| Fuchsite | |
|---|---|
 Verdite, a microcrystalline metamorphic rock, is composed mostly of green fuchsite. This specimen (6.5 cm across at its base), of Archean age, is from Barberton, Mpumalanga, South Africa | |
| General | |
| Category | Phyllosilicate minerals, dioctahedral mica group, muscovite variety |
| Formula | K(Al,Cr)3Si3O10(OH)2 |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Identification | |
| Color | Light to medium green |
| Crystal habit | Curved aggregates |
| Cleavage | Perfect basal |
| Fracture | Uneven |
| Mohs scale hardness | 2.5 |
| Luster | Vitreous to pearly |
| Streak | White |
| Diaphaneity | Transparent to opaque |
| Specific gravity | 2.8–2.9 |
| Optical properties | Biaxial (–) |
| Refractive index | 1.552–1.615 |
| Birefringence | 0.036 |
| Dispersion | weak |
| References | [1] |
Fuchsite, also known as chrome mica, is a chromium (Cr)-rich variety of the mineral muscovite, belonging to the mica group of phyllosilicate minerals, with the chemical formula K(Al,Cr)3Si3O10(OH)2. [2]
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Trivalent chromium replaces one of the aluminium (Al) atoms in the general muscovite formula producing the apple green hue distinctive of fuchsite. It is often found in minute micaceous aggregates (with individual plates barely visible), as a major component of chromium rich phyllitic or schistose metamorphic rocks of the greenschist facies.
Verdite is a type of metamorphic rock made mostly of an impure, often multicolored, variety of fuchsite. It is used for ornamental carvings.
Fuchsite is named after the German chemist and mineralogist Johann Nepomuk von Fuchs.
