Pseudomorph
Description
A mineral that replicates the shape or form of another material. Pseudomorphs occur in three types:
1. Paramorph: a mineral that visually looks like another crystalline structure of the same composition (i.e., Aragonite altering to look like Calcite). This pseudomorph type is also called allomorph.
2. Infiltration pseudomorph: a mineral formed by deposition in which the new compound retains the structure and shape of the original (i.e., Petrified wood).
3. Incrustation pseudomorph: a mineral formed in the cavity of a previous material whose shape was preserved by a coating from a second mineral (i.e., Fossil).
Synonyms and Related Terms
paramorph; allomorph;
Additional Information
º Jakes, K. A., and Sibley, L. R.1989. Evaluation of a partially mineralized fabric from Etowah. In Archaeometry; Proceedings of the 25th International Symposium. ed.Y.Maniatis. New York: Elsevier. 237–44.º Blanchette, R.A. and E. Simpson. 1992. Soft rot decay and wood pseudomorphs in an ancient coffin (700 BC) from tumulus MM at Gordion Turkey. International Association of Wood Anatomists Bulletin. 13:201-213.
Sources Checked for Data in Record
- Website address 1 Comment: Dana's Manual of Mineralogy by Cornelis S. Hurlbut, Eighteenth Edition, (1971, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: 'Psudomorph' definition from from Dana's Manual of Mineralogy by Cornelis S. Hurlbut, Eighteenth Edition, (1971, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: 'Psudomorph' indicates definition primarily from Dana's Manual of Mineralogy by Cornelis S. Hurlbut, Eighteenth Edition, (1971, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)