Leucophanite, Aegirine

A rare combination thumbnail from the famed Poudrette Quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, features classic, blocky, orthorhombic, yellow/white leucophanite crystals, on the surface of a black aegirine crystal. Additionally, leucophanite crystals are associated with mounds of serandite. Leucophanite typically occurs in pegmatites and alkali igneous complexes, appearing as yellow, greenish, and white, (or pink under UV). These triclinic crystals, have been found in Norway, Quebec, and Russia. First described from the Langesundfiord district of southern Norway in 1840, its name derives from the Greek words "leucos" for "white" and "phanein" for "to appear," referencing its common white colour.