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Turquoise was first found in ancient Egypt around 3200 BCE, mainly originating from the Sinai Peninsula. It was highly prized by the Egyptians for its striking blue-green color and was used in jewelry and decorative objects.
Turquoise is primarily found in dry, arid regions around the world, including the southwestern United States, Mexico, Iran, and China. It is often mined in areas where copper deposits are present, as turquoise forms when water interacts with these copper minerals in the ground.
No, turquoise will not float on water because it is denser than water. Turquoise has a specific gravity of around 2.6 to 2.8, while water has a specific gravity of 1.0. This means that turquoise will sink in water.
The mineral responsible for giving water its turquoise color is copper.
Turquoise is a secondary mineral that forms through the alteration and replacement of pre-existing minerals in various types of rocks, which can be sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic. Turquoise can occur in all three rock types depending on the specific geological conditions.
A streak of turquoise is typically white due to the mineral composition of turquoise, which is made up of copper and aluminum. The streak color is determined by scraping the mineral across an unglazed porcelain plate to reveal its true color.