Heulandita
Heulandita is a mineral with formula CaAl₂Si₇O₁₈·6H₂O, in the Silicatos (Zeolitas) group. This specimen comes from Jalgaon, Jalgaon District, Nashik Division, Maharashtra, India and joined the Terrium collection in 2025.
Description
An oval, egg-shaped natural geode, untrimmed and without any mechanical cuts, completely lined with tabular heulandite crystals in orange to pink tones. Irregular natural rims and matt green patinas frame the aperture. Continuous lining with no bare areas and no cuts.
About Heulandita
Heulandite is the quintessential "laminated zeolite", and its flat crystals with pearly lustre on the cleavage face are its hallmark. Although worldwide in occurrence, Indian specimens redefined the species for size and form. Peach to salmon colours, as here, are the most prized.
About the locality
Jalgaon sits on the "Deccan Traps", one of the largest volcanic provinces in the Solar System. About 66 million years ago—coeval with the end-Cretaceous impact—immense lava flows covered half a million square kilometres. As the basalt cooled, gas bubbles were trapped, forming cavities or "amygdales". Thereafter, over millions of years, diverse hydrothermal fluids percolated through those rock voids, creating some of the most remarkable zeolite assemblages on Earth.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0277
- Composition
- CaAl₂Si₇O₁₈·6H₂O
- Name
- Heulandita
- Group
- Silicatos (Zeolitas)
- Category
- Cavella
- Matrix
- Basalto
- Mine
- Jalgaon
- District / Municipality
- Jalgaon District
- Province
- Nashik Division
- Region
- Maharashtra
- Country
- India
- Size (cm)
- 8 x 6.5 x 4.5
- Weight
- 266 g
- Acquired
- 2025
- Ex-collection
- Sergio Petetrich
- Etymology
- Named in honour of the British mineralogist and dealer Henry Heuland (1778–1856), who helped establish many of the great European collections.
- Quality
- Muy buena
- Value trend
- Estable
Related specimens
- Apofilita — India
- Calcita (Melada) — India
- Cavansita — India
- Calcedonia Estalactítica — India
- Calcedonia Estalactítica — India
- Calcedonia Estalactítica — India
- Escolecita — India
- Escolecita — India