๐ Lazurite is a metamorphic rock that forms from the association of lazurite with various minerals, including pyrite, calcite and sodalite.
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๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐๐: (Naโ,Ca)โ [(Cl,NaSโ,NaSOโ)Al]Alโ(SiOโ)โ
๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ (๐๐จ๐ก๐ฌ): 5 - 6
๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐จ: Cubic
๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐: Vitreous
โณ The name lapis lazuli derives from the Latin โ๐ญ๐ข๐ฑ๐ช๐ดโ (stone) and from the Persian โ๐ญฤลพ๐ข๐ท๐ข๐ณ๐ฅโ (sky), from which it takes the name โstone of the skyโ. The use of lapis lazuli has a thousand-year history, the first mines and artefacts date back to 7000 BC, near Sar-i Sang, in the North-East of present-day Afghanistan. One of the greatest artistic works created in lapis lazuli is the Iลกtar Gate, the eighth gate of Babylon built in 575 BC under King Nebuchadnezzar II.
In painting, the lapis lazuli pigment has been widely used over the years, from which the "lapis lazuli" derives.
๐งช Lapis lazuli is mainly composed of lazurite, a complex mixture of silicates, aluminates and sulfides. The approximate chemical formula of lazurite is often expressed as (Na,Ca)โ(AlSiOโ)โ(S,SOโ,Cl)โ-โ and its intense blue is due to the presence in the lattice of S3- radical anions, which replace the chloride anions within the crystalline structure.
๐ The main deposits of lapis lazuli are found in Badakhshan, Tibet, Iran and China.
In Italy it is found in small quantities near Vesuvius and the Alban Hills.
๐ฌ The mask of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun is mainly composed of gold and lapis lazuli.
