SYLVITE
Specimen syv-3
$ 25.00Dims: 1.8 x 1.4 x 1.2" (4.6 x 3.6 x 3.0 cm)
Wt: 1.4 oz. (39.2 g)
Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, U.S.A.
This small hand specimen consists of a heavily broken cluster of intersecting Sylvite cubes. The specimen is obviously a piece out of a larger semicrystalline mass, and though there are no complete crystals present, there are many definable edges and a few clean faces that possess a bright vitreous luster. The specimen is generally translucent, but there are areas of transparence and impressive clarity. Studying one of these shows that the Sylvite is generally colorless, but is heavily included with a brick-red substance that is probably hematite or limonite; this inclusion gives the specimen its generally rusty-red color.