Serpentinite

Rock group Metamorphic
Metamorphism type Regional
Metamorphic rock class Ultramafic
Protoliths Peridotite
Pyroxenite
Common minerals Antigorite
Chrysotile
Lizardite (serpentine group)
Talc

Serpentinite in Hand Sample

Serpentinite with a chrysotile hat
Serpentinite melange exposed on Marshall’s Beach in San Francisco
Serpentinite showing slickenfibers
Serpentinite breccia from the North Anatolian Fault
Serpentinite from the Josephine ophiolite

Serpentinite in Thin Section

Serpentinite in plane polars
Serpentinite in crossed polars

Serpentine, XPL

Serpentinite, plane polars

Serpentinite in plane polarized light. Magnification: 100x Click here for crossed polars: https://youtu.be/ZCXcngk0Wy0 Click here to explore this slide in PP…

Serpentinite, crossed polars

Serpentinite, crossed polars

Serpentinite in cross polarized light. Magnification: 100x Click here for plane polars: https://youtu.be/kvq82lZrPI4 Click here to explore this slide in PPL:…