Description
Fluorescent Honey Yellow Calcite on druzy quartz, with a classic zeolite assemblage in a celadonite-lined basalt vesicle.
This specimen is a classic example of secondary mineralization from the basalt cavities of the Deccan Traps in western India, an area world-renowned for producing aesthetic calcite, quartz, and zeolite combinations.
The piece displays a cross-section through a mineralized gas vesicle (lava “bubble”). It is cut and ground into the traditional Jalgaon display form—flat-bottom and self-standing—so the pocket is presented face-forward. This style of display reveals the vesicle wall, the interior mineral linings, and—most importantly—the complete sequence of mineral growth preserved within a single cavity.
The basalt cavity wall is lined with a thin green layer of celadonite (not exposed in all areas). The next layer is a white fibrous zeolite mass, likely mordenite/mesolite, overlain by quartz druse and later honey-colored calcite crystals. The honey calcite occurs in attractive bladed to wedge-shaped crystals with warm amber tones from trace iron.
UV Fluorescence
The calcite displays notable luminescent properties:
Longwave UV (365 nm):
Strong, cyan to aqua fluorescence across the calcite crystals.
Phosphorescence:
A faint greenish afterglow is visible after UV exposure, somewhat more pronounced following shortwave illumination.
That color mix — cyan fluorescence with greener afterglow - is consistent with Mn-activated calcite with minor secondary activators and trace Pb or rare earth elements (not uncommon in Deccan Trap cavity calcites)
A large, colorless calcite cleavage plate is exposed along one side of the specimen, showing flat planar surfaces land slight iridescence along the cleavage planes.
Additional white to pale peach crystals present on the piece are heulandite, a common zeolite associated with calcite and quartz in Deccan Trap cavities.
Size: 95 x 65 x 63 mm. 436 grams.
Jalgaon District, Maharashtra, India (Deccan Traps).