UTR23-01
Weloganite (Type Locality)
Francon Quarry, Ville St. Michel, Quebec, Canada
Small Cabinet, 6.0 x 4.5 x 2.4 cm
Ex. Chet Lemanski
$2,250.00 Payment Plan Available
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Weloganite is a rare and unusual complex sodium-strontium-zirconium carbonate that occurs in large crystals of this size only at this type locality, and the only other confirmed locality at all is the Poudrette Quarry at Mont Saint-Hilaire. I am still surprised at this fact, given the prevalence of other carbonate species worldwide, but there you have it. Weloganite was not even found or recognized until the 1960s and now the area it was found at the Francon Quarry is essentially mined out - and none have been been found here in over 30 years. It is just gone. We surmise no more will come. This piece is loaded with Weloganite crystals that includes a nice, slightly divergent cluster in the center composed of pale yellowish translucent crystals to 2.5 cm. This is very large for the species! Crystals on the piece are striated perpendicular to their length and most are crudely or partially terminated hexagonal barrels. Few specimens of this rare species are on the market these days. An old specimen we obtained in the Lemanski collection as a mine-run, massive chunk which we were able to trim up.