Fluorapophyllite-K

specimen number:
2102149

location:
Upper New Street Quarry, Paterson, New Jersey, USA

description:
Blocky lustrous mostly gemmy pseudo-cubic crystals of fluorapophyllite measuring to 1.4 cm on edge across the front of matrix with minor chabazite and pectolite. This is in good condition. Quite nice for the species from this classic locality.

The Upper New Street Quarry, located in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, is a world-renowned mineral locality famous for its exceptional zeolite and associated silicate specimens. Geologically, the quarry exploited the Jurassic-aged First Watchung Basalt, specifically an area where lava flowed into a shallow body of water or wetland, resulting in the formation of basaltic pillows. Large interstitial spaces and cavities between these pillows provided the ideal environment for the hydrothermal crystallization of minerals such as prehnite, datolite, pectolite, and various zeolites like heulandite and stilbite. Historically, the site operated as a trap rock quarry primarily for road construction and railroad ballast between 1893 and 1925. While the quarry was eventually abandoned and later covered by housing developments, it remains legendary among collectors for producing some of the finest green prehnite and glassy datolite crystals ever found in the United States. Significant additional recoveries were made as recently as the late 1980s during excavation for construction projects, further cementing its status as a premier American mineral locality.

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