Serpentinite

Serpentinite is a <a href="/facts/Metamorphic_rock/JRp6dsCm">metamorphic rock</a> composed predominantly of <a href="/facts/Serpentine_group/aQzfHNuM">serpentine group</a> <a href="/facts/Mineral/LkUFbNmv">minerals</a> formed by <a href="/facts/Serpentinization/CDfNaGF3">serpentinization</a> of <a href="/facts/Mafic/mVL7Ahuw">mafic</a> or <a href="/facts/Ultramafic_rock/7qAapP1d">ultramafic rocks</a>. The ancient origin of the name is uncertain; it may be from the similarity of its texture or color to snake skin. Greek pharmacologist <a href="/facts/Pedanius_Dioscorides/FzDmURv3">Dioscorides</a> (AD 50) recommended this rock to prevent snakebite.
Serpentinite has been called serpentine or serpentine rock, particularly in older geological texts and in wider cultural settings.
Most of the chemical reactions necessary to synthesize <a href="/facts/Acetyl-CoA/XyxFfC84">acetyl-CoA</a>, essential to basic biochemical pathways of life, take place during serpentinization. Serpentinite thermal vents are therefore considered a candidate for the origin of life on Earth.

Serpentinite open-in-new

Serpentinite