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Identity HelpOkenite or mordenite?

10th Jan 2015 18:44 UTCJason Evans

06797980016022462243607.jpg
Today I added a new mineral to my collection, it was sold as okenite and the locality is given as Kurad, Mumbai, India. This is where I have run into a problem, I checked Mindat to confirm that locality and the nearest match I could find is Kurade Quarry, Pirangud, Pune District (Poonah District), Maharashtra, India. Assuming this is the same locality I see okenite is not listed as occurring there, but mordenite is and then I started looking at mordenite and found a few similar specimens. So could this actually be mordenite? Or maybe there is a Kurad quarry in Mumbai where okenite is found but it has not been added to the database.

I found more specimens of okenite that match what i have compared to mordenite.

The underside of the specimen is strange it appears this snowball grew without matrix, I have seen a few like this but they dont show the underside.

01844700016010254742046.jpg

10th Jan 2015 19:48 UTCturtledove thrushe

Jason that is very likely Okenite. Mordenite is usually massive from India or has a different crystal form and is usually associated with other minerals such as Stilbite.


You can ask Rock Currier who has experience with Indian Zeolites.

10th Jan 2015 20:11 UTCJason Evans

Thanks Vitality, I think it is okenite as someone has told me that okenite crystals are more soft and pliable whereas mordenite is not.

10th Jan 2015 20:32 UTCturtledove thrushe

No problem Jason. I just checked for you and I have a specimen that also resembles that one without matrix and labelled as Okenite. Mordenite Balls are different and may usually be associated with other minerals or may be on a blue chalcedony matrix.


You can also look here:


http://www.mindat.org/gallery.php?cform_is_valid=1&min=2779&cf_pager_page=5


It goes up to about page 9 for Mordenite in India.

11th Jan 2015 13:05 UTCJason Evans

Thanks again for your help on this. Now I am curious to the specimens with no matrix, do they form like this or have they been removed from the matrix, if so that must be quite a difficult thing given the delicate nature of okenite.

11th Jan 2015 13:32 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

I have one like that as well, I am sure they just break them off the matrix or they have fallen off.

13th Jan 2015 19:02 UTCRock Currier Expert

Yes, the quarries that produce/produced these okenite balls produce them when the rock is blasted for rock production in the quarries. They are shaken loose by the blasting.
 
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