Tinaksite with Charoite, Aegirine

specimen number:
2072301

location:
Ditmar, Sirenevyi Kamen, Saha, Russia

description:
A superb example for the species with a crystallized grouping 5.0 cm in length across a massive charoite matrix. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Wolfgang E Henkel as shown at the end of the video. Aegirine is present as well.

The Sirenevyi Kamen (Lilac Stone) deposit, located within the Malo-Murunskii alkaline massif at the border of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and Irkutsk Oblast in Russia, is a geologically unique site characterized by rare potassic alkaline rocks. The geology of this region involves complex intrusions of syenites and ultrapotassic rocks that interacted with surrounding limestones approximately 145 million years ago, creating a specialized environment for rare silicate minerals. It is the type locality for tinaksite, a complex potassium-sodium-calcium-titanium silicate that occurs as sunburst-like radiating aggregates or fibrous masses with a distinctive honey-yellow to pale brown color. Historically, while the area is most famous for being the world's only source of charoite, the Ditmar and Sirenevyi Kamen sectors saw focused quarrying and exploration starting in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Industrial-scale extraction of the unique lilac-colored rocks and associated rare minerals reached its peak from the 1970s through the 1990s. As of 2026, the remote and harsh Siberian location remains an active site for the recovery of high-quality mineral specimens and decorative stone, with tinaksite serving as a significant component of the scientifically prized mineral assemblages found within the massif's charoite-bearing veins.

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