Lujavrite matrix very rich in dispersed, tiny and bright crystals of Naujakasite, forming a representative specimen of one of the characteristic mineral associations of the Ilímaussaq alkaline complex.
Naujakasite is an extremely rare mineral, described precisely from this singular Greenlandic geological environment, and the presence of small red acicular crystals of Tuperssuatsiaite adds further interest to the specimen.
The specimen comes from the Mineralogical and Geological Museum of the University of Copenhagen, preserving its original historic label, a detail of interest both because of the scientific importance of the institution and because of the museum’s close historical relationship with the mineralogical study of Greenland and the Ilímaussaq complex.
Ilímaussaq is an alkaline igneous intrusion of Mesozoic age (Ilímaussaq Complex), located in southern Greenland near Narsaq. It is one of the world’s most famous peralkaline complexes, dominated by nepheline syenites and particularly highly evolved agpaitic rocks. This geological setting is remarkable for its enrichment in rare elements (REE, Zr, Nb, Be, U, Th), leading to an exceptional mineral assemblage with numerous rare and type species. Crystallization in cavities and pegmatitic zones allows the development of well-formed crystals of uncommon species, many of them unique or first described from this complex.
Ilímaussaq complex, Narsaq area, Kujalleq Kommuner, Southwest Greenland, Greenland Denmark
Specimen size: 8.1 × 4.6 × 3.9 cm = 3.19” × 1.81” × 1.54”
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