Zircon with Albite

specimen number:
2102415

location:
Poudrette Quarry, Mt. St. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada

description:
Crystals of zircon to 0.5 cm in size on matrix with white crystals of albite. In good condition.

The Mount Saint Hilaire pluton, situated within the Monteregian Hills of southwestern Quebec, is a globally recognized mineral locality prized by collectors and researchers for its hyper-alkaline igneous complex rather than commercial metal or aggregate mining. Geologically, the mountain is a multi-phase alkaline intrusive suite or diatrema formed during the Cretaceous period, consisting of complex gabbros, nepheline syenites, and intrusive agpaitic breccias rich in rare-earth elements, sodium, and volatile gasses. These unique geochemical environments allowed for the crystallization of over four hundred distinct mineral species, including fine specimens of serandite, catapleiit, and leifite, concentrated within large hydrothermal pockets and pegmatite veins. While small-scale limestone quarrying occurred around the base of the mountain in the nineteenth century, large-scale open-pit quarrying at the famous Poudrette Quarry began in the late 1950s, primarily to produce crushed stone and commercial aggregate for regional construction. Industrial quarrying operations maintained continuous production for several decades until extraction activity was permanently halted around 2007 due to environmental preservation initiatives.

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