Exceptional datolite crystals from Albion Park, New South Wales: morphology, chemistry and likely origin
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Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mineralogical Society of Victoria
Abstract
Large, well-formed, semi-transparent yellow–green crystals up to 5.6 cm were found in cavities within the Late Permian Bumbo Latite Member of the Gerringong Volcanics in the now abandoned Cleary Brothers Quarry, Albion Park, New South Wales. Although labelled by the collector as calcite, these were later identified as datolite, with two distinct habits, occurring on a matrix of crystallized quartz and
prehnite. The datolite contains very low concentrations of elements other than the essential calcium, silicon, oxygen and boron. Its distinctive chondrite-normalized, positive europium anomaly, when compared with datolite data from elsewhere, suggests crystallization from postdiagenetic
hydrothermal fluids in the temperature range of 200–250°C. These datolite crystals are the finest ever found in Australia and rank highly with those found elsewhere in the world. © 2018 Mineralogical Society of Victoria
Description
Keywords
New South Wales, Australia, Volcanic regions, Rare earths, Hydrothermal alteration, Calcite, Crystalline rocks, Quartz, Temperature range 0065-0273 K
Citation
Graham I.T., Colchester D.M., Cendón D.I. Lay A., Hergt J.M., Greig A., Larsen J. (2018). Exceptional datolite crystals from Albion Park, New South Wales: morphology, chemistry and likely origin. Australian Journal of Mineralogy, 19 (1), 35-44.