Chabazite

specimen number:
1052584

location:
Rybniste-Maly Semerink, Decin, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic

description:
Large blocky crystals of chabazite measuring to 1.5 cm in size across the top of matrix. In good condition. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. This antique label gives an original acquisition date for this specimen of 1910. The crystals are quite large for the species.

The Rybniste-Maly Semerink locality, situated near Chribska within the Decin District of the Usti nad Labem Region, Czech Republic, is a classic European mineral site renowned for producing exceptional, highly lustrous crystals of the zeolite mineral chabazite. Geologically, these hydrated calcium aluminum silicate crystals are hosted within the vesicular cavities and open fractures of Tertiary-age olivine basalt volcanic flows, which form part of the extensive Ceske Stredohori volcanic complex. During the late, low-temperature cooling stages of this volcanic activity, circulating hydrothermal fluids and heated meteoric water leached essential elements from the surrounding basaltic matrix, slowly reprecipitating them inside the open gas bubbles to form superb, pseudocubic, rhombohedral chabazite crystals that are frequently associated with phillipsite, natrolite, and calcite. Historically, the site was worked primarily as a local stone quarry, known as the Maly Semerink quarry, which supplied crushed basalt for regional road construction and railway ballast from the late nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. Active quarrying operations peaked during the 1920s and 1930s, exposing numerous rich zeolite-bearing pockets that were eagerly sampled by regional mineralogists and collectors, before industrial operations gradually slowed and reached a permanent end around the 1960s.

Dr. Ludwig Eger (active c. 1870-1915) was a highly respected Austrian mineral dealer based in Vienna who played a significant role in the distribution of Central European and Alpine mineral specimens during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Operating under the firm name "Dr. L. Eger," his business was situated in the heart of Vienna, a primary hub for scientific exchange during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Eger was noted for his professional, academic approach to the mineral trade, often supplying high-quality, systematic collections to universities and major museums throughout Europe and North America. His labels are easily recognized by their classic 19th-century typography, typically featuring "Dr. L. Eger, Wien" (the German name for Vienna) and providing detailed locality and species data in a formal, structured format. In addition to minerals, Eger dealt in paleontological and zoological specimens, as was common for the natural history establishments of the time.

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