Axinite from New Melones Dam, California, USA

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A loose grouping of lustrous gemmy sharp axinite crystals. Minor epidote is attached along one lower edge. From the 1970s, this is in very good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.The geology of the New Melones Dam area in Calaveras County, California, features complex metamorphic and igneous rock formations situated within the historic Sierra Nevada foothills, a region long famous for its gold-bearing quartz veins and historical mining. During major excavation and construction work for the dam project in the 1970s, particularly in the spillway cuts, mineral collectors and geologists discovered remarkable pockets containing world-class specimens of clove-brown axinite crystals. These highly lustrous, sharp, wedge-shaped crystals formed within altered fracture zones and veins, quickly establishing the site as one of the most celebrated and renowned mineral localities for the species.

Product details

SpeciesAxinite

SizeMiniature

Dimensions3.3 x 3.2 x 0.3 cm

Added on10/02/2026

LocalityUSA, California, New Melones Dam

Current owner

Unknown Owner

Acquired: Oct 2026
Price paid: $160.00

Previous owners

Date	Collector	Acquisition price
—	Weinrich Minerals	Not disclosed

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Mineral guide

Learn about Axinite

wedge-shaped, razor-edged crystals with glassy luster and strong pleochroism; varieties axinite-(Fe/Mn/Mg) and tinzenite from alpine clefts and skarns

Regional guide