Enstatite from Bamble, Telemark, Norway - image 1

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Enstatite from Bamble, Telemark, Norway

$120.00

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A prismatic semi lustrous black terminated crystal of enstatite 2.0 x 0.7 x 0.5 cm in size embedded up on matrix with several partial enstatite crystals. Minor apatite is present. In good condition, the specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.Located in Telemark County, Norway, the Bamble sector is part of a famous Precambrian high-grade metamorphic terrane featuring amphibolite to granulite facies rocks formed over a billion years ago. Mining history in Bamble expanded significantly in the nineteenth century, particularly with active operations extracting nickel, copper, and apatite from regional veins and altered intrusive rocks. Historic localities around Bamble, such as the Kjorrestad and Odegarden deposits, became globally famous among mineral collectors and researchers for yielding remarkably large crystals and well-formed prismatic specimens. Among the notable minerals found in this region is enstatite, a magnesium-rich orthopyroxene that formed during high-temperature metamorphic processes within ultra-mafic bodies and hydrothermal veins. Historic collecting efforts and research by early geologists preserved these classic enstatite specimens in major museum collections worldwide.