Stilbite with Fluorapophyllite, Calcite (SIL-0032)

specimen number:
9273180

location:
Pune, Maharashtra, India

description:

A cluster of lustrous stilbite crystals 6.0 cm across set on matrix with crystallized calcite and gemmy colorless glassy crystals of fluorapophyllite. This attractive combination piece is in super condition.

The Pune area, located within the Pune District of Maharashtra, India, is world-renowned for its vast network of commercial stone quarries that produce industrial building aggregates while simultaneously yielding world-class zeolite and apophyllite mineral specimens. Geologically, the region is situated entirely within the massive Cretaceous to Eocene-aged Deccan Traps, one of the largest volcanic provinces on Earth, consisting of thick sequences of basaltic lava flows. During the cooling of these basalt flows, trapped volcanic gases formed numerous spherical cavities, known as amygdules, which were subsequently filled by low-temperature, mineral-rich hydrothermal solutions that precipitated spectacular groupings of scolecite, stilbite, heulandite, and fluorapophyllite. Large-scale quarrying for road construction, railway ballast, and urban development began expanding rapidly in the mid-to-late twentieth century, with dozens of active, privately managed open pits operating continuously across localities like Pashan, Wagholi, and Chinchwad from the 1960s straight through to the present day.

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