Sea foam (mineral)
the sea foam is a Minéral white and tender, that one finds sometimes floating in the Black Sea and resembling a little scum. It was named Sépiolite by E.F. Glocker in reference to its resemblance to the bones of Seiche. It is opaque, of white color gray or cream, breaks according to fractures conchoïdales and has sometimes a fibrous texture. It can be striped end of the nail because its hardness is worth approximately 2. Its density varies from 0.988 to 1.279 but the porosity of this mineral can involve errors in estimation. The sea foam is magnesium hydrogénosilicate of H4Mg2Si3O10 formula.
Most of sea foam intended for the trade is obtained in Asia Mineure, mainly in the plains of Eskişehir in Turkey, between Istambul and Ankara, where one finds it in irregular nodular masses in the alluvia. One tells in this district that there are 4000 driving wells with level galleries for the extraction of sea foam. The principal places of production are Sepetdji-Odjaghi and Kemikdji-Odjaghi, 30km in the south-east of Eskişehir. This mineral is often associated with Magnésite, the primitive source of these two minerals being the Serpentine.
After extraction, the sea foam is tender but it hardens during its drying. One also finds it in Greece in particular with Thèbes and in the islands of Euboea and Samos. It is also exploited in minor amounts in certain areas of France, Spain and the Morocco. With the the United States, it is extracted in Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Utah.
The sea foam was used as soap, fuller's earth and construction material. But its principal employment consists of the manufacture of Pipe S and of door Cigare S. extract produces It is scraped to be removed from its matrix, it then is dried then still scraped and finally polished with the Cire. The coarse parts thus obtained are then turned and carved.
The sea foam products were traditionally carried out with Vienna. However, since the Seventies, the Turkey prohibited the export of rough scum, in order to develop the local arts and crafts. The former craftsmen thus disappeared and nowadays, the nonTurkish meerschaum pipes are often carried out starting from pressed sea foam, of lower quality, come from Africa.
There exist imitations in Plâtre and other materials.
The tender and white mineral of Lånbangshyttan (Värmland, Sweden) known under the name of Aphrodite is close to sea foam.
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