Wavellite on Quartz

specimen number:
2062852

location:
Mineral Park Mine, Mohave County, Arizona, USA

description:
An aesthetic thumbnail specimen with a glistening spherical shape grouping of deep green slightly translucent wavellite crystal 0.7 cm in diameter perched on a crystallized grouping of quartz. This is in good condition, the aesthetics are great.

Located in the Cerbat Mountains of Mohave County, Arizona, the Mineral Park Mine sits within a complex geological setting featuring Precambrian metamorphic rocks intruded by Late Cretaceous monzonite and quartz monzonite stocks that host significant porphyry copper-molybdenum mineralization and famous gem-quality turquoise deposits. Mining activity in the district began around 1871 with underground prospecting for gold and silver before transitioning into a massive modern open-pit copper and molybdenum operation during the 20th century. In contrast, wavellite is a hydrous aluminum phosphate mineral typically found as secondary crusts or globular radiating crystal clusters in weathered aluminum-rich metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, and while it shares a general association with phosphate-rich or altered mineral environments, it is distinct from the primary porphyry and vein systems characteristic of the Mohave County mining district.

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