Kaersutite

specimen number:
2063300

location:
Lukov, Teplice, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic

description:
A loose lustrous double terminated black crystal of kaersutite. At one time these were said to have been hornblende. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark and is in great condition.

Located in the Teplice District of the Usti nad Labem Region, Czech Republic, the classic Lukov outcrop consists of Cenozoic Tertiary (Oligocene) volcanic and subvolcanic alkaline basaltic rocks within the Ceske Stredohori mountain range. Although not historically exploited for large-scale industrial mining, this famous geological locality became world-renowned among mineral collectors and petrologists for hosting exceptional macro-crystals and phenocrysts of kaersutite, a dark brown to black titanium-rich calcic amphibole. These dark prismatic kaersutite crystals, which can measure several centimeters long, developed in the region's magmatic dikes and tuffaceous breccias, making Lukov one of Europe's premier source localities for fine collector specimens of the mineral.

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