Answer:
The
minerals that can crystallize as asbestos belong to two
groups: serpentine (chrysotile) and amphibole (crocidolite,
amosite, anthophyllite asbestos, tremolite asbestos, and
actinolite asbestos). Amphiboles are distinguished from one
another by the amount of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and
iron that they contain. Serpentine and amphibole minerals
can have fibrous or nonfibrous structures; the fibrous type
is called asbestos.
Asbestiform varieties of several other amphiboles have been
identified. Other minerals are similar to asbestos in their
particle shape, but they do not possess the characteristics
required to classify them as asbestos.
