Pegmatites - a source of gemstones

One of the types of deposits from which a large number of stones, including precious stones, are mined are pegmatites or pegmatite bodies. They are intrusive igneous formations enriched in highly volatile components. There are three hypotheses for the formation of pegmatites: 1. from residual granite melts; 2. by recrystallization of igneous rocks; 3. from residual magmatic melt with further recrystallization under the action of hydrothermal solutions. The formation temperature of pegmatite bodies varies in the range from 800 to 200 degrees. A characteristic feature of pegmatites is a coarse-crystalline structure, as well as the separation of monomineral blocks.
Depending on the composition of the source rocks and the conditions of formation, granite, hybrid, desilicated, alkaline and ultrabasic ones are distinguished. Interesting from the point of view of stones are granite pegmatites, that is, having an acidic composition. They contain such gems as topaz, aquamarine, varieties of beryl (except for emerald), as well as tourmaline.
However, the largest number of gemstones is concentrated in miarol pegmatites. They are formed at a relatively shallow depth and are characterized by the presence of cavities (miarol), in which various gems are formed. A feature of this type of pegmatite is a large amount of fluorine, which contributes to the formation of topaz, fluorite and lepidodite. In addition to them, you can find smoky quartz, spodumene, beryl, citrine, zircon and tourmaline in miarols.

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