Ludwigite (RARE California) Smithsonian & Paterson Museum Coll.

Item Description

An exceptionally RARE and rich ludwigite specimen from the famous Crestmore quarries. Highly lustrous black prisms cover all sides of the hefty and sculptural matrix wedge. Ludwigite is a is a relatively rare high-temperature magnesium iron oxy-borate, that occurs in contact metamorphic deposits. Two about 400' thick limestone beds were metamorphosed and recrystallized into marble during the early Triassic. Several later magmatic intrusions produced a complex suite of contact metamorphic minerals (MINDAT). It has a fine provenance. Previously in the Smithsonian Collection and was gifted to the Paterson Museum, where it was on display. A signficant and rare California ludwigite with remarkable richness. A MUST for the species or California collector!