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Chlorite Mineral Characteristics Guide

Chlorite is a common sheet silicate mineral found in low-grade metamorphic rocks and as an alteration product of iron-rich minerals. It is characterized as having a green color with a single cleavage, straight extinction under crossed polars, and anomalous low-order blue or brown interference colors. Chlorite often forms from the alteration of other minerals like amphibole, biotite, pyroxene, and garnet. It can be distinguished from amphibole by its paler green color, lower relief, and lower order interference colors.

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74 views5 pages

Chlorite Mineral Characteristics Guide

Chlorite is a common sheet silicate mineral found in low-grade metamorphic rocks and as an alteration product of iron-rich minerals. It is characterized as having a green color with a single cleavage, straight extinction under crossed polars, and anomalous low-order blue or brown interference colors. Chlorite often forms from the alteration of other minerals like amphibole, biotite, pyroxene, and garnet. It can be distinguished from amphibole by its paler green color, lower relief, and lower order interference colors.

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vasokosm
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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22/5/13

Chlorite

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Chlorite
Mineral structure: Sheet silicate Common mineral in Pelites (Low grade), Metabasic rocks (low grade), or the alteration products of Ferich minerals Rock-forming minerals associated with Chlorite: Quartz, Muscovite, Amphibole, Biotite

Chlorite in Schist
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Key optical features of chlorite in thin section: Green to Pale green Pleochroic Single cleavage and straight extinction Moderate Relief Low order (almost isotopic) and anomalous interference colours (see below) Common minerals that might be confused with chlorite and occur in similar rocks: Amphibole (typically strongly coloured, higher relief, two cleavages, inclined extinction),

Chlorite replacing garnet (and biotite (low centre of image))


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Chlorite

Chlorite replacing amphibole


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Note: Chlorite often forms as an alteration product of minerals (biotite, amphibole, pyroxene, garnet)

Chlorite pleochroism and cleavage


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Distinguishing chlorite from amphibole


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Chlorite

Note: Chlorite is paler green, has lower relief and lower order interference colours

Anomalous interference colours in chlorite


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Note: Chlorite interference colours typically dark, anomalous blue or brown. Chlorite has straight extinction but due to the dark interference colours this is sometimes difficult to confirm.

Chlorite in slate (fine grained) with colourless muscovite, quartz and plagioclase
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Chlorite

Note: Low order interference colours of chlorite tend to be difficult to pick out in fine grained low grade rocks. Due to chlorite fine grain size in low grade metamorphic rocks the green colour with analyser out may be not obvious!

Chlorite shape
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Note: As a sheet silicate with a single good cleavage chlorite tends to form well shaped individual crystals. When chlorite forms as an alteration product of other large minerals stable at higher temperature it often forms clusters or clumps of finer grainsize.

Folded chlorite-rich fabric (with high order interference colour muscovite)


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Note: Cleavage domains with muscovite in similar orientation

Chlorite as a low temperature hydrothermal mineral often fills veins and amygdales (below)
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Chlorite

Note: anomalous dark blue interference colours with analyser in

Aligned flakes of chlorite in amygdales


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Take the Chlorite test Return to top Return to introduction

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