Beryl

Specimen Summary

Beryl is a beryllium aluminum silicate mineral that mainly forms hexagonal crystals. Pure beryl is colourless, but impurities in the mineral crystal structure produce a wide variety of colours. There are several different types of beryl, including aquamarine and emerald. Aquamarine gets its blue colour from iron, while emerald gets its distinctive green colour from the presence of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Morganite, also known as pink beryl, contains minor amounts of manganese that colour it. Red beryl, or scarlet beryl, is the rarest kind of beryl. Because of its relative hardness and range of colours beryl is popular amongst jewellers and collectors.

Muscovite is a white mica mineral that forms very thin flakes, which often grow together in “books” many layers thick. Usually quite small, the hexagonal flakes can grow up to a metre across, although this is extremely rare because the flakes are so delicate. Muscovite forms in several different geological environments: in metamorphic rocks, especially schist and gneiss, and in mineral deposits like porphyry deposits, where it occurs in and around veins.

This sample is from the Blue River area east of Wells Grey Provincial Park in central BC. It contains crystals of beryl and flakes of muscovite mica as well as quartz and feldspar and comes from a type of rock called a pegmatite.

Pegmatites are very coarse intrusive rocks that form very late in the evolution of a magma body. They contain large crystals, often of minerals rarely found in other rocks.

Specimen Data

 

The information listed below relates to the current holding location or collection that the sample is from, and whether the item is viewable at that location or is part of a private collection. Coordinates are given as guides, and we remind you that collecting specimens from these locations is not allowed. Caution is advised visiting such sites and Below BC assumes no responsibility for any injuries or trespassing charges that may occur as a result of the viewer entering these sites.

Collection Details

Original Collection:

Association for Mineral Exploration (AME)

Sub Collection:

-

Collection ID:

AME-190

Virtual Museum ID:

19-AME190

Accessibility:

Date Added to VM:

2018-02-15

Location Information

Sample Origin:

Blue River Park, B.C.

Specific Site:

Unknown

UTM Easting:

342488.771

UTM Northing:

5772367.985

Datum:

11 (NAD 83)

Coordinate Accuracy:

Approximate

Specimen Details

VM Category:

Mineral

Primary Features:

Beryl

Primary Mineral Formula:

Be3Al2(Si6O18)

Primary Category:

silicate

Secondary Features:

Musovite

Advanced Geological Information

 

The following section provides geological data relating to the specimen or the site it was collected from, when available. Information has been obtained from various sources including private and government datasets but may not be up to date. Any geological time periods or ages listed often relate to the primary geology of the area, and may not be the actual date of an event such as mineral formation.

Geological Formation:

N/A

Geological Period:

N/A

Stratigraphic Age:

N/A

Geological Belt:

N/A

Geological Terrane:

N/A

Minfile ID:

N/A

Minfile Link:

N/A

Site Details:

N/A

Additional Images