Jadeitite jade occurrence from the Sierra del Convento mélange (eastern Cuba)

Resumen

A new jadeitite jade
locality has been discovered in the serpentinite-matrix subduction
mélange of the Sierra del Convento (eastern Cuba) in a context
associated with tectonic blocks of garnet-epidote amphibolite,
tonalitic-trondhjemitic epidote gneiss and blueschist. The jade
outcrops occur as blocks surrounded by serpentinite, as late
Miocene-early Pliocene detritic sedimentary deposits formed during
erosion of the mélange, and as Recent river and beach deposits
related to the Macambo and Guardarraya rivers and their mouths. Jade
from these outcrops show gem-quality varieties with colours ranging
from greenish white to dark green. Potentially, the deposits may be
easily exploited. Former exploitation (probably of the beach
deposits) by the pre-Columbian Taino inhabitants of Cuba is
documented by a large number of jade artifacts (mostly, petaloid
axes) found in eastern Cuba