Green Earths are with divalent iron green colored, highly lightfast Iron-(II)-Silicates.
Iron compounds color a large part of our visible world:
- Iron-(II)-Compounds are green
- Iron-(II)/(III)-Compounds are black
- Iron-(III)-Compounds are yellow or red
Depending on the purity of the iron silicate, the color and suitability for different binders change. The purer the earth, the less contamination of yellow or red parts, the brighter and more bluish the color tone. The blue-green Cypriot Earth is a particularly beautiful variety.
The natural occurrences of Green Earths are rather small to very small. Mining is usually very difficult and many deposits are exhausted today. Therefore, Green Earths are only extracted for artistic purposes and for restoration.
Green Earths are often used in landscape painting. The Veronese Green Earth, the Bohemian Green Earth and the Bavarian Green Eart also serve as background for incarnate. The newly discovered Earth Green Opalite from Colorado is particularly suitable for acrylic painting.
