2.25" Sparkling Dark Green Epidote Crystals on Quartz - Turkey
This is a beautiful, 2.25" wide quartz crystal cluster featuring dark green epidote crystals scattered among the quartz found across both sides of the specimen. It comes from the Hakkâri District in the Hakkâri Province of Turkey.
Quartz is the name given to silicon dioxide (SiO2) and is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust. Quartz crystals generally grow in silica-rich environments--usually igneous rocks or hydrothermal environments like geothermal waters--at temperatures between 100°C and 450°C, and usually under very high pressure. In either case, crystals will precipitate as temperatures cool, just as ice gradually forms when water freezes. Quartz veins are formed when open fissures are filled with hot water during the closing stages of mountain formation: these veins can be hundreds of millions of years old.
Epidote is a green silicate mineral that is commonly found in regionally metamorphosed rocks. It often forms lustrous, elongated, and interconnected crystals that are highly coveted by collectors. While nearly all epidote is green, it may take on many different shades and tones from yellowish to deep green.
SPECIES
Quartz & Epidote
LOCATION
Hakkâri District, Hakkâri Province, Turkey
SIZE
2.25 x 2.05"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#301435