Zircon

specimen number:
2133269

location:
Mud Tank, Northern Territory, Australia

description:
A loose lustrous translucent crystal of zircon. In great condition. Nice thumbnail for this famous locality.

The Mud Tank zircon field, located in the Harts Range of the Northern Territory, Australia, is situated within a series of carbonatite rifts known as the Mud Tank Carbonatite Complex. Geologically, these deposits consist of several lenses of carbonate-rich igneous rocks that were emplaced into the surrounding metamorphic basement approximately 730 million years ago. The zircon crystals found here are typically recovered from the weathered, loamy soil and gravels (eluvial deposits) overlying the carbonatite, where they occur as rounded fragments or occasionally as well-formed prisms in shades of brownish-pink, yellow, and water-clear. Historically, the area has been a popular destination for both fossickers and commercial gemstone miners since the mid-20th century, with significant organized mining activity occurring intermittently from the 1960s to the 1990s. While some commercial operations for zircon and vermiculite have existed, the locality is most famous today as a premier site for amateur gem hunters who seek the high-lustre zircons for faceting.

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