zeolites

Selection of images from the collection. © Fernando Metelli. All the photos and other material on this site are copyright, if you wish to use them please contact me for permission

Val di Fassa is a famous valley in the Dolomite area, with Triassic rocks and different kinds of volcanites. It is bordering with Alpe di Siusi (go to the devoted page) that is similar from a mineralogical point of view

Buffaure Group area. Located in the upper Val di Fassa, with different kind of volcanic rocks, it is famous for red "heulandite"
	Analcime Group of XX up to 1.5cm wide, with unusual habit, locally called "tripuntato" (three-pointed): it is a combination of esahedron and octahedron, with a nearly cubic habit. Some minor faces have 3 corners (clearly visible in the main X) 12x8cm Alpe Ciamol, Fontanazzo, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa. Trento. Italy Specimen n.819
	Analcime XX up to 0.5cm wide, with a fine contrast from vivid red to white; on the volcanic matrix 12x8cm Drio le Pale, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa. Trento. Italy Specimen n.810 Another photo: a bigger view
	Augite Prismatic X, 0.6cm tall, immersed in the volcanic rock. A typical piece from this locality, self collected a lot of years ago near the Buffaure shelter 3x3cm Giumellino mt, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa, Tento. Italy Specimen n.229
	Baryte Rosette of baryte, 2.3x3.5 wide, posted in a cavity of reddish quartz, with a couple of corroded XX of calcite (up to 3cm long) visible on the left in the 2nd photo. The cavity in the volcanic rock - 15x5cm wide - is surrounded by red compact "heulandite" 20x16cm Drio le Pale, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa, Trento. Italy Specimen n.804 Another photo: entire piece
	"Dachiardite" Rounded formation of red dachiardite, immersed in the volcanic rock toghether with red-to-white mordenite 5x8cm Sella Brunech, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa, Trento. Italy Specimen n.1346
	"Heulandite" Vivid red XX of "heulandite", up to 1.5 cm long. This photo represents a detail of a piece with a lot of XX 8x9cm Drio le Pale, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa, Trento. Italy Specimen n.1197 Another photo: entire piece Another photo: a detailed view on XX
	"Heulandite" Tabular XX, with the typical red color, up to 0.2 cm. "heulandite" refers now to a group of related minerals (Ca, K, Na, Sr), but I do not have such precise classification in my collection (probably this piece is heulandite-Na) 7.5x6cm Drio le Pale, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa, Trento. Italy Specimen n.227
	"Heulandite" Rounded aggregates of XX, up to 1.5cm wide, in the volcanic rock, with calcite 11x6.5cm Drio le Pale, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa, Trento. Italy Specimen n.795 Another photo: a bigger view
	"Heulandite" XX up to 0.4cm high, in a cavity 4.5x2cm large 8.5x7cm Val Giumella, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa, Trento. Italy Specimen n.807 Another photo: the entire cavity
	"Heulandite" Some XX, up to 0.6cm long, posted on white calcite 8.5x5.5cm Val Giumella, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa, Trento. Italy Specimen n.623 Another photo: entire piece
	Prehenite Globular mass of prehenite 6x5cm Sott i sass, Buffaure group, Val di Fassa, Trento. Italy Specimen n.1244
Val Duron area. From the village of Campitello di Fassa, this valley ends at the border between Val di Fassa and Alpe di Siusi (Bolzano prov.)
	Aragonite Globular aragonite, from the upper Val Duron (Campitello di Fassa), near the Pertini shelter (Rifugio Pertini) xcm Val Duron, Val di Fassa, Tento. Italy Specimen n.411 Another photo: a detail of piece
	Calcite Rhombic XX up to 1.6 cm wide, with a cubic appearance, pale pink. It comes from the upper Val Duron (Campitello di Fassa), not far from the finding site of aragonite n.411 piece 7x8cm Val Duron, Val di Fassa, Tento. Italy Specimen n.413

"Dachiardite"
Red flat radial XX grouped in rosettes, max 2cm wide. It is a typical specimen from volcanic rocks in the Dolomiti area. More correctly, it should be dachiardite-Na, that is a secondary mineral hydrothermally altered in volcanic and plutonic rocks (different from the dachiardite-Ca, the first dachiardite described, discovered in the granitic pegmatite of Isola d'Elba). The Type Locality of the dachiardite-Na, is Alpe di Siusi. La Palaccia is a mountain in Val Duron
11x7cm
La Palaccia, Val Duron, Val di Fassa, Trento. Italy
Specimen n.820

Another photo: a bigger view
Another photo: front of entire piece

Quartz after stilbite
Typical sample of pseudomorphosis from this locality (I have also a piece of quartz after analcime, not uncomon from the same place). The former-stilbite ball, with radial formation, is quite large
8.5x5.5cm
Val Duron, Val di Fassa, Trento. Italy
Specimen n.439