Quartz

specimen number:
2063039

location:
Tole, Wanna, Lower South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

description:
Fine example of what is known as faden quartz, these flattened glassy gem quality colorless crystals of quartz showing a pale veil down the length of the crystal grouping. In excellent condition all around. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark who acquired the piece in the year 2000.

Tole, located near Wana in the Lower South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, is situated within a rugged geological terrain marked by complex ophiolite assemblages and tectonic fault zones. Mineral exploration and collecting in this remote region have largely been driven by local artisanal miners navigating challenging mountainous terrain to extract world-class alpine-type mineral specimens, gaining prominent international attention in recent decades for exceptional water-clear faden quartz clusters.

Faden quartz forms within tectonic fissures of host rocks undergoing low-grade regional metamorphism. When an open fracture repeatedly cracks and widens in a silica-rich hydrothermal environment, a tiny central thread or plane (the faden) acts as a bridge connecting opposing walls. As the fissure continues to pull apart at a steady rate, new quartz crystallizes outward continuously from this central fracture line, trapping microscopic fluid and gas inclusions that form the distinct opaque white line characteristic of these specimens.

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