FLUORITE ON APOPHYLLITE

ABOUT THE SPECIMEN

Botryoidal fluorite is a trademark of this Indian state, and even then this combination is relatively uncommon. Much of the accompanying light grey/white apophyllite is well-crystallized, with sharp faces and excellent luster, adding a fantastic complement to the bubbly yellow/light orange fluorite that is scattered around this marvelous large cabinet sample. All in all, these two species make for a relatively rare combination, and on top of all this, the fluorite is both highly fluorescent and super phosphorescent - check the last photo to get a general idea of how much it glows!

MORE INFO

The Mahodari Quarry exploits basaltic lava flows from the Deccan Traps, a massive flood basalt province that erupted approximately 66-65 Ma at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. The secondary minerals formed much more recently in gas cavities (amygdules) within the basalt through low-temperature hydrothermal fluids circulating through the cooled flows. Mahodari is particularly famous for spherical and "mushroom-shaped" fluorite specimens in translucent golden-amber to purple colors, reaching 3-5 cm diameter, characteristically perched on colorless quartz crystals with blocky apophyllite associations. The fluorite often displays a distinctive frosted surface texture and can glow orange-yellow when backlit. What makes Mahodari significant is its production of these unusual botryoidal fluorite forms rather than typical cubic crystals; specimens showing amber spheres on white quartz with green or colorless apophyllite pyramids create striking color contrasts. The quarry belongs to the Nashik quarry system that revolutionized Indian zeolite and associated mineral collecting when specimens first reached Western markets in the 1970s following Sukheswala's landmark publications, though fluorite finds came later.