Diopside (Specimen #100234)

Mineral(s): Diopside 

Location: Orford Nickel Mine, St-Denis-de-Brompton, Le Val-Saint-François RCM Estrie, Québec 

Size: 10.7 x 3.5 x 2.6 cm 

Provenance: The R&D Collection, Kawartha Minerals Inc. 

Description:  This is a superb, single, brown-yellow crystal specimen of Diopside. This specimen was collected many years ago and it is no longer possible to find specimens like this – a true historic classic from a classic Canadian locale. The crystal is blocky, fully terminated with lustrous, striated faces and is one of the largest and best formed crystals from this deposit that I have ever seen.  

It was the first nickel mine in Canada, back in the late 1870's, but never produced large quantity of nickel. The nickel mine opened a calcite vein at the contact between serpentinized peridotite and volcanic rock. The site was first explored in 1860 as a copper prospect. Famous for excellent specimens of diopside, green grossular (chrome-bearing), orange grossular and millerite. You can find reference in the Min. Record, vol. 25, n. 5 1994 for this locality.