irradiated smoky quartz

Hello all,

This photo does not strike me as a naturally occuring specimen. Looks like run of the mill irradiation of Al included Arkansas quartz.

[www.mindat.org]

Any thoughts on adjusting its name?

Cheers.
Ian

Complaint sent.

Just a thought.
If they are irradiated, what stopped the quartz matrix and areas at bottom of xtls from blackening? Simply no Al in those areas?

Bill G



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2008 04:42PM by Bill Gordon.

Bill,

I have also wnodered that as the bottoms not being colored is a common occurence with these. Perhaps you are correct. Perhaps someone will need a tax write-off one day and fund a smal;l experiment to test that hypothesis.

Does anyone know of any other chemical substitutions that might cause this effect in the quartz, some elemtent that prefferential is incorporated away from the wall-vein contact?

Cheers.
Ian