Okenite
specimen number:
2072383
location:
Kandivali Quarry, Mumbai, India
description: The Kandivali Quarry, located in the Mumbai Suburban District of Maharashtra, India, is situated within the massive Deccan Traps, one of the largest volcanic provinces on Earth. Geologically, the site consists of multiple layers of tholeiitic basalt flows that formed during the late Cretaceous period, approximately 66 million years ago, as India passed over the Reunion hotspot. The quarry is world-renowned for its exceptional specimens of okenite, a calcium silicate hydrate mineral that typically forms delicate, white, "cotton ball" like clusters of radiating acicular crystals within the gas vesicles or amygdales of the basalt. Historically, mining and quarrying at Kandivali were primarily driven by the demand for basalt aggregate for the rapid infrastructure and urban expansion of Mumbai throughout the 20th century. While the most prolific period for mineral specimen recovery occurred between the 1960s and the 1990s, many of the quarries in the Kandivali and Malad areas have since been closed or backfilled due to urban encroachment and environmental regulations. As of 2026, the locality remains a classic reference point in mineralogy for okenite, with specimens from this site residing in major museum collections globally.
The top of this matrix are scattered nicely with silky acicular crystal groupings of okenite. Small crystals of gyrolite are present as well. In good condition. Good large cabinet example for the species. At one time the specimen was part of the collection of Renaud Vochten of Antwerp, Belgium.
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