Eudialyte

specimen number:
2072200

location:
Kipawa, Quebec, Canada

description:
A cut slab rich with purplish red eudialyte. One side has been coated with an epoxy to bring out the color.

The Kipawa Complex, located in the Temiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada, is a geologically unique alkaline syenite-gneiss complex situated within the Grenville Province. Geologically, it represents an ancient agpaitic igneous system that underwent high-grade regional metamorphism, resulting in a rare-element enriched environment featuring exotic minerals such as eudialyte, mosandrite, and britholite. The complex is particularly famous for producing spectacular specimens of bright pink eudialyte and the rare calcium-zirconium silicate, hiortdahlite. Historically, interest in the site began in the late 1950s following the discovery of radioactive anomalies, leading to various exploration phases for heavy rare earth elements, zirconium, and yttrium. While the complex has seen extensive trenching and bulk sampling, notably by companies like Matamec Explorations during the early 21st century between 2011 and 2014, it has primarily remained an exploration-stage project rather than a full-scale industrial mine. Today, it remains a site of significant academic interest and a classic locality for collectors seeking rare mineral species unique to alkaline metamorphic terrains.

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