Class : Silicates
    Subclass : Phyllosilicates
    Crystal system : Triclinic / Monoclinic
    Chemistry : Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄
    Rarity : Common

The term serpentine designates a group of minerals of formula Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄ whose most frequent representatives are the antigorite (sometimes called bowenite when it is dense and compact), chrysotile (designated under the industrial term of asbestos) and lizardite. Replacements are usually limited, except in nickel serpentines where Ni replaces Mg, and where NiO contents can reach 30% (garnierite). Its name comes from the Latin serpens (snake) in allusion to its scaly, mottled green appearance. The structure of the serpentines is identical to that of kaolinite (TO clay) with sheets made up of a layer of tetrahedra and a layer of octahedra. Serpentines are alteration products of ultra-basic rocks rich in magnesium, resulting from a hypogenic transformation (a kind of self-hydration by the last magmatic fluids) of forsterite or more rarely of enstatite. In the case of a very intense alteration, the dunites, peridotites or pyroxenites are transformed into serpentinites, rocks formed essentially of minerals of the serpentine group. These minerals are used in decoration and as ornamental stone, sometimes cut into cabochons for jewelry. It is used in the composition of certain neutron retarder concretes, and sometimes as a refractory material and fiber cement.

No fake listed for this mineral.