(mineralogy) A white, fine-grained potassium mica, usually muscovite in composition, having a silky luster and found as small flakes in various metamorphic rocks.
Sericite
| Sci-Tech Dictionary: sericite |
(′ser·ə′sīt)
| 5min Related Video: Sericite |
| Wikipedia: Sericite |
Sericite is a fine grained mica, either muscovite, illite, or paragonite. Sericite is a common alteration mineral of orthoclase or plagioclase feldspars in areas that have been subjected to hydrothermal alteration typically associated with copper, tin, or other hydrothermal ore deposits. Sericite also occurs as the fine mica that gives the sheen to phyllite and schistose metamorphic rocks.
The name comes from the Latin sericus, meaning "silken" in reference to the location from which silk was first utilized, which in turn refers to the silky sheen of rocks with abundant sericite.
References
| This article about a specific silicate mineral is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Learn More
 | sericitization (geology) |
| sericitic sandstone (petrology) |
| saussuritization (geology) |
Help us answer these
 | What is chlorite-sericite schist used for? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Sci-Tech Dictionary. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sericite". Read more |
ADVERTISEMENT
