Stichtite

specimen number:
8821953

location:
Tunnel Hill Quarry, West Coast, Tasmania, Australia

description:
Rich purple masses in matrix. Good example for the species.

Tunnel Hill, situated near Zeehan on the wild West Coast of Tasmania, Australia, gained historical attention following the discovery of rare mineral specimens by railway workers cutting the nearby Argents Tunnel around 1910. Geologically, the region is characterized by ancient ultramafic and serpentinized complexes where mantle-derived igneous rocks underwent extensive hydrothermal alteration. Mineralogically, Tunnel Hill and the surrounding Dundas district are famous for hosting stichtite, an hydrous magnesium chromium carbonate mineral that forms striking lilac to rich purple masses, veins, and spots intimately intergrown with green serpentine.

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