Halite on Trona (Recent Find)

Item Description

Trona is an uncommon evaporative carbonate species (the name is actually a Swedish term, but was derived from the Arabic world "natrum" meaning native salt). Some of the best known examples ever found are those from Owens Lake in California, where Halite is not terribly common. This piece is from a recent find, collected by a good friend of ours that we picked up in Tucson last year. Dozens of sharp, well-formed, classically "hoppered" or skeletal off-white colored crystals of Halite measuring up to 2.3 cm on edge are beautifully scattered over underlying soft golden Trona matrix. Interestingly, there is one Halite crystal on the piece that has a rich golden hue at its center, but I can't determine if this is because another mineral is present, or if there is a just a slight chemical impurity on this one. There are also some chalky white crystals of what could possible be Gaylussite on the piece, but they haven't been analyzed to know for certain. No major damage so attractive up close! PLEASE NOTE: Trona and Halite are soluble in water, so do not expose this piece to moisture, and if you live in a humid environment, try to keep this closed off from moisture in a sealed bag/box. Priced at $1,800 in our inventory.