Microcline

specimen number:
2072250

location:
Teller Co., Colorado, USA

description:
An attractive single bluish green blocky crystal of microcline, this is the variety known as amazonite. In great condition.

The Crystal Peak district, located within Teller County, Colorado, is one of the most famous localities in the world for the microcline variety known as amazonite. Geologically, the area is part of the Pikes Peak Batholith, a massive 1.08 billion-year-old granitic intrusion where late-stage fluids formed pegmatite pockets within the granite. These pockets contain well-developed, blocky microcline crystals that often exhibit a vibrant blue-green color due to trace amounts of lead and water in the crystal lattice, frequently found in stunning association with smoky quartz. Historically, the region has been a destination for mineral collectors since the 1870s, when the first major discoveries were documented by early geological surveys. While there are no massive industrial metal mines at this site, it has been actively quarried and hand-mined for mineral specimens for over 150 years. Famous operations, such as those on the Smoky Hawk and Tree Root claims, have been consistently worked throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries, providing a steady supply of world-class specimens to museums and private collectors globally. Today, Teller County remains the primary reference point for the study and collection of these iconic American mineral pairings.

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