Bicolor sputnik aragonite, medium "Double Scoop"

Bicolor sputnik aragonite, medium "Double Scoop"Locale: Morocco Approx dimensions: 3. 25 x 2" Approx weight: 295g This variety of aragonite clusters earns its trade name from the resemblance to the Sputnik satellite, with crystals protruding out in all directions. The bicolor variety grows crystals that are red brown and a grayish white color. This piece has two large connected spheres like two scoops of ice cream. It has well formed crystals in a good bicolor balance on one side, and the other

Locale: Morocco

Approx dimensions: 3.25 x 2"

Approx weight: 295g

This variety of aragonite clusters earns its trade name from the resemblance to the Sputnik satellite, with crystals protruding out in all directions. The bicolor variety grows crystals that are red-brown and a grayish-white color. This piece has two large connected spheres like two scoops of ice cream. It has well-formed crystals in a good bicolor balance on one side, and the other side is largely covered with broken crystals.

Sputnik aragonite grows clusters of elongated hexagonal barrel-shaped crystals, radiating out from a central point. The crystal habit is actually 'pseudo-hexagonal' meaning the crystals that appear hexagonal are actually formed of multiple intergrown crystals (crystal 'twinning'). This pseudo-hexagonal crystal habit is common in aragonite! The crystals grow similar to the arms of a snowflake, forming six small pie-wedges (the boundary between crystals is about halfway between points).