Gypsum

Unknown Owner

These fascinating specimens are formed from spherical clusters of Gypsum whose outermost layer is encrusted with Selenite crystals, the transparent variety of Gypsum. Projecting out of these balls and also linking them together are beautifully twinned Selenite crystals averaging 1.5 to 2.5 cm long and in one example, almost 4 cm in width. The interlinked Gypsum spheres form an appearance of a ‘ball and stick’ atom model, a highly unusual manifestation of Gypsum and Selenite. This specimen is from the Red River Floodway in the Winnipeg Metro Region of Manitoba, Canada and were discovered only when the floodway (or canal) excavation reached sufficient depth to access the Pleistocene Lake Agassiz clay bed. Please note this specimen has been professionally restored which as far as I can tell is completely invisible to detect. The specimen fluoresces dull creamy white in SWUV and springs into life under LWUV, emitting a bright, slightly yellow tinted white light, especially from the projecting Selenite twins.