Characteristics and Geological Significance of Liuyang-Type Chrysanthemum-Stone from Hunan Province

The Liuyang-type chrysanthemum-stone which is named after chrysanthemum and native to Liuyang County, Hunan Province is a kind of mineral flowers composed of radial aggregates of celestite and occurs in Permian carbonate rocks in South China. The chrysanthemum-stone consists of pistils and petals: the mineral compositions of pistils include colloidal quartz and fine-grained celestite, and the petals are made up of rhombic macro-prisms of cclestite only. Quartz is thought to be the product of silicified replacement for pistils and petals. The rocks associated with this type of chrysanthemum stone include Ca-Mg shale,marl,pebbly or nodular limestone and cherty limestone. The chrysanthemum-stone was formed in closed or semi-closed bay environments during early diagenesis. The chrysanthemum-stone is a kind of valuable stone for carving handicraft articles.It is remakable that it is often closely associated with sedimentary sepiolite.Therefore it may serve as an important indicator for prospecting sedimentary sepiolite clay deposits.