Antigorite, lizardite and chrysotile are the three mineral polymorphs that constitute "serpentine." Antigorite and lizardite are the soft green platy minerals in serpentine, whil e chrysotile is the fibrous "white asbestos" form. These minerals commonly result from the hydrothermal or retrograde metamorphism of mafic minerals such as olivine, pyroxene or amphibole.
Pronunciation: an•TIG•or•ite (accent on capitalized syllable)
Color: various shades of green.
Luster: often waxy
Diaphaneity: translucent, but may appear opaque in hand specimen
Hardness: 4
Specific gravity: 2.55
Cleavage/fracture: 1
Other distinguishing properties: Commonly occurs with lizardite and the fibrous "white asbestos" mineral chrysotile.
Klein, C., and Hurlbut, C.S., Jr., 1999, Manual of Mineralogy (after James D. Dana) [21st edition, revised]: New York, John Wiley & Sons, 682 p.
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, The Photo Atlas of Minerals: nhm.org/pam/
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