07/22/2026
Haven't posted in a while so I figure I should, to let you know I'm still here. These are a few pieces from my collection. The top left and right pieces, and the two on the bottom right are examples of the less common blue-green Cumberlandite. The plagioclase has been altered as a result of a process called serpentinization, which causes it to turn a shade of bluish-green.
"Serpentinization describes the hydration and transformation of olivine-rich ultramafic rocks into serpentine minerals, brucite and magnetite, a process that profoundly alters the mechanical, chemical and thermal properties of Earth’s lithosphere. Occurring at mid-ocean ridges, subduction zones, ophiolite complexes and continental peridotite outcrops, serpentinization generates hydrogen, methane and low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons through abiotic pathways."
Read more here:
https://www.nature.com/nature-index/topics/l4/serpentinization-dynamics-in-ultramafic-rock-systems #
