Purple Halite, Prairie Evaporite Formation, Saskatchewan, Canada

Saskatchewan is a world leader in halite and sylvite ("potash") production for the fertilizer industry, supplying 22 million tonnes annually or about 30-40% of global production. These underground mines, as you can imagine, are massive, volume-focused operations. Occasionally blue and purple halite is encountered but rarely saved from the crushers. I am not aware of any producers that allow for the collection (and preservation) of these special mineralogical wonders. Luckily the occasional miner saves a handful of pieces, like this beauty offered here. Since the specimens are collected against corporate policies, the mine for this specimen is omitted here to protect the identity of the field collector (who we hope continues to bring more to the market!). I can say these specimens were recently recovered and are from the Devonian-aged Prairie Evaporite Formation. The unique colours are possibly due to deformation of the halite crystal structure or due to minute traces of radioactive inclusions. I am not aware of any scientific work dedicated to the cause of colour in Saskatchewan halite though. Of the two colours, purple is the rarest. This specimen has deep purple to blue-purple colouration in individual halite crystals and as plumes in colourless halite. The purple is somewhat reminiscent of fluorite and may fool your mineral-savvy friends! From: Prairie Evaporite Formation, Saskatchewan. Dimensions: 6 cm x 6 cm x 6 cm