Description
EUDIALYTE SPECIMEN
This is the polished pink-cherry eudialyte specimen. Dimensions: 2.4 x 1.2 x 0.7″ (6 x 3.1 x 1.9cm). Weight – 1.3oz (36 grams). Origin: Russia, Kola Peninsula.
Some information about eudialyte:
Eudialyte, whose name derives from the Greek meaning “well decomposable”, is a somewhat rare, nine member ring cyclosilicate mineral, which forms in alkaline igneous rocks, such as nepheline syenites. Its name alludes to its ready solubility in acid.
Eudialyte was first described in 1819 for an occurrence in nepheline syenite of the Ilimaussaq intrusive complex of southwest Greenland.
Eudialyte used as a minor ore of zirconium. Another use of eudialyte is as a minor gemstone, but this use is limited by its rarity, which is compounded by its poor crystal habit. These factors make eudialyte of primary interest as a collector’s mineral.