Lazurite

Lazurite is a blue aluminosilicate mineral in the sodalite group and the principal source of lapis lazuli’s characteristic color. Its intense blue arises chiefly from sulfur species trapped in its crystal structure.

Sodalite group: A mineral group of framework aluminosilicates with large cavities that host anions and other ions. Lazurite belongs to this group, whose shared framework helps explain its mineral classification.
Sulfide: A chemical species containing sulfur in its reduced state, commonly combined with metals or other elements. Sulfide-related species participate in the electronic processes behind lazurite’s color.
Ultramarine: A vivid blue pigment historically made by grinding lapis lazuli and later produced synthetically. Ground lazurite-bearing lapis was the source of natural ultramarine pigment.
Sar-e-Sang: A historic lapis lazuli mining district in Badakhshan, northeastern Afghanistan. Its deposits are a renowned source of lazurite-rich lapis lazuli.
Lapis lazuli: A metamorphic rock prized as a blue ornamental stone, composed chiefly of lazurite with other minerals. Lazurite gives this rock much of its defining blue color.
Polysulfide: A chemical species containing a chain of two or more sulfur atoms. Polysulfide ions in lazurite contribute to its strong visible-light absorption.
Pigment: A finely divided substance that gives color to materials by selectively absorbing and reflecting light. Lazurite became valuable when processed into a durable blue pigment.
Lake Baikal: A deep freshwater lake in Siberia, near lapis lazuli deposits in the surrounding region. The region around the lake includes lazurite-bearing deposits in the Russian Federation.
Aluminosilicate: A compound or mineral containing aluminum, silicon, and oxygen, often with additional elements. Lazurite’s framework is an aluminosilicate structure.
Color center: A defect or trapped electron in a solid that absorbs selected wavelengths of light and creates color. Lazurite’s color is linked to sulfur-based electronic centers within its crystal.

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