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Mesolite
Chip Clark
Specimen | Catalog Number | Locality | Weight |
---|---|---|---|
Mesolite | NMNH 146882 | India, Maharashtra |
Gift of Mary H. Stuart.
Mesolite commonly forms as elongated needle-like or prismatic crystals, typically in hairlike or fibrous sprays that are colorless, white, or gray. Each needle in this spray is a single crystal. The crystals grew from a water solution that circulated through cooled volcanic rock. They fanned out to fill a cavity left by a gas bubble in the rock. The name comes from the Greek “mesos” meaning “middle” as its chemical composition falls between natrolite and scolecite.