Deccan Flood Basalts, Maharashtra State, India
The quarries of the Deccan Flood Basalts are among our Top 12 Mineral Localities.
The localities hosted by the Deccan flood basalts in India are the source of the world’s finest zeolite and “zeolite-related” specimens. Specifically, the mesolite, scolecite, stilbite, stellerite, goosecreekite, fluorapophyllite, okenite, gyrolite, cavansite, pentagonite and powellite are easily among the world’s best.
The basalt, from which these magnificent minerals are extracted, formed when lava spewed from cracks in the earth's crust and then spread out over a wide area, cooled and hardened. The cavities in which these crystals grew are actually gas bubbles that formed in the flowing lava as it escaped from the pressures deep within the earth, much like the bubbles that form in a soda pop when the cap is removed. Groundwater carrying dissolved minerals flowed through the porous rock and entered the pockets, precipitating these delicate crystals inside the voids.
The term "pillow" basalts is often used to describe some of the rocks of these flows. This term is used for basalts that erupted under water or flowed into water. In doing so, the lava formed as piles of flattened, lobate masses that look like a stack of pillows. The basalt flows of the Deccan Plateau, cover more than 200,000 square miles and have yielded countless fine quality zeolite specimens. The name "zeolite" refers to a group of silicate minerals characterized by crystallographic structures that form distinct channels at the atomic level. These channel ways have distinct measurements and properties in each zeolite mineral, which allows them to be used as chemical filters. Ironically, although zeolites are common and found worldwide, many of the industrial varieties are grown synthetically by the ton.
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Fluorapophyllite with Stilbite (old style)
Pashan, Pune Quarries, near Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
$1850
70mm x 50mm x 40mm
From: The Arkenstone
Cavansite on Stilbite
Wagholi Quarries, Pune Dist., Maharashtra, India
$9000
70mm x 70mm x 70mm
From: The Arkenstone
Cavansite with Stilbite
Pune District, Maharashtra, India
$65
50mm x 44mm x 39mm
From: Bob Griffis Minerals
Pentagonite on Stilbite
Wagholi Quarries, Wagholi, Pune Dist., Maharashtra, India
$6000
70mm x 50mm x 40mm
From: The Arkenstone
Heulandite with Stilbite
Jalgon, Maharashtra State, India
$42
53mm x 42mm x 31mm
From: The Crystal Circle
Braunite
Nagpur Dist., Nagpur Div., Maharashtra, India
$1800
20mm x 20mm x 10mm
From: The Arkenstone
Powellite on Scolecite
Jalgaon | Nashik Division | Maharashtra | India
$1444 *
51mm x 31mm x 31mm
From: Wendel Minerals
Cavansite on Mordenite
Wagholi Quarries, Wagholi, Pune Dist., Maharashtra, India
$9000
70mm x 40mm x 40mm
From: The Arkenstone
Cavansite on Stilbite
Wagholi Quarry | Pune | Maharashtra | India
$542 *
65mm x 41mm x 30mm
From: Wendel Minerals
Cavansite with Stilbite
Pune District, Maharashtra, India
$50
50mm x 39mm x 35mm
From: Bob Griffis Minerals
Stilbite cast after Okenite
Pune, Maharashtra State, India
$950
70mm x 50mm x 20mm
From: The Arkenstone
Cavansite on Stilbite
Wagholi Quarries | Wagholi | Pune | Maharashtra | India
$963 *
53mm x 39mm x 27mm
From: Wendel Minerals