Quartz pseudomorph after Baryte (ex Dr. Wouter van Tichelen Collection)

Item Description

An odd and rare locality specimen from west of Grand Junction, near the small town of Fruita (which has a really cool little dinosaur museum by the way). I've seen a select few pieces of this material on the market over the years, and they are found in the Brushy Basin Member of Jurassic Morrison Formation. This locality has been referenced in the Journal of Paleontology, 1942 (Volume 16, Number 4, pages 459-460 - https://www.jstor.org/stable/1298840?refreqid=excelsior%3A0894c1857488573f2dabda0458cd274a&seq=1). A pair of prismatic orthorhombic crystals of what was formerly Baryte have been replaced by Quartz / Chalcedony / Jasper, ranging in color from a smoky blue-grey hue to a dark brick red color. The smaller crystal on the specimen is actually doubly-terminated and measures 1.0 cm long. Rare material, and a must have for any fan of unique thumbnails, cool pseudomorphs or simply minerals of Colorado. From the prestigious pseudomorph collection of Dr. Wouter van Tichelen of Belgium.