Amazonite

/əˈmæzənɑɪt/ noun

Definition

A green or blue-green mineral variety of potassium feldspar, used in jewelry and decorative objects.

Etymology

Named after the Amazon River region (though not actually found there in significant quantities) because of its green color resembling the rainforest, with '-ite' as a mineral suffix.

Kelly Says

Amazonite is a perfect example of romantic mineral naming—geologists called it that because of color associations with the Amazon, even though it's actually mined mostly in Colorado and other dry places, showing how minerals are named for imagination as much as geology.

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