Howlite from Iona, Nova Scotia, Canada

Howlite from Iona, Nova Scotia, Canada. Specimen glued on base. Iona, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, is the world’s only known locality for display-quality macro crystallized howlite. Unlike the white, cauliflower-shaped nodules typically found elsewhere, Iona’s rare prismatic crystals can reach up to 19 mm in length. Embedded in blue-grey anhydrite cliffs along Bras d’Or Lake, these delicate crystals are naturally revealed as seawater transforms the surrounding rock into soft gypsum, which gradually flakes away; destroying these rare crystals in the process. At low tide, collectors carefully extract the exposed crystals from the hard matrix, making each specimen a remarkable and uncommon mineral find. Minerals: Howlite Locality: Iona, Nova Scotia, Canada Size: 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.25 inches Weight: 40 g