Alterite

specimen number:
2062450

location:
Cliff Dwellers Lodge, Vermillion Cliffs, Coconino Co., Arizona, USA

description:
Yellowish green micro crystalline throughout matrix. Good rich example for the species from the type locality.

Cliff Dwellers Lodge traces its history back to 1920 when homesteaders Blanche and Bill Russell established a small trading post and unique stone dwellings beneath the dramatic red rock formations of the Vermilion Cliffs. The site evolved over the decades from a remote desert outpost and traveler stop into a modern lodge and hub for outdoor adventurers, and it remains open today. Geologically, the area is characterized by striking exposures of colorful Mesozoic sedimentary strata, including massive sandstone layers of the Colorado Plateau and Marble Canyon region that create the rugged desert landscape.

Alterite is a rare mineral species first discovered and described from this locality in 2018. It is notable as the first known natural zinc oxalate mineral, typically appearing as bright yellow crystal aggregates formed through unique secondary alteration processes involving organic compounds interacting with metal-bearing solutions in the arid desert environment.

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