308 DESCRIPTIONS OF MINERALS. 
lowish-green, brownish-yellow and brownish-red. Occurs 
also fibrous and lamellar. The lamellar varieties consist of 
thin folia, sometimes separable, but brittle ; colors green- 
ish- white, and light to dark green. Often 1 in cry ystals pseu- 
domorphous after chrysolite, chondrodite, and some other 
minerals. 
Lustre weak ; resinous, inclining to greasy. Finer varie- 
ties translucent; also (opaque. G.—25—4 (G7 
I'cel sometimes a httle unctuous. ‘Tough. Fracture con- 
choidal. 
Composition. A hydrous silicate of magnesium, like tale, 
but containing much more water and much less silica. 
2 oMe; Os Sig lage Silica 43°48, magnesia 43°48, water 
3°04=100. B.B. fuses with much difficulty on thin edges. 
Viele water in the closed tube. Decomposed by hydro- 
chloric acid, leaving a residue of silica. In some kinds the 
Mg is replaced partly by Fe. 
Specimens of a rich ojl-green color, and translucent, 
Dieaking with a splintery fracture, are sometimes called 
precious serjgntine, and the opaque kind, common serpen- 
tine. 
Fibrous serpentine with a silky lustre is called Chrysotile, 
and also Amianthus. Unlike asbestus, which it resembles, 
it affords much water in a closed tube. Metaxite, Picro- 
lite, and Baltimorite are coarse fibrous kinds. A foliated 
variety, from Hoboken, N. J., was named Marmolite, be- 
fore it was known to be serpentine. Antigorite is a foli- 
ated variety. Williamsite is similar. efdanskite contains 
nickel. 
A porcelain-like serpentine—the } Meerschaum of Taberg 
and Sala—has been called Porcellophite ; and a resin-like 
variety, Leetinalife and Vorhauserite. 
Diff. The distinguishing characters are feeble !ustre, 
somewhat resinous, compact structure, little hardness, being 
so soft as to be easily cut with a knife, and specific gravity 
not over 2°6. . 
Obs. Serpentine occurs as a rock, and the several varie- 
ties mentioned either constitute the rock or occur in it. 
Occasionally it is disseminated through granular limestone, 
giving the latter a clouded green color: this is the verd an- 
tigue marble, called also Ophiolyte. 
Serpentine occurs in Cornwall; near Portsoy in Aber- 
deenshire, in Corsica, Siberia, Saxony, Norway at Snarum. 


