Garnets on Mica and Orthoclase – Shigar Valley, Pakistan | Ref. 125

Specimen overview

This specimen from Shigar Valley, Pakistan, combines numerous garnet crystals with mica and orthoclase.

The numerous garnet crystals range from reddish brown to very dark red and are distributed across much of the specimen. Some are well exposed, while others remain partially embedded within the associated minerals.

The mica forms numerous overlapping blades in grey-beige to light brown tones and occupies a significant part of the specimen. The orthoclase, associated with the garnets and mica, shows lighter shades ranging from beige to cream, with occasional slightly pinkish tones.

The different views reveal a dense mineral association, with garnets of varying sizes distributed across several faces. The video provides a clearer view of their arrangement and of the layered mica crystals.

Provenance

This specimen comes from Shigar Valley, in Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan, a region known for its granitic pegmatites and their associations of garnets, mica and feldspar minerals.

Dimensions

The specimen measures 93 × 63 × 53 mm (L × W × H) and weighs 291 g.