Rock formed by transformation of olivine
Serpentinite from the Maurienne valley , Savoie , French Alps
Sample of serpentinite from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area , California, United States
Chromitic serpentinite (7.9 cm (3.1 in) across), Styria Province, Austria. Protolith was a Proterozoic -Early Paleozoic upper mantle dunite peridotite that has been multiply metamorphosed during the Devonian, Permian, and Mesozoic.
Tightly folded serpentinite from the Tux Alps , Austria . Closeup view about 30 cm × 20 cm (12 in × 8 in).
Serpentinite is a metamorphic rock composed predominantly of serpentine group minerals formed by serpentinization of mafic or ultramafic rocks . The ancient origin of the name is uncertain; it may be from the similarity of its texture or color to snake skin.[ 1] Greek pharmacologist Dioscorides (AD 50) recommended eating this rock to prevent snakebite.[ 2]
Serpentinite has been called serpentine or serpentine rock , particularly in older geological texts and in wider cultural settings.[ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7]
Most of the chemical reactions necessary to synthesize acetyl-CoA , essential to basic biochemical pathways of life, take place during serpentinization. Serpentinite thermal vents are therefore considered a candidate for the origin of life on Earth.
^ Schoenherr, Allan A. (11 July 2017). A Natural History of California: Second Edition . Univ of California Press. pp. 35–. ISBN 9780520295117 . Retrieved 6 May 2017 .
^ Faust, George T.; Fahey, Joseph J. (1962). "The Serpentine-Group Minerals" (PDF) . USGS Numbered Series (384-A): 3. doi :10.3133/pp384A . Retrieved 27 September 2024 . The Term Serpentine
^ "serpentine" . Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary . Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 6 March 2022 .
^ California Government Code § 425.2; see "CA Codes (Gov:420-429.8)" . Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009 .
^ Oakeshott, G.B. (1968). "Diapiric Structures in Diablo Range, California" . AAPG Special Volume M8:Diapirism and Diapirs . 153 : 228–243.
^ Flett, J.S. (1913). "The geology of the lizard" . Proceedings of the Geologists' Association . 24 (3): 118–133. Bibcode :1913PrGA...24..118F . doi :10.1016/S0016-7878(13)80008-9 .
^ González-Mancera, G.; Ortega-Gutiérrez, F.; Nava, N.E.; Arriola, H.S. (2003). "Mössbauer Study of Serpentine Minerals in the Ultramafic Body of Tehuitzingo, Southern Mexico" . Hyperfine Interactions . 148 (1–4): 61–71. Bibcode :2003HyInt.148...61G . doi :10.1023/B:HYPE.0000003765.32151.3b . S2CID 96761317 .