of the four oxygens "belong" to each silicon. The resulting formula for silica is thus SiO2, not SiO4.

Amphibole is a group of silicate minerals. The garden-variety type of amphibole is hornblende. Other common varieties include tremolite and actinolite. The sample shown above is an asbestiform amphibole from Alto Chapare, Bolivia called magnesioriebeckite, Na2(Mg3Fe2)(Si8O22)(OH)2 - sodium magnesium iron hydroxy-silicate. This is "blue asbestos", considered to be a significant inhalation hazard. Many old asbestos mines are present in the area - this material saw many uses in society before its lung disease-causing nature was fully appreciated. The mining area is part of a meta-evaporite deposit. Like other asbestos varieties, magnesioriebeckite has a fibrous fracture.

Locality: unrecorded site in the Alto Chapare District, Chapare Province, northeastern Cochabamba Department, central Bolivia


Photo gallery of magnesioriebeckite:

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Source Magnesioriebeckite (blue asbestos) (Alto Chapare, Bolivia)
Author James St. John

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This image was originally posted to Flickr by James St. John at https://flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/29998586301. It was reviewed on 6 December 2019 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

6 December 2019

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current03:18, 6 December 2019Thumbnail for version as of 03:18, 6 December 20192,910 × 2,416 (5.41 MB)Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs)Transferred from Flickr via #flickr2commons

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