Heliotrope (mineral) Heliotrope (mineral) The mineral aggregate heliotrope (from Greek ἥλιος, "hḗlios" “Sun”, τρέπειν, "trépein" “to turn”), also known as bloodstone, is a variety of jasper or chalcedony (which is a cryptocrystalline mixture of quartz). The "classic" bloodstone is green jasper (chalcedony) with red inclusions of hematite. The red inclusions are supposed to resemble spots of blood, hence the name "bloodstone". The name "heliotrope" derives from various ancient notions about the manner in which the mineral reflects light. These are described, e.g., by Pliny the Elder ("Nat. Hist." 37.165). Heliotrope was called "stone of Babylon" by Albert the Great and he referred
Mineral evolution surrounding molecular cloud. 60 new minerals were produced and were preserved as inclusions in chondrites. The accretion of dust into asteroids and planets, bombardments, heating and reactions with water raised the number to 250. Before 4.56 Ga, the presolar nebula was a dense molecular cloud consisting of hydrogen and helium gas with dispersed dust grains. When the Sun ignited and entered its T-Tauri phase, it melted nearby dust grains. Some of the melt droplets were incorporated into chondrites as small spherical objects called chondrules. Almost all chondrites also contain calcium–aluminium-rich inclusions (CAIs), the earliest materials formed in the Solar System.