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Opal Genesis

Abstract

EARLIER work on the structure of opal1 has shown that precious opal, and probably most ‘amorphous’ opals with the notable exception of hyalites, are composed of silica spheres 1500–3000 Å in diameter. It was further suggested that the presence of these spheres may reflect a genetic difference from the majority of crystalline opals, which have a different gross structure.

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References

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JONES, J., BIDDLE, J. & SEGNIT, E. Opal Genesis. Nature 210, 1353–1354 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/2101353a0

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