Phillipsita-Ca
Phillipsita-Ca is a mineral with formula . This specimen comes from Campo Volcánico de Calatrava, Calatrava, Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, España and joined the Terrium collection in 1999.
Description
White phillipsite carpet formed by radial spherulitic aggregates over a cavity in gray basalt.
History of this specimen
Reading the book ‘Atlas de Minerales de España’, by Miguel Calvo Rebollar and Christian Rewitzer, I came across a tobermorite from Campo de Calatrava that looks a lot like this piece, both in the matrix and in the white carpet of spheres. Since my specimen is identified as phillipsite-K and the resemblance is so great, I began to wonder whether both species can look almost identical or whether there could be some confusion in the identification. When I see Christian Rewitzer in May, I will take the book for him to sign and also the piece, to discuss it directly with him.
About the locality
Zeolites in volcanic rocks. The volcanic field has approximately 240 eruptive centers (López-Ruiz et al., 1993), including parasitic cones, craters, volcanic conduits, and maars.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0361
- Name
- Phillipsita-Ca
- Category
- Cavella
- Matrix
- Basáltica
- Mine
- Campo Volcánico de Calatrava
- District / Municipality
- Calatrava
- Province
- Ciudad Real
- Region
- Castilla-La Mancha
- Country
- España
- Acquired
- 1999
- Ex-collection
- Antonio Barahona
- Etymology
- Phillipsite honours the English mineralogist William Phillips; the suffix “-Ca” denotes the calcium-dominant member.
Related specimens
- Abellaíta — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Aerenita — España
- Aerinita (fibrosa) — España
- Ágatha — Brasil
- Analcima — España