[[Image:Microcline feldspar variety amazonite.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Microcline feldspar variety Amazonite with Smoky [[Quartz]] from Two Point Claim, Teller County, [[Colorado]]]]
'''Amazonite''' (sometimes called "Amazon stone") is a green variety of [[microcline]] [[feldspar]].

The name is taken from that of the [[Amazon River]], from which certain green stones were formerly obtained, but it is doubtful whether green [[feldspar]] occurs in the Amazon area.

Amazonite is a mineral of limited occurrence. Formerly it was obtained almost exclusively from the area of [[Miyask]] in the [[Ilmen mountains]], 50 miles southwest of [[Chehabinsk]], [[Russia]], where it occurs in granitic rocks. More recently, high-quality crystals have been obtained from [[Pikes Peak|Pike's Peak]], [[Colorado]], where it is found associated with smoky [[quartz]], [[orthoclase]], and [[albite]] in a coarse [[granite]] or [[pegmatite]]. Crystal Peak, Teller County, [[Colorado]] is a well-known locality for crystals of amazonite. Some other localities in the [[United States]] yield amazonite, and it is also found in [[pegmatite]] in [[Madagascar]].

Because of its bright [[green]] colour when polished, amazonite is sometimes cut and used as a [[gemstone]], although it is easily fractured.

For many years, the source of amazonite's color was a mystery. Naturally, many people assumed the color was due to copper because [[copper]] compounds often have blue and green colors. More recent studies suggest that the blue-green color results from small quantities of [[lead]] and water in the feldspar. (Hoffmeister and Rossman, 1985)

See also: [[List of minerals]]

== References ==

* {{cite journal | author=Hoffmeister and Rossman | title=  | journal=Am. Min. | year=1985 | volume=70 | pages=794-804}}
* {{cite book |last=Perl |first=Richard | middle=M | authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Colorado Gem Trails: And Mineral Guide |year=1972 |publisher=Swallow Press |isbn=978-0804009560 }}
[[Category:Silicate minerals]]
*http://www.mindat.org/show.php?id=184
*http://webmineral.com/data/Microcline.shtml

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