BAC23-20
Hureaulite with Vivianite in Triphylite
Criminoso claim, Agua Boa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Small Cabinet, 10.0 x 8.5 x 4.7 cm
Ex. Bill & Anne Cook
$1,250.00 Payment Plan Available
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Here is a rich and colorful, yet textbook, example of secondary pegmatite phosphates growing in an altered Triphylite crystal, with adjacent milky Quartz. This piece illustrates a fundamental principle of how pegmatites form: it is the quintessential example of a primary phosphate that was altered late in the pegmatite forming process by fluids that ended up forming late-stage, secondary pegmatite phosphates. The Triphylite, a lithium-iron phosphate, was largely altered by late-stage fluids that subsequently formed the colorful, secondary phosphates Hureaulite and Vivianite. Hureaulite is a hydrated manganese phosphate and Vivianite is a hydrated iron phosphate. The two species are very distinct on this piece as Hureaulite has formed rich, vitreous pink, translucent crystals to 1 cm in clusters within the pocket and the vibrant blue Vivianite occurs as bladed aggregates of crystals from 2 to 7 mm in length at places around the periphery of the vug. A very fine, and important small cabinet piece. The crystallization here is very robust for the species and locality, making it an important specimen for both display and reference. (per Tom Campbell, staff mineralogist)