Name/Title
TurquoiseEntry/Object ID
2009.62.484Description
About Turquoise
Formula: CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O
Colour: bright blue, sky-blue, pale green, blue-green, turquoise-blue, apple-green, green-gray
Lustre: Sub-Vitreous, Resinous, Waxy, Dull, Earthy
Hardness: 5 - 6
Specific Gravity: 2.6 - 2.8
Crystal System: Triclinic
Member of: Turquoise Group
Name: Named from French "turques" or "turquois" meaning "Turkish" the original material found on the south slopes of the Al-Mirsah-Kuh Mountains (Iran), but which found its way to Europe via Turkey. The name was known at least as early as the 17th century C.E. Turquoise and members of its group were redefined by Foord and Taggert in 1998, with turquoise reserved for an end-member composition. Foord and Taggert (1998) also noted that most of the gem material labeled "turquoise" is inhomogeneous and that planerite is the most common constituent in commercial "turquoise".
Isostructural with: Chalcosiderite, Planerite
Turquoise Group. Chalcosiderite-Turquoise Series. Planerite-Turquoise Series. The copper analogue of Faustite.
A secondary mineral occurring in the potassic alteration zone of hydrothermal porphyry copper deposits. Also formed by the action of meteoric waters, usually in arid regions, on aluminous igneous or sedimentary rocks (as vein filling in volcanic rocks and phosphatic sediments).Location
Location
Display Case
FS-4-ARoom
Frieda Smith HallBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumDate
January 4, 2024