Glaucophane

Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, Universityof Wisconsin - Green Bay



Plane-Polarized Light

A somewhat uncommon mineral but very important geologically because it is pretty much confined to high-pressure, low temperature subduction zone settings. Thus it is of great tectonic significance. It's a sodium-bearing amphibole.

Moderate relief, pleochroic in shades from near colorless through light blue to lavender. The color is the most distinctive feature.

Crossed Polarizers

Moderate birefringence, resulting in first- and second-order colors that are not too badly modified by its natural color.


The light blue and purplish mineral with low relief below is glaucophane, seen in plane-polarized light.

GLAUCPP1.jpg (213787 bytes)

The same field in crossed polarizers. The light coloring of glaucophane has little effect on its interference colors.

GLAUCPX1.jpg (76593 bytes)

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Created 10 Oct 1997, Last Update