Artinite on Serpentine (Belsky Coll.)

Item Description

Artinite is a rare hydrated carbonate that is found in low-temperature hydrothermal environments as veinlets or crusts along fracture surfaces in serpentinized ultrabasic rocks. The crystals are strangely acicular, and certainly resemble members of the zeolite group such as mesolite or scolecite. This is a very fine and classic display specimen from San Benito County featuring numerous, well-placed intergrown balls with a multitude of small, sparkling, white, delicate, "fuzzy", acicular crystals of artinite on a contrasting pale green serpentine matrix. A very nice and very rich two-sided specimen of this well known, but rare material. Ex Howard Belsky Collection.