Apatite (REE) (ex Allen Heyl Collection)

Item Description

The label attached to this specime states that it is a rare-earth Apatite, but I have no verification, and I can't seem to find anything in the literature about it containing any REE. Nonetheless, it is one of only handful of Apatites that I've seen from Pea Ridge. It's a fairly good sized crystal (measuring over 4 cm!) for the locality, and while the prism faces are fairly sharp and lustrous, the termination is only partial. It's still well-crystallized, and complete most of the way around. I'm told that the brownish color may in fact be from the inclusions of Hematite. If you're an Apatite collector, or a collector of unusual U.S. minerals, don't miss out on this one. From the collection of Allen Heyl, the namesake for Aheylite.