Minerals of Scotland

ISLE of SKYE
Mineral Photo Gallery

ISLE OF SKYE

MINERAL PHOTO GALLERY

Zeolite Species & Associated Minerals

including photographs on this page of

apophyllite - gyrolite - mesolite
levyne - erionite - offretite

APOPHYLLITE

Apophyllite has been one of the major minerals of interest to be found in recent years at Moonen Bay.
The precise species at the locality has been determined
ato be hydroxylapophyllite.

Colourless to pale green tinted crystals were recovered with both prismatic and pyramidal crystal forms developed.

Apophyllite has been found elsewhere on the island
in the past at The Storr, for example,
where fluorapophyllite was identified.

APOPHYLLITE - Moonen Bay, Isle of Skye.
Crystals to 13mms on mesolite.

APOPHYLLITE
Moonen Bay, Isle of Skye.
interlocking group of xtls to 1cm.

APOPHYLLITE
Moonen Bay, Isle of Skye.
13mms. pyramidal xtl with multiple terminations.

GYROLITE

Gyrolite, a zeolite-related mineral species has its type locality on the island, at The Storr.
This silicate species has been found at a few sites on the island, but it is not all that common.

GYROLITE - Talisker Bay, Isle of Skye.
above - Spherules to 4mms composed of fine plates.
left - Gyrolite plates on globular aggregates of thomsonite.

OFFRETITE - ERIONITE

Offretite/ erionite epitactic overgrowths on levyne crystals are a characteristic of these mineral species.
These occur as tiny, white fibrous aggregates in parallel growth on tabular, hexagonal levyne crystals.
To the naked eye, these appear as silky coatings along the edges of the levyne crystals.

ERIONITE/ OFFRETITE
Moonen Bay, Duirinish, Isle of Skye.

Basalt cavity revealing broken levyne crystals edged by silky aggregates of offretite/ erionite. Cavity size c.2cms.

ERIONITE/ OFFRETITE
Moonen Bay, Duirinish, Isle of Skye.

Silky, epitactic, acicular growths on the edges
of tabular levyne crystals. (7x5 mms area).

LEVYNE
(Levynite)

One of the less common zeolites of Skye, levyne has nevertheless been recorded at several sites.

Moonen Bay and Oisgill Bay have produced
some of the better examples.

As with cowlesite and phillipsite, levyne is often found
by itself in small cavities, though other species
have been noted in association.

Levyne forms typical and distinctive, flattish, bi-pyramidal hexagonal crystals, white in colour or partly frosty
in appearance, to a few millimetres.
Crystals are generally intergrown.

LEVYNE - Oisgill Bay, Isle of Skye.
A partially transparent crystal to 3mms.

EPI-STILBITE

This uncommon zeolite mineral is equally uncommon on the Isle of Skye.
Its occurence is restricted to a few sites, including Sgurr nam Boc and Talisker Bay.

However, probably the best site for this mineral on the island is at Oisgill Bay,
where some fine specimens of micro-crystals have been found in recent years.

MESOLITE

Mesolite is fairly common on the Isle of Skye and probably the species' most notable occurence on the island
is at Talisker Bay. It is to be found here as very thin, delicate and flexible white fibres - resembling whiskers -
infilling cavities and often associated with other minerals, particularly analcime and thomsonite.
Due to their delicate nature, care is needed to recover and retain good hand specimens.

When viewed under a microscope, individual fibres can be found spanning cavities or bridging gaps
between two crystals of another species. Others may suspend crystals of another species, dangling along their width.

MESOLITE - Talisker Bay, Isle of Skye.

above: Fibrous, felt-like aggregates of mesolite.
right: Radiating mesolite spray in amygdule.
Another amygdule nearby is infilled with analcime.
(Fabrizio Frattini photos & specimens).