Stilbite

specimen number:
2102457

location:
Martin Marietta Quarry, Hickory, Catawba Co., North Carolina, USA

description:
Attractive lustrous crystals of stilbite to 1.5 cm in size across the top of matrix. In good condition. Good example for the species from this locality.

The Martin Marietta Quarry in Hickory, located within Catawba County, North Carolina, is a large-scale commercial aggregate operation that supplies crushed stone for regional infrastructure and construction. Geologically, the quarry is excavated primarily within the Walker Top Granite, an igneous intrusion emplaced into the Cat Square Terrane during the Paleozoic era. The host rock features prominent fractures, faults, and hydrothermal veins. These structural voids have made the quarry famous among mineral collectors and researchers for hosting a diverse suite of secondary minerals, including well-crystallized zeolites like stilbite, as well as prehnite, babingtonite, and calcite precipitated by circulating low-temperature fluids.

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