Vesuvianite with Grossular

specimen number:
2282105

location:
Phippsburg, Sagadahoc Co., Maine, USA

description:
Lustrous prismatic slightly translucent crystal of vesuvianite 1.2 cm in length embedded on matrix with grossular crystals. In good condition.

The Phippsburg mineral locality, situated in Sagadahoc County, Maine, encompasses several small historic quarry workings, most notably the Thomas Quarry, celebrated for metamorphic calc-silicate minerals. Geologically, the deposit is situated within the complexly folded, high-grade Paleozoic metamorphic rock sequences of the coastal lithotectonic belt, where localized contact metamorphism occurred due to the intrusion of pegmatitic fluids into impure limestones and dolostones. This interaction transformed the host rock into a rich skarn assembly, producing well-crystallized mineral specimens within the contact zones including cinnamon-brown grossular garnet, vesuvianite, diopside, scapolite, epidote, and prehnite. Small-scale quarrying operations commenced during the nineteenth century primarily to extract limestone for agricultural lime production and building mortar, with sporadic development continuing into the early twentieth century. While commercial industrial operations ceased prior to World War II, the site has been accessed intermittently by mineral collectors for specimen recovery under private ownership permissions through the mid-to-late twentieth century.

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