GOLDEN HORN BATHOLITH
Washington Pass, Washington
GEOLOGY
Golden Horn Batholith - Tertiary. The Golden Horn Batholith is a highly evolved alkaline (Sodium rich) granite that contains a high concentration of REE (rare earth elements) and other incompatible elements (such as zirconium). During fractional crystallization of an evolving magma, the residual liquid became increasingly enriched in these incompatible elements as phases that were crystallizing rejected them from their structure. Late stage volatile rich fluids carrying this highly fractionated chemistry precipitated a suite of rare minerals in miarolitic cavities within the alkaline granite. The Golden Horn Batholith is the type locality for two of these rare mineral species, zektzerite, NaLiZrSi6O15, and the REE mineral, okanoganite- (Na,Ca)3(Y,Ce)12Si6B2O27F14. Over 50 mineral species have been identified at this locality.

Collecting is within the Okanogan National Forest. The host granite covers a vast area of of alpine terrain.

MINERALS (complete list) CLICK for PHOTOGRAPHED

   Aegirine1
   Aenigmatite1
   Agardite-(Y)1
   Albite1
   Allanite-(Ce)1
   Anatase1
*Arfvedsonite1
*Astrophyllite1
*Bastnäsite-(Ce)1
   Biotite1
   Calciohilairite2
   Calcite1
   'Ca-Catapleiite'1
   Cerussite1
   Chamosite2
   Chevkinite-(Ce)1
   Chrysocolla1
   Clinochlore1
   Elpidite1
   Epidote2
   Euxenite-(Y)1
   Fayalite2
   Fergusonite-beta-(Y)1
    Ferrohornblende2
   Ferrorichterite1
   Fluorite1
   Gadolinite-(Y)1
   Gagarinite-(Y)1
   Galena1
   Goethite1
   Hematite1
   Kainosite-(Y)1
   Löllingite1
   Magnetite1
   Malachite1
   Masutomilite2
*Microcline1
   Molybdenite2
   Monazite-(Ce)1
*Okanoganite-(Y)1
   Orthoclase2
   Parisite-(Ce)2
   Pharmacosiderite1
   Polylithionite1
   Prehnite2
   Pyrite2
*Quartz1
*Riebeckite1
   Scorodite1
*Siderite1
   Sogdianite1
   Sphalerite2
   Synchysite-(Ce)1
   Thorianite1
   Titanite1
   Wulfenite1
   Xenotime-(Y)2
*Zektzerite1
*Zircon1

* photographed

Smoky QUARTZ
with ARFVEDSONITE inclusions

MICROCLINE, ARFVEDSONITE

ZIRCON in miarolitic cavity

Gemmy smoky QUARTZ


Smoky QUARTZ
with ASTROPHYLLITE inclusion

ARFVEDSONITE

MICROCLINE, ARFVEDSONITE

ZEKTZERITE


REIEBECKITE

ZEKTZERITE

OKANOGANITE, ZIRCON

ARFVEDSONITE

BASTNAESITE-(Ce)


SIDERITE