Figure 1. This quartz crystal cluster from Larimer County, Colorado, contains numerous bluish green and white spherical inclusions on phantom growth planes. Photo by Annie Haynes; courtesy of Nico Jackson.

圖1 水晶晶簇產(chǎn)自科羅拉多州拉里默，在其內(nèi)部幻晶生長面上可見大量的藍綠色和白色的球狀包裹體，

Recently the author encountered a parcel of quartz with phantom layers consisting of beautiful bluish green and white spheres (figure 1). Raman analysis identified the green spheres as clinochlore (figure 2), Mg₅Al(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₈, a member of the chlorite group. Many of the white orbs appeared to be secondarily altered, presumably by fluids entering through fractures in the quartz host, though some showed no clear evidence of alteration. Raman analysis of one of the unaltered white spheres identified it as muscovite, KAl₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂. Minute dark brown to black spheres were also present and visually consistent with hematite, but that could not be confirmed by Raman analysis.

最近作者遇到一個石英樣品，在其環(huán)境生長層上可見藍綠色和白色球狀內(nèi)含物（圖1）。拉曼光譜分析表明，綠色球狀內(nèi)含物為斜綠泥石（圖2），化學(xué)式為Mg₅Al(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₈，屬于綠泥石族。白色球狀內(nèi)含物似乎經(jīng)歷過次生蝕變作用，可能與熱液進入寄主石英中的裂隙有關(guān)，但有些內(nèi)含物并沒有顯示出明顯的蝕變證據(jù)。對其中一個為經(jīng)蝕變作用的白色球狀內(nèi)含物進行拉曼光譜分析，結(jié)果表明其為白云母，化學(xué)式為KAl₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂。此外，可見細小的深棕色至黑色球狀內(nèi)含物，視覺上與赤鐵礦相一致，但無法得到拉曼光譜的證實。

Figure 2. These bluish green spheres in the quartz crystal were identified as clinochlore, and the white spheres were identified as muscovite. Photomicrograph by Nathan Renfro; field of view 4.23 mm.

圖2 水晶中的藍綠色球狀內(nèi)含物為斜綠泥石；白色球狀內(nèi)含物為白云母。視域4.23mm。

This material is from Larimer County, Colorado, where it was collected in 2020 by Nico Jackson. So far, three pockets of material have been discovered, with a total production of about 10 kg. While chlorite-group minerals are relatively common inclusions in quartz, the soft texture and greenish blue color of these clinochlore spheres are less common in the author’s experience. These green clinochlore spheres with contrasting white muscovite spheres are a striking addition to the possible minerals seen in the micro-world of quartz.

樣品產(chǎn)自產(chǎn)自科羅拉多州拉里默，由Nico Jackson于2020年收藏。截止目前已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)三袋共計10公斤的樣品。雖然綠泥石族礦物是水晶中常見的內(nèi)含物之一，但質(zhì)地柔軟的藍綠色球狀斜綠泥石在筆者的經(jīng)驗中并不常見。球狀的綠色斜綠泥石和白色的白云母形成了鮮明的對比，是水晶微觀世界中可能存在的礦物的重要補充。