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sapropelic coal

a. Designation of coal of which the original plant material was more or
less transformed by putrefaction. Complete seams of sapropelic coals are
rare, but layers or bands of varying thickness within seams are more
frequent. This type coal is not abundant and proves troublesome in
cleaning processes with jig and dense medium washers because of its lower
density relative to humic coals of the same rank and the same ash content.
IHCP
b. A group of coals, including the cannel and torbanite types, which are
largely composed of the indurated jellylike slime derived from macerated
organic debris, and known as sapropel, and also of remains of spores and
algae. They are typically massive, unbanded coals, which break with a
conchoidal fracture and do not show, as a rule, jointing.
Tomkeieff
c. See:cannel coal

saprophyte

An organism living on dead or decaying organic material. Rogoff

sapropsammite

Sapropel rich in sand. Tomkeieff

sard

A translucent brown variety of chalcedony. Syn:sardius; sardine.
See also:carnelian; sardonyx.

sardachate

A variety of agate with reddish bands of carnelian; carnelian agate.
Standard, 2

sardine

See:sard

sardius

See:sard

sardonyx

a. A variety of chalcedonic quartz. See also:onyx; sard. Fay
b. A banded gem variety of chalcedony with straight parallel reddish bands
of sard alternating with white or colored bands of another mineral.

sargent tube

See:acid-etch tube

sarmientite

A monoclinic mineral, Fe2 (AsO4 )(SO4 )(OH).5H (sub
2) O ; forms minute lemon-yellow crystals in Argentina.

sarsen stone

See:graywether; druid stone.

sartorite

A monoclinic mineral. PbAs2 S4 ; metallic; dark gray;
conchoidal fracture; in sugary dolomite of the Binnental at Lengenbach,
Valais, Switzerland.

saryarkite

A tetragonal mineral, (Ca,Y,Th)2 Al4 (SiO4 ,PO (sub
4) )4 (OH).9H2 O or Ca(Y,Th)Al5 (SiO4 ) (sub
2) (PO4 )2 (OH)7 .6H2 O .

sassoline

See:sassolite

sassolite

A triclinic mineral, H3 BO3 ; forms small pearly scales as
an incrustation, or as tabular crystals around fumaroles or vents of
sulfurous emanations. Syn:sassoline

satelite

Fibrous serpentine with a slight chatoyant effect, being pseudomorphous
after asbestiform tremolite that has been silicified, in Tulare County,
CA. Syn:serpentine cat's-eye

satellite imagery

The counterpart of an object produced from a satellite by the reflection
or re-representation of an object produced by optical, electro optical,
optical mechanical, or electronic means. ASPRS

satellites

Certain minerals usually associated with diamond, such as ilmenite,
garnet, zircon, rutile, corundum, spinel, olivine, and gorceixite.
Chandler

sathrolith

See:saprolite

satin spar

a. A white, translucent, fine fibrous variety of gypsum, characterized by
chatoyancy or a silky luster.
b. A term used incorrectly for a fine fibrous or silky variety of calcite
or aragonite. Syn:atlas spar; feather gypsum; satin stone.

satin stone

See:satin spar