Barrerite

specimen number:
2354057

location:
Rocky Pass, Kuiu Island, Alaska, USA

description:
Good thumbnail for the species, a sharp lustrous white opaque well terminated crystal without matrix. In great condition all around.

Located in the tidal flats of Southeast Alaska, the Rocky Pass area between Kuiu and Kupreanof islands features volcanic and sedimentary host rocks associated with zeolite occurrences. Discovered by collectors in the 1980s, this remote coastal locality became famous for yielding exceptional specimens of barrerite, a rare sodium-rich zeolite mineral. Collecting here is uniquely challenging because the mineral-bearing cavities within the rock are exposed only along the beach below the high water line during low tide, requiring collectors to search the tidal flats and spot submerged pockets by watching for escaping air bubbles as the tide recedes.

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