UC Minerals Shop
Calcite in Mercenaria sp. Shell
$265.50
Specimen # 220388
Specimen Locality: Rucks Pit, Okeechobee County, Florida
Mineral Description: A grade A specimen of calcite-replaced Mercenaria sp. Clam shell. These are famous worldwide for their unique form and beauty. This specimen fluoresces and phosphoresces nicely. They are formed when groundwater dissolves shell material from a coquina matrix surrounding clams and re-precipitates calcite in the interior (vug) of the shells. You can see the line of sand (geopetal structure) where the clam was lying with the hingeline of the shell facing up (best seen in the fourth photo), indicating that the shell was water filled, allowing the calcite to grow in the void space. Height: 10 Width: 5.5 Depth: 4 cm