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Amazonite
Amazonite, also known as amazonstone, is a green tectosilicate mineral, a variety of the potassium feldspar called microcline. Its chemical formula is KAlSi3O8, which is Polymorphism (materials science), polymorphic to orthoclase. Its name is taken from that of the Amazon River, from which green stones were formerly obtained, though it is unknown whether those stones were amazonite. Although it has been used for jewellery for well over three thousand years, as attested by archaeological finds in Middle and New Kingdom Egypt and Mesopotamia, no ancient or medieval authority mentions it. It was first described as a distinct mineral only in the 18th century.Mikhail Ostrooumov, ''Amazonite: Mineralogy, Crystal Chemistry, and Typomorphism'' (Elsevier, 2016), p. 1–12. Green and greenish-blue varieties of potassium feldspars that are predominantly triclinic are designated as amazonite. It has been described as a "beautiful crystallized variety of a bright verdigris-green" and as posse ...
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Microcline
Microcline (KAlSi3O8) is an important igneous rock-forming tectosilicate mineral. It is a potassium-rich alkali feldspar. Microcline typically contains minor amounts of sodium. It is common in granite and pegmatites. Microcline forms during slow cooling of orthoclase; it is more stable at lower temperatures than orthoclase. Sanidine is a polymorph of alkali feldspar stable at yet higher temperature. Microcline may be clear, white, pale-yellow, brick-red, or green; it is generally characterized by cross-hatch twinning that forms as a result of the transformation of monoclinic orthoclase into triclinic microcline. The chemical compound name is potassium aluminium silicate, and it is known as E number reference E555. Geology Microcline may be chemically the same as monoclinic orthoclase, but because it belongs to the triclinic crystal system, the prism angle is slightly less than right angles; hence the name "microcline" from the Greek "small slope". It is a fully ordered ...
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Ilmensky Mountains
The Ilmensky Mountains () are located in the Southern Urals in the Chelyabinsk Oblast on the administrative territory of Miass in Chebarkulsky and Argayashsky districts. They are on the Tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They are famous for their precious (like topaz and beryl) and semi-precious stones, such as amazonite Amazonite, also known as amazonstone, is a green tectosilicate mineral, a variety of the potassium feldspar called microcline. Its chemical formula is KAlSi3O8, which is Polymorphism (materials science), polymorphic to orthoclase. Its name is ta ... and rare metals, found in pegmatites and nepheline syenites. Now, most part of Ilmensky Mountains are inside strict Ilmen Nature Reserve and all mining activities there are prohibited. References Mountain ranges of Russia Ural Mountains Landforms of Chelyabinsk Oblast {{ChelyabinskOblast-geo-stub ...
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Tectosilicate
Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, the crystalline forms of silica (silicon dioxide, ) are usually considered to be tectosilicates, and they are classified as such in the Dana system (75.1). However, the Nickel-Strunz system classifies them as oxide minerals (4.DA). Silica is found in nature as the mineral quartz, and its polymorphs. On Earth, a wide variety of silicate minerals occur in an even wider range of combinations as a result of the processes that have been forming and re-working the crust for billions of years. These processes include partial melting, crystallization, fractionation, metamorphism, weathering, and diagenesis. Living organisms also contribute to this geologic cycle. For example, a type of plankton known as diatoms construct their exoskeletons ("frustules") from silica extracted from sea ...
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Konso Zone
Konso is a zone in the South Ethiopia Regional State, Ethiopia. It was formerly a woreda. Prior to 2011, Konso was not part of any Zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) and was therefore considered a special woreda, an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area. In 2011, the Segen Area Peoples Zone was established, which includes Konso special woreda and the 3 former woredas surrounding it. This special woreda is named after the Konso people. Located in the Great Rift Valley, Konso is bordered on the south by the Oromia Region, on the west by the South Omo Zone, on the northwest by Alle special woreda, on the north by Dirashe special woreda, on the northeast by Amaro special woreda, and on the east by Burji special woreda. The Sagan River, which flows south then west to join the Weito, defines part of the woreda's boundary with Burji and the entire length of the boundary with the Oromia Region. The administrative ...
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Töv Province
Töv Province (from Mongolian ''төв'' 'centre') is one of the 21 provinces of Mongolia. The national capital Ulaanbaatar is located roughly at its center, but the city itself is administered as an independent municipality. Geography The province (aimag) includes the western part of the Khentii Mountains, the mountains around the capital, as well as rolling steppe in the south and west. The most interesting body of water is the Tuul River, which crosses Ulaanbaatar and later joins the Orkhon River. Population Töv Province is populated primarily by Khalkha Mongols, followed by Kazakhs, Buryats, and Dörbet Oirats. Traffic The central traffic node is the enclave Ulaanbaatar. The city includes the largest station of the Trans-Mongolian Railway and the Buyant-Ukhaa International Airport. A small airport with an unpaved runway also exists in the aimag capital Zuunmod. Culture Manjusri Monastery is located near Zuunmod in the Bogd Khan Mountain national park. I ...
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Tibesti Mountains
The Tibesti Mountains are a mountain range in the central Sahara, primarily located in the extreme north of Chad, with a small portion located in southern Libya. The highest peak in the range, Emi Koussi, lies to the south at a height of and is the highest point in both Chad and the Sahara. Bikku Bitti, the highest peak in Libya, is located in the north of the range. The central third of the Tibesti is of volcanic origin and consists of five volcanoes topped by large depressions: Emi Koussi, Tarso Toon, Tarso Voon, Tarso Yega and Toussidé. Major lava flows have formed vast plateaus that overlie Paleozoic sandstone. The volcanic activity was the result of a continental hotspot (geology), hotspot that arose during the Oligocene and continued in some places until the Holocene, creating fumaroles, hot springs, mud pools and deposits of natron and sulfur. Erosion has shaped volcanic spires and carved an extensive network of canyons through which run rivers subject to highly irregula ...
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Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the Northwest China, northwest of the country at the crossroads of Central Asia and East Asia. Being the List of Chinese administrative divisions by area, largest province-level division of China by area and the List of the largest country subdivisions by area, 8th-largest country subdivision in the world, Xinjiang spans over and has about 25 million inhabitants. Xinjiang Borders of China, borders the countries of Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, and Tajikistan. The rugged Karakoram, Kunlun Mountains, Kunlun and Tian Shan mountain ranges occupy much of Xinjiang's borders, as well as its western and southern regions. The Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract regions ...
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Hami
Hami ( zh, c=哈密) or Kumul () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Xinjiang, China. It is well known for sweet Hami melons. In early 2016, the former Hami county-level city merged with Hami Prefecture to form the Hami prefecture-level city with the county-level city becoming Yizhou District, Hami, Yizhou District. Since the Han dynasty, Hami has been known for its production of agricultural products and raw resources. History Origins and names Cumuḍa (sometimes ''Cimuda'' or ''Cunuda'') is the oldest known exonym and endonym, endonym of Hami, when it was founded by a people known in Han Chinese sources as the ''Yuezhi, Xiao Yuezhi'' ("Lesser Yuezhi"), during the 1st millennium BCE. The oldest attested Chinese name is "" ( zh, labels=no, p=Kūnmò). By the time of the Han dynasty, it was referred to in Chinese as "" ( zh, labels=no, p=Yīwú) or "" ( zh, labels=no, p=Yīwúlú). Under the Tang dynasty, it was also known as , . The name I-gou, I-gu, Igu, &c. sometimes en ...
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Koppio
Koppio is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on the Eyre Peninsula about west of the state capital of Adelaide and about north of Port Lincoln, and within the Tod River catchment area, Southern Australia While long-established agricultural activities dominate (including sheep, cattle and buffalo grazing and wheat cropping) the region is also prospective for graphite and iron ore. The ''Koppio Smithy Museum'' is a local tourist attraction replete with buildings and artifacts representing the early pioneer heritage of Eyre Peninsula. Mining and mineral exploration Companies actively exploring the area early in the 21st century included Eyre Iron Pty Ltd (a joint venture of Centrex Metals) and Lincoln Minerals. Eyre Iron's proposed Fusion Magnetite Project was the most advanced prospective mine development project in the area. Graphite was first mined in the area in 1866. The ''Koppio Graphite Mine'' originally operated in the early 1900s and was rev ...
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Eyre Peninsula
The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Earlier called Eyre's Peninsula, it was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, who explored parts of the peninsula in 1839–41. The coastline was first charted by the expeditions of Matthew Flinders in 1801–02 and French explorer Nicolas Baudin around the same time. Flinders also named the nearby Yorke Peninsula, Yorke's Peninsula and Spencer Gulf, Spencer's Gulph on the same voyage. The peninsula's economy is primarily agricultural, with growing aquaculture, mining, and tourism sectors. The main towns are Port Lincoln in the south, Whyalla and Port Augusta in the northeast, and Ceduna, South Australia, Ceduna in the northwest. Port Lincoln (''Galinyala'' in Barngarla language, Barngarla), Whyalla and Port Augusta (''Goordnada'') are part of the Barngarla Aboriginal country. Ceduna is wit ...
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Granitoid
A granitoid is a broad term referring to a diverse group of coarse-grained igneous rocks that are widely distributed across the globe, covering a significant portion of the Earth's exposed surface and constituting a large part of the continental crust. These rocks are primarily composed of quartz, plagioclase, and alkali feldspar. Granitoids range from plagioclase-rich tonalites to alkali-rich syenites and from quartz-poor monzonites to quartz-rich quartzolites. As only two of the three defining mineral groups (quartz, plagioclase, and alkali feldspar) need to be present for the rock to be called a granitoid, foid-bearing rocks, which predominantly contain feldspars but no quartz, are also granitoids. Nomenclature and classification The terms ''granite'' and ''granitic rock'' are often used interchangeably for granitoids; however, granite is just one particular type of granitoid. Granitoids are diverse. No classification system for granitoids can give a complete and unique ...
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