Epidote

specimen number:
2072145

location:
Green Monster Mtn., Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, USA

description:
A spray of lustrous green epidote crystals without matrix. In great condition and complete all around. Collected by Doug Toland. Interesting crystallization habit for the species for this locality.

Green Monster Mountain is located on Prince of Wales Island in the Alexander Archipelago of Southeast Alaska and is situated within a complex geological terrane known as the Craig subterrane. The mountain is primarily composed of Paleozoic-aged metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, including marbles and schists, which were intruded by Mesozoic granitic plutons. This contact between the carbonate-rich rocks and the hot, silica-rich magmatic fluids resulted in the formation of extensive skarn deposits characterized by high-temperature calcium-silicate mineralogy. Historically, the site was discovered and explored in the early 20th century, originally for its potential copper and iron ore content. However, its true significance emerged in the mid-1900s as a world-class mineral locality rather than a commercial mine. The rugged, high-altitude terrain and dense Alaskan wilderness made access difficult, but dedicated mineral collectors and geologists have trekked to the steep slopes for decades to recover specimens from the weathered pockets and vugs found within the calc-silicate host rock.

For mineral collectors, Green Monster Mountain is internationally renowned for producing what are arguably the finest epidote crystals in North America, if not the world. These specimens are celebrated for their deep, "pistachio-green" to nearly black color and their extraordinary luster, which often appears vitreous to almost metallic. The epidote typically forms as sharp, elongated prismatic crystals that can reach several centimeters in length, frequently displaying complex terminations and dramatic "fan-like" or radiating clusters. A hallmark of this locality is the aesthetic association of the dark green epidote with snowy white quartz or sharp, rhombohedral crystals of orthoclase feldspar, providing a striking visual contrast. Some of the most famous finds occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, yielding large, "museum-grade" plates that remain benchmarks for the species. Because of the remote location and the short summer collecting season, these Alaskan epidotes are highly sought after by specialists and represent a pinnacle of American alpine-type mineralogy.

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