3.6" Stilbite, Calcite & Apophyllite Crystals on Mordenite - India

This specimen contains stilbite and calcite crystals on a micro stilbite and apophyllite encrusted, mordenite matrix. The micro-crystals sparkle when rotated underneath a light source. It was collected near Sillod Village in Maharashtra, India. It comes with an acrylic display stand.

Stilbite is a tectosilicate mineral of the zeolite group that is commonly found in zeolite deposits. Crystals often form flowery bowtie or hourglass-shaped structures and come in a variety of colors. Some of the most beautiful colorations are the pink or peach tints.

This specimen comes from the Deccan Traps, a large igneous province and one of the largest volcanic features on Earth, in the Pune Province of western India. In the course of quarrying for other materials or digging wells, sometimes large pockets of zeolites and other minerals are unearthed in the volcanic rock.

Apophyllite, while not a zeolite itself, is almost always found associated with zeolites in the same pockets. It has two crystal habits: a rectangular prism capped by a steep four-sided pyramid, or a pseudo-cubic structure. While not a well-known mineral to the general public, it is popular among mineral collectors due to its pastel colors and beautiful crystal formations.

Calcite, CaCO3, is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate. The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Calcite crystals are trigonal-rhombohedral, though actual calcite rhombohedra are rare as natural crystals. However, they show a remarkable variety of habits including acute to obtuse rhombohedra, tabular forms, and prisms. Calcite exhibits several twinning types adding to the variety of observed forms. It may occur as fibrous, granular, lamellar, or compact. Cleavage is usually in three directions parallel to the rhombohedron form.

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DETAILS
SPECIES
Stilbite, Calcite, Apophyllite & Mordenite
LOCATION
Sillod Village, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India
SIZE
3.6 x 2.1"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#168748