Cavansite

Object/Artifact

-

Crater Rock Museum

Cavansite

Cavansite

Name/Title

Cavansite

Entry/Object ID

2014.1.129

Description

Assemblage Zone: pegmatite dikes Chemical Composition: Ca(VO)Si4O10(H2O)4, Hydra Crystal System: Orthorhombic System Description: Common Name: Cavansite on Quartz Group Name: zeolite Chemistry: Ca(VO)Si4O10(H2O)4 Location: Waghuli, Pune District, India or Malheur co.,OR Description: A triangular rock (purple-brown) with a coating of gray drusy calcite. On this sits two Cavansite crystals that are the usual bright, dark blue color. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Color is greenish-blue to ocean blue. Luster vitreous to pearly. Transparency transparent to translucent. Crystal System: Orthorhombic Crystal Habits radiating acicular crystals forming spherical crystal clusters. Cleavage perfect in one direction. Fracture conchoidal. Hardness 3 - 4 Specific Gravity is approximately 2.33 Streak is blue. Associated Minerals include zeolites such as stilbite and heulandite as well as calcite, apophyllite , babingtoniteand quartz. Other Characteristics: larger crystals show an unusual internal reflection. Best Field Indicators are color, associations, locality and crystal habit. Fracture: Conchoidal Hardness: 3 Calcite Luster: Vitreous Occurrence: In a brown tu® partly ¯lling a fault ¯ssure (Lake Owyhee State Park, Oregon, USA); in a vesicular basalt and red tu® breccia, as cavity ¯llings and in calcite veinlets (Chapman quarry, Oregon, USA); in pores of altered basalt breccia and tu®aceous andesite (Poona district, India). Notable Occurrence is Poona, India and Columbia Co. and Malheur Co., Oregon, USA. Specific Gravity: 2.1-2.5 Streak: blue Variety: Cavansite is a beautiful and rare mineral. It was only discovered in the last 30 years and is found in only a few locallities. By far the best crystals come from the famous zeolite quarries in Poona, India. Crystal aggregates consist of spherical rosettes with jutting pointed crystals. The deep blue color of even the smallest cavansite crystals is truly amazing. A beautiful blue cavansite rosette perched on top of the muted colors of the typical zeolites makes a dramatic crystal association. Cavansite's rarity and beauty explain its recent popularity.

Collection

RAGM Mineral Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2014.1

Source or Donor

Crater Rock Museum (unknown donors)

Acquisition Method

Gift

Dimensions

Width

2 in

Depth

1-3/4 in

Length

3 in

Weight

0.1 oz

Dimension Notes

Dimension taken at widest points

Location

Location

Shelf

CS-D-5

Room

Curation Storage

Building

Crater Rock Museum

Date

January 24, 2024

Location

Cabinet

J-1 rear

Wall

North

Building

Storage (old gift shop upstairs)

Category

Permanent