Wiluite
specimen number:
1052631
location:
Templeton, Saint-Pierre-de-Wakefield, Val-des-Monts, Outaouais, Quebec, Canada
description: The mining and quarrying history of Templeton, Quebec, is closely tied to the exploitation of the region's diverse pegmatite and skarn-type deposits, particularly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Geologically, these deposits are hosted within the Grenville Province, where intense regional metamorphism of calcareous sediments led to the formation of complex mineral assemblages including apatite, phlogopite, and various silicates. Specimens from this area were historically labeled as vesuvianite, but modern mineralogical analysis has identified many of these as wiluite, a distinct member of the vesuvianite group characterized by its specific chemical composition and crystal structure. Historically, the mines in the Templeton area were most active from the 1870s through the early 1900s.
A choice old time specimen with lustrous blocky very slightly translucent crystals to 1.0 cm in size started up on matrix. The prominent crystal is in good condition. The old days this was referred to as vesuvianite, the material has since shown to be wiluite. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video with an acquisition date of 1913.
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