Heulandita-Ca Roja
Heulandita-Ca is a mineral with formula (Ca,Na)₂-₃Al₃(Al,Si)₂Si₁₃O₃₆·12H₂O, in the Silicatos (Tectosilicatos) group. This specimen comes from Drio le Pale, Mazzin, Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italia.
Description
Fan-shaped aggregates of reddish-orange heulandite within a lined cavity. The colour, typical of Val di Fassa, is intense and contrasts with the altered volcanic matrix. Vitreous texture and elegant lustre.
History of this specimen
I value it for its reddish-orange colouration, typical of this classic Italian zeolite-rich area. The colour is due to inclusions of iron oxides.
About Heulandita-Ca
Structurally complex, heulandite belongs to the zeolite group. Heulandite-Ca is calcium-rich and forms in cavities of volcanic rocks.
About the locality
Drio le Pale, in Val di Fassa, is a world classic for zeolite crystallisation. Here, heulandite crystals take on a characteristic reddish tone due to the ferric composition of the surroundings.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0059
- Composition
- (Ca,Na)₂-₃Al₃(Al,Si)₂Si₁₃O₃₆·12H₂O
- Name
- Heulandita-Ca
- Variety
- Roja
- Group
- Silicatos (Tectosilicatos)
- Category
- Cavella
- Matrix
- Matriz volcánica
- Mine
- Drio le Pale
- District / Municipality
- Mazzin
- Province
- Trento
- Region
- Trentino-Alto Adige
- Country
- Italia
- Size (cm)
- 5 x 5 x 3.5
- Weight
- 102 g
- Etymology
- Named in honour of Henry Heuland, a 19th-century London mineral dealer.
- Quality
- Buena
- Value trend
- Estable