Giant Nephrite Jade discovered in Canada

[Sheldon J]

from and more story at Tons of Giant Nephrite Jade Discovered in Canada

Tons of Giant Nephrite Jade Discovered in Canada
Jade is a commercial term encompassing green, white, black or yellow-brown material that consists either of Na-rich pyroxene (jadeite) or prismatic to acicular amphiboles of the tremolite-actinolite series that form bundles that are randomly oriented and interlocked (nephrite).

Nephrite is tougher (harder to break) than jadeite material. Its fracture strength is about 200 MN/m2 whereas that of jadeite is about 100 MN/m2. On the other hand, jadeite material is harder (7 compared to 6.5 on ​

the Mohs scale

).
​

Nephrite mining in British Columbia is very challenging. Winters are long and harshly cold, and deposits are remote, so mining can only happen during the short summer season, about 60 days a year. Almost all of the secondary deposits are exhausted, so current mining is almost all from primary deposits. Transporting the heavy equipment to the mining sites is backbreaking work. ​

 

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[A2coins]

Jeeeeze you gotta be kidding that's crazy

 

[Kray Gelder]

Wow! That is unreal! Had no idea of the size of primary jade deposits. Thanks for that. Learn something new every day here.

 

[smokeythecat]

Dang, it won't fit in my truck!