Apophyllite from the Pune District, India – Transparent Crystals on Basalt

This Apophyllite specimen from the Pune District in Maharashtra, India features numerous colorless to white crystals on a pale, fine-crystalline mineral coating over dark basalt matrix. Several larger Apophyllite crystals sit freely on the surface, giving the specimen a varied and three-dimensional appearance.

Measuring 6.3 × 5.5 × 3.5 cm and weighing 103.6 g, this is a small cabinet specimen. The combination of pale crystals, fine-crystalline associated mineralization and dark matrix creates a distinct contrast.

Colorless to white Apophyllite crystals

The Apophyllite crystals are colorless to white and predominantly translucent to transparent. Individual free-standing crystals in particular show good clarity and distinctly lustrous crystal faces.

The crystal habit is predominantly blocky-prismatic to tabular-prismatic. Several crystals show clearly recognizable, partly pyramidal terminations. The crystals occur individually and in small groups on the matrix, together forming a three-dimensional specimen.

The pale substrate consists of dense, fine-crystalline associated mineralization. Since these fine crystals cannot be reliably identified from the photographs alone, they are deliberately left unspecified.

Apophyllite from the Pune District

The Pune District in Maharashtra is one of the best-known regions for Apophyllite and zeolite minerals within the Deccan Traps. Numerous mineral specimens formed in cavities within the basaltic lava flows, including Apophyllite, Stilbite, Heulandite, Mordenite and other secondary minerals.

This specimen clearly displays this characteristic type of mineralization: pale Apophyllite crystals occur on a mineralized cavity surface above dark basalt. The strong contrast in color and texture gives the specimen an attractive and distinctive appearance.