A brecciated basalt matrix specimen from Waterfoot, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, displaying numerous small vugs lined with zeolite minerals. The cavities host a varied assemblage including gonnardite, thomsonite, cowlesite, and mesolite, forming delicate coatings and fibrous aggregates typical of zeolite mineralization in basalt. The scattered vugs throughout the matrix create an interesting display that illustrates the complex mineralization associated with these volcanic rocks.
Waterfoot lies at the base of Glenariff, one of the famous Glens of Antrim. The area is part of the extensive Antrim Plateau Basalts, a Paleogene volcanic province well known for producing a wide variety of zeolite minerals within vesicles and fractures in the basalt flows. Collecting along the coastal exposures and nearby outcrops has yielded numerous zeolite species, making the region a classic locality for these minerals in Northern Ireland. From the collection of Robert Yeoman.
