Mesolite

specimen number:
1052872

location:
near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

description:
Interesting locality example for the species, sprays of colorless mesolite averaging 0.3 cm in size rich across the top of matrix. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video and dates to the very early 20th century. This is in good condition.

Mesolite specimens from near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, particularly from classic regional basalt quarries and volcanic plains such as the Newer Volcanics Province, form within the cavities and vesicles of Cainozoic basalt flows. Geologically, these areas were shaped by extensive volcanic activity spanning from the Miocene to the Holocene epochs, during which basaltic lavas spread across the landscape and were later subjected to low-temperature hydrothermal alteration and circulating groundwater. Mineralogically, the region is celebrated for producing delicate, hair-like, fibrous tufts and radiating crystal sprays of mesolite, a hydrated sodium-calcium silicate belonging to the zeolite group, frequently associated with other zeolites like analcime and chabazite. Historically, these basalt quarries and road cuts have been actively explored and documented by local amateur geologists and mineral collectors for over a century, contributing significantly to the documentation of Australian zeolite occurrences.

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