Gypsum

specimen number:
8821942

location:
Lake Gilles, South Australia, Australia

description:
Neat grouping of twinned and gemmy gypsum crystals. These have inclusions as seen. Fluorescent. Very slight micro-damage present as seen.

Lake Gilles is a shallow, ephemeral salt lake located on the northern Eyre Peninsula of South Australia, situated within an arid regional landscape. Geologically, the lake basin sits upon the ancient, stable basement rocks of the Gawler Craton, surrounded by Mesoproterozoic volcanic rocks and metasediments. Over geological timescales, internal drainage systems and arid climatic shifts created extensive playa environments that accumulate evaporite minerals. Mineralogically, the lake and its surrounding saline crusts are notable for producing various well-formed evaporite species, particularly halite and gypsum crystals displaying diverse growth habits. Historically, European exploration of the surrounding region dates back to the mid-nineteenth century expeditions into the interior of South Australia, while modern interest in the area has largely focused on regional mineral exploration and geological surveys of the surrounding Gawler Range Volcanics.

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