Microcline with Albite

specimen number:
2063411

location:
Crystal Peak, Teller Co., Colorado, USA

description:
Classic specimen from Colorado, a blocky semi lustrous bluish green crystal of microcline, this the type normally referred to as amazonite, with white bladed crystals of albite. Complete all around, cleaved on the base. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark and dates to the 1940s.

Located within the Pikes Peak batholith in Teller County, Crystal Peak is a premier mineral locality famous for cavities in granite that yield world-class specimens of microcline, specifically the vibrant bluish-green variety known as amazonite, often associated with smoky quartz. Discovered and actively collected by prospectors since the late nineteenth century, these pegmatitic deposits formed through slow cooling and hydrothermal activity deep within the Earth. The distinct bluish-green color of amazonite is caused by trace amounts of lead impurities combined with natural radioactive exposure over long geological timescales, which creates structural color centers within the mineral lattice.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.