Calcite with Quartz

This is a curious specimen with a crystal within a crystal within a crystal. The central portion (core) is barely .5cm across and is a highly modified hexagon with a pinacoid termination. It rests on a slightly larger “platform” which protrudes from the next layer, which is now nearly 2cm in diameter. This is the most water clear of the layers. It, in turn, protrudes from a 2.5cm diameter layer. Several more, partially completed, layers climb the “walls”. Additionally, several water clear quartz are sistered along one side but are nearly invisible.

Locality: Bor Quarry, Dal’Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

Composition: calcium carbonate