Vesuvianite

Quito, formally called San Francisco de Quito, is the capital of Ecuador, whose outskirts appear to contain at least one volcano. Admittedly an area of mineralisation I know little about, but this fine and perfectly crystallised cluster of Vesuvianite crystals is testament to probably a skarn environment, a typical deposit in which this silicate minerals forms. The largest crystal measures 2.7 cm tall and is opaque, mottled glassy dark bottle green blended with sandy-sage green Vesuvianite. The dominant crystal is surrounded and intersected by several similar yet smaller crystals, some of which may be double terminated. A terrific example of well crystallised Vesuvianite from Ecuador.