Weloganite (rare classic material)

Item Description

Here we have a rather rich specimen of Weloganite, a very rare sodium strontium zirconium carbonate species. It was named in 1967 in honor of William Edmond Logan who was the first director of the Geological Survey of Canada. The only significant crystals of this mineral have been found at a single world locality, the famous Francon Quarry in Quebec, which is the type locality for the species. The quarry produced world-class pieces several decades ago, and they will never be seen again, and the locality is complete shut down. Fine Weloganites are prized by collectors for their unique form, unusual chemistry and beautiful crystallization. This piece features dozens of good quality, translucent, pale yellowish color (with a white coating on the exterior - possibly an alteration or maybe a minute layer of Dresserite?) crystals of Weloganite measuring up to 8 mm, sitting on matrix. It's quite rare to find so many crystals of Weloganite on a single specimen. This is an extremely rare mineral, and good specimens are few and far between, especially on matrix. It should be noted that the Francon Quarry is close to the famous Mt. Saint Hilaire Quarry in Quebec, so sometimes these specimens are labeled as coming from MSH, but they are only found at Francon.
Ex Colin Manlove Collection.