Imayoshiite with Datolite

specimen number:
9505894

location:
Shijiangshan Mine, Yinwu, Keshiketeng Co., Ulanhad League, Inner Mongolia, China

description:

Glassy colorless crystals scattered throughout this matrix with botryoidal crystallized datolite.

The Shijiangshan Mine, located near Yinwu in Linxi County (Hexigten Banner), Ulanhad League, Inner Mongolia, China, is a modern mining and advanced exploration area that has gained world renown among mineral collectors over the past couple of decades for its extraordinarily diverse and pristine micro-to-cabinet specimen assemblages. Geologically, the deposit consists of complex silicate- and borate-rich skarns formed through intense contact metamorphism and subsequent low-temperature hydrothermal alteration where metal-bearing fluids interacted with carbonate wall rocks. Mineralogically, the mine is celebrated as a prolific producer of rare species, most notably yielding exceptional specimens of imayoshiite, a very rare hydrated calcium carbonate-borate mineral belonging to the ettringite group. Originally discovered in Japan, the Shijiangshan Mine emerged as a premier secondary locality, producing remarkable hexagonal prismatic crystals of imayoshiite growing alongside an array of unusual skarn associates like garnet, datolite, and various complex borosilicates.

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