Brazilianite with Lazulite
specimen number:
2262071
location:
Rapid Creek, Yukon, Canada
description: The Rapid Creek area, located in the Dawson Range of the northern Yukon Territory, Canada, is home to a world-famous phosphate-bearing ironstone formation known as the Big Fish River and Rapid Creek deposits. Geologically, these occurrences are hosted within the Cretaceous Boundary Creek Formation, where low-grade metamorphism of sideritic ironstones led to the development of complex phosphate mineral assemblages within fractures and vugs. The locality is a significant source of brazilianite, which occurs as pale yellow to chartreuse-green monocrystal specimens, often exhibiting a prismatic habit and found in association with other rare phosphates like lazulite and wardite. Historically, mining and quarrying in this remote Arctic wilderness have been primarily focused on geological exploration and specimen recovery rather than industrial-scale extraction, with major mineralogical discoveries and active collecting periods intensifying between the 1970s and the early 1990s. While logistical challenges due to the extreme climate limit operations, the site remains a premier global locality for rare phosphate species through 2026. The unique geochemical environment of Rapid Creek continues to provide essential data for understanding the formation of secondary phosphate minerals in sedimentary hosted environments.
Yellowish green small transparent crystals of brazilianite measuring to 0.3 cm in size on matrix with blue lustrous crystals of lazulite. This is in good condition.
Questions about this specimen?
Send an email
or call us: 314-341-1811.