3.1" Stilbite and Apophyllite Crystals on Mordenite - India

Stilbite is a tectosilicate mineral of the zeolite group that is commonly found in zeolite deposits. Crystals often form flowery, bowtie or hourglass shaped structures and come in a variety of colors. Some of the most beautiful colorations are the pink or peach tints.

This specimen comes from the Deccan Traps (a large igneous province and one of the largest volcanic features on earth) in the Pune Province of India. In the course of quarrying for other materials or digging wells sometimes large pockets of zeolites and other minerals are unearthed in the volcanic rock.

Apophyllite while not a zeolite itself is almost always found associated with zeolites in the same pockets. It has two crystal habits, a rectangular prism capped by a steep four sided pyramid or a pseudo-cubic structure. While not a well known mineral to the general public it is popular among mineral collectors due to it's pastel colors and beautiful crystal formations.