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 in this stage is mineral inclusions in zircon crystals, which date back as far as 4.4 Ga. Among the minerals in the inclusions are quartz, muscovite, biotite, potassium feldspar, albite, chlorite and hornblende. In a volatile-poor body such as Mercury and the Moon, the above processes give rise to about 350 mineral species. Water and other volatiles, if present, increase the total. Earth was volatile-rich, with an atmosphere composed of N, CO and water, and an ocean that became steadily more saline. Volcanism, outgassing and hydration gave rise to hydroxides, hydrates, carbonates and evaporites. For Earth, where this stage coincides