Where is Epidote found?
Epidote
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Open the appEpidote occurs in specific geological environments. Knowing where to look, and in what kind of rock, is the difference between going home empty-handed and finding a great specimen.
Where to find Epidote
Knappenwand, Untersulzbachtal, Salzburg, Austria
World-renowned locality for exceptional, large, and well-formed epidote crystals, often associated with adularia and byssolite.
Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, USA
Known for large, dark green epidote crystals, sometimes associated with quartz and garnet.
Serifos Island, Cyclades, Greece
Produces excellent, often gemmy, pistachio-green epidote crystals, frequently found with quartz and iron oxides.
Dauphiné Alps, France
Historic locality for fine epidote specimens, often found in alpine-type fissures.
Baja California, Mexico
Source of good quality epidote crystals, sometimes associated with prehnite.
Collecting tips
- Look in Metamorphic Terrains. Focus your search in areas known for regional or contact metamorphism, especially where mafic to intermediate igneous rocks or impure limestones have been altered.
- Check Hydrothermal Veins. Epidote often forms in hydrothermal veins, particularly those cutting through altered igneous or metamorphic rocks. Look for green minerals within quartz or calcite veins.
- Examine Skarn Deposits. Skarns, which are contact metamorphic rocks formed at the interface between igneous intrusions and carbonate rocks, are excellent places to find epidote, often associated with garnet and other calc-silicate minerals.
- Identify Associated Minerals. Epidote is commonly found with quartz, calcite, chlorite, actinolite, garnet, plagioclase, and amphiboles. Recognizing these associated minerals can help pinpoint epidote occurrences.
- Look for Distinctive Green Color and Crystal Habit. The characteristic pistachio-green color and prismatic, often striated, crystal habit are key visual identifiers in the field.
Quick Check
- Color:
- Pistachio-green to yellowish-green
- Luster:
- Vitreous to resinous
- Streak:
- White to grayish-white
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