Africa088 - Diopside and Fluorapatite on Graphite - Block D, Merelani Hills, Lelatema Mts, Arusha Region, Namibia

Excellent combination specimen of well-crystallized graphite, diopside, and fluorapatite from Block D, Merelani. The light green diopside, which measures to 1.1 cm, is well-crystallized and gemmy. The two small apatite crystals, which measure to just over 2 mm, beautifully show the dichroism common from this mine; as shown in picture 5, the apatite is blue when viewed down the c-axis and colorless when viewed perpendicular to it. The apatite is fluorescent. 6.2 x 4.3 x 2.3 cm.

For more information on this locality, please see the superb article by John Jaszczak and Daniel Trinchillo in Rocks and Minerals, Vol. 88, Issue 2 (the abstract can be found here).