Lazulite with Quartz
specimen number:
2292278
location:
Rapid Creek, Yukon, Canada
description: The Rapid Creek locality, situated in the Dawson mining district of northern Yukon, Canada, is a world-renowned mineral site celebrated for its rare and extraordinarily well-crystallized phosphate minerals, particularly lazulite, wardite, and gormanite. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within a thick sequence of Lower Cretaceous clastic sedimentary rocks, where structural deformation fractured the brittle, iron-rich sideritic ironstone and shale beds. Late-stage, low-temperature hydrothermal fluids filled these open tectonic fractures and joints, slowly precipitating a diverse suite of complex, well-crystallized phosphate minerals within the vugs. Discovery and formal geological documentation of these remarkable mineralized zones occurred during regional mapping and phosphate exploration programs in the mid-1970s. Because the locality is highly remote and situated in a fragile subarctic alpine environment, it has never been subjected to large-scale industrial commercial mining or quarrying, operating instead through seasonal, highly specialized specimen mining expeditions by institutions and private collectors from the late 1970s into the 2020s.
Brilliant deep blue lustrous crystals of lazulite measuring to 0.7 cm in size across the top of matrix with crystallized quartz. In good condition and quite nice for the species.
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