India is one of the most important source countries for aesthetic collector minerals. The localities in the state of Maharashtra are particularly well known, where the extensive basaltic lava sequences of the Deccan Traps contain numerous cavities and fractures. During later hydrothermal processes, well-formed crystals of various mineral species were able to develop within these cavities.

Typical minerals from these regions include apophyllite, stilbite, heulandite, calcite and other zeolite minerals or species associated with zeolites. Freely grown crystals on dark basalt matrix are especially characteristic, often creating a striking visual contrast.

Apophyllite commonly occurs as colourless to white, transparent or translucent crystals and is frequently associated with stilbite and other cavity minerals. Stilbite often forms fan-shaped or sheaf-like aggregates, while calcite from Maharashtra can display a wide variety of crystal habits. This diversity of crystal forms and mineral parageneses makes the Indian basalt localities particularly interesting to collectors.

Well-known mineral-producing areas include the regions around Pune, Nashik and Raigad. Individual quarries and localities can differ significantly in their mineral assemblages, crystal habits and overall specimen characteristics. For this reason, precise locality information is also particularly important for the mineralogical and collector-related documentation of Indian specimens.

In this category, you will find selected mineral specimens from India with locality information recorded as precisely as possible and with original photographic documentation. The current focus is on specimens from Maharashtra and the classic mineral assemblages of the Deccan Trap basalts.