A novelty at Sainte Marie-aux- Mines 2016. Characteristically platy Ilmenite crystals with irregular contour and completely pseudomorphed by Rutile, coated by very sharp Titanite crystals that are bright, with very well defined faces and edges, and with a very apparent pleochroism that shows a yellow color under led light but is greenish with natural or neon light.
The process of replacement of Ilmenite by Rutile seems very similar to that of other localities with similar geological conditions (by example the Zambian Rutile) and it is due to hydrothermal processes at the site. These samples, very different from the Titanite previously known at Imilchil, have required a hurried analytical process that we’ll extend and complete. We’ll send to the buyer the information and documentation previously obtained about the process and also a copy of the analyses done on the different species present in these samples.
This specimen has been photographed and published as a novelty at the 2016 Ste. Marie Show in the magazine "Lapis" number 07-08/2016, page 73
Imilchil area, Anti-Atlas, Er Rachidia Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region Morocco (2016)
Specimen size: 5.6 × 3.9 × 5.9 cm = 2.20” × 1.54” × 2.32”
Main crystal size: 0.9 × 0.3 cm = 0.35” × 0.12”
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