Minerals of Scotland

ISLE OF SKYE
Mineral Photo Gallery

ISLE OF SKYE

Skye Mineral Photo Gallery
ZEOLITES

including photographs of
analcime - chabazite - cowlesite
erionite - heulandite
quartz (chalcedony) & native copper.

The photographs depict typical, representative examples
and may be found helpful for identification purposes.

ANALCIME

Analcime is one of the more common zeolite
mineral species to be found on the Isle of Skye.

Occuring at numerous localities, the best examples are to be found at Talisker Bay, Moonen Bay and Oisgill Bay.

Smaller crystals are often colourless and transparent,
while the larger ones are translucent and white in colour.

right - ANALCIME - Talisker Bay, Isle of Skye.
Crystals to 12mm. (spec: 95x50mms).

ANALCIME

above - Moonen Bay, Duirinish, Isle of Skye.
A 3mms. transparent, trapezohedral crystal.

left - Talisker Bay, Isle of Skye.
Translucent, white analcime crystals resting on toffee-brown,
rhombic crystals of calcite. (view c. 20mms).

CHABAZITE

Chabazite is another of the commoner zeolite species to be found on Skye at a number of localities.
It tends to form smallish crystals with a typical cubic habit, though other more complex forms are also found.
The mineral occurs most commonly as intergrowths of crystals which are regularly twinned.

CHABAZITE - Moonen Bay, Isle of Skye.
Twinned groups of creamy crystals to 6mms.

CHABAZITE - The Quiraing, Isle of Skye.
Semi-transparent crystal to 5mms in a basalt cavity
infilled with red thomsonite spherules.

CHABAZITE - Moonen Bay, Duirinish, Isle of Skye.
Complex, white and transparent xtls to 4mms
covering a 100x45mms matrix.

CHABAZITE on Thomsonite - Oisgill Bay, Isle of Skye.
(photo courtesy of F. Frattini).

COWLESITE

Cowlesite is one of the rarer zeolites be be found on Skye. It occurs in the smaller vesicles of the basalt lavas
as small, white to off-white spherules composed of radiating, bladed crystal aggregates.
It is usually the sole occupant of these vesicles. However, small scalenohedral calcite crystals
have also been recorded growing on cowlesite at Moonen Bay.

Though not common at Moonen Bay, this locality has perhaps yielded the best examples
of the species in the United Kingdom. It has also been found on Skye at Loch Snizort and Oisgill Bay.
Another noteworthy site in the UK for the species is Ballyclare, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

COWLESITE - Moonen Bay, Duirinish, Isle of Skye.
Crystals forming soda-coloured spherules. (area - c 10x7 mms).

HEULANDITE

Fairly common on the Isle of Skye, heulandite is best developed at the more recently uncovered locality
of Sgurr nam Boc. At this site, well-developed, larger crystals can be found along with smaller crystals,
varying in colour from white to flesh-pink.

HEULANDITE
Moonen Bay, Duirinish, Isle of Skye.

Cavity containing well-formed, flesh-coloured crystals to 6mms.

HEULANDITE
Moonen Bay, Duirinish, Isle of Skye.

Transparent, heulandite crystal to 3mms with mesolite inclusions.

ERIONITE

One of the rarer zeolites, erionite has been recorded as erionite/ offretite, epitactic overgrowth on levynite crystals.
(see link below).

Very rare are well-developed crystals, hexagonal in appearance. A find a few years ago at Edinbane
is a notable example.

QUARTZ (Chalcedony)
Native COPPER

Not zeolites, but a notable and rare find was made of this association at Moonen Bay, along with the zeolites of the location. Micro-crystals of gypsum were also recorded.
See associated minerals gallery
for more zeolite related/ associated species.

ERIONITE
Black Hill, Edinbane, Isle of Skye.
Orange-brown, hexagonal crystals to 1mm. composed of silky fibres.

CHALCEDONY & Native COPPER
Moonen Bay, Duirinish, Isle of Skye.
A small, spiralling development of native copper on pale blue, botryoidal chalcedony (quartz). (area - c3mms).