Kutnahorite (rare material) (ex Allen Heyl Collection)

Item Description

Without a doubt, this is the first and only piece of this material that I have seen. If it weren't for the accompanying labels, it would be nearly impossible to know where the specimen is from. A richly colored, orange-pink mound of micro crystals of Kutnahorite sitting on matrix. To me, the locality is obscure, and would certainly make any collector of minerals from New Mexico very happy to add to their colleciton. The piece comes from noted and now deceased Colorado geologist Allen Heyl for whom the species Aheylite was named after. Allen purchased this specimen from Carousel Minerals in 1985. For a litte background info, "Cabezon Peak is a volcanic formation in northwest New Mexico measuring 7,785 feet. The actual peak is part of the Mount Taylor volcanic field and is the largest of 50 volcanic necks rising from the Rio Puerco Valley. Dramatic basaltic cliffs on Cabezon provide a close view of an ancient volcano. To the south, the land rises sharply to Mesa Chivato, with cool pine forests and elevations over 8,000 feet. Mesa Chivato is composed of basaltic lava flows that erupted from Mount Taylor 3.3 to 1.5 million years ago. The colorful Cretaceous shoreline and marine rock layers expose lava cap ends and the elevation drops quickly to the Arroyo Chico to the north. The Rio Puerco flows through Cabezon Country, passing close by Cerro Cuate before making a dramatic bend to the south.
The name "Cabezon" is derived from the Spanish noun "cabeza," meaning "head," and "Cabezon" translates as "big head." The peak is believed to have religious significance for the Pueblo and Navajo Indians, and remnants of their visits still exist. The Navajos have various myths associated with Cabezon, one of which explains that the peak and local lava flows came from a giant who was slain upon Mount Taylor. The giant's head became Cabezon Peak and his blood congealed to form the Malpais, or the "bad land" volcanic flow to the south."