Pseudomorph

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Pseudomorph

Description

Pseudomorph

A mineral that replicates the shape or form of another material. Pseudomorphs occur in three types:

  • 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.
  • Infiltration pseudomorph: a mineral formed by deposition in which the new compound retains the structure and shape of the original (i.e., Petrified wood).
  • 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;

Resources and Citations

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Dana's Manual of Mineralogy by Cornelis S. Hurlbut, Eighteenth Edition, (1971, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
  • Wikipedia: 'Pseudomorph' definition from from Dana's Manual of Mineralogy by Cornelis S. Hurlbut, Eighteenth Edition, (1971, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

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