Rhodochrosite on Natrolite

specimen number:
2062954

location:
Poudrette Quarry, Mt. St. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada

description:
Colorless thick semi lustrous slightly translucent grouping of natrolite crystals, near the termination hosting deep brownish red rhombohedral crystals of rhodochrosite to 0.4 cm in size. This is in good condition all around and makes for a nice combination piece. Minor aegirine is present as black needles. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The Poudrette Quarry is situated within the Cretaceous-aged Mont Saint-Hilaire alkaline intrusive complex in Quebec, Canada, formed by rare magma intrusions that concentrated high levels of incompatible elements. Operating primarily as a commercial stone quarry, it became world-famous among mineralogists and collectors due to its complex pegmatite pockets and xenoliths, which have yielded hundreds of unique and rare mineral species found nowhere else on Earth. Intensive commercial quarrying operations over the decades exposed these rich cavity systems, allowing researchers and hobbyists to salvage an extraordinary diversity of pristine specimens before active extraction wound down.

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