How Are Emeralds Formed in Nature?
Emeralds are stones that don't form often or perfectly in nature. Emeralds are a useless gemstone for all practical purposes--the only thing they're used for is jewelry. Considering how rarely emeralds form in nature, it's clear that the value of the stone comes from how rarely good emeralds are found.
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Beryl
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Emeralds are a form of the stone beryl. Unlike other beryl stone, emeralds have a distinctive green color, and that green can be either a light green or a dark green. Emeralds are often found in the kinds of places that are home to other beryl stone.
Hydrothermal Veins
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Emeralds tend to form in hydrothermal veins--pockets of extremely hot water (or superheated steam that becomes hot water) deep in the earth. These veins transport the necessary elements such as beryllium--a major component of emeralds--to a single place and heat them. If the conditions are just right, then the elements may begin to grow and merge into an emerald.
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Pegmatite Deposits
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Emeralds may form in a pegmatite deposit. The earth's outer core is made of molten rock, and occasionally that molten rock will move upwards into the mantle and crust of the earth. As that molten rock cools, it may form a pegmatite deposit. As in hydrothermal veins, this molten rock may contain the necessary elements to form an emerald, and it certainly contains the necessary heat to stimulate the process.
Chromium
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What causes an emerald's green color while it's being formed is chromium impurities. In order for a beryl to become an emerald, it must be tainted with chromium. The darker the green of the stone, the more chromium fused into the emerald while it formed.
Mines
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The specific conditions needed to form emeralds occur in various places in the world. However, the biggest and most productive mines for emeralds can be found in Colombia in South America. The Colombian emerald mines are named the Chivor and the Muzo.
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References
- Photo Credit emerald image by Barcabloo from Fotolia.com
