The Collector’s Guide to the Epidote Group – Book

Minerals of the epidote group are well known to mineral collectors for their rich colors, diversity of locations, and the many interesting minerals with which they occur. Lapidary artists also value epidote, particularly in the form of unakite, and precious or semiprecious varieties of the related mineral zoisite, including thulite and tanzanite. The group is also of great interest to geochemists and is the subject of research on a number of fronts.

This concise monograph provides a timely review of the epidote group, including recent changes in the nomenclature and in-depth information on all presently known species. The book is generously illustrated with nearly 80 full-color photographs of representative specimens from the author’s extensive research collection.

After a brief introduction, the general treatment begins with an explanation of the chemistry and taxonomy of the group with supporting tables to illustrate the logic of their classification and relationships to one another. A section on their formation and geochemistry explains the kinds of environments where epidotes can form. Then, a detailed entry for each mineral provides extensive locality information and full-color photos wherever possible so that collectors can see what good specimens look like and which minerals one might expect to find in association with epidotes.

This volume, and others in the series, will be of interest to every collector interested in developing a better understanding of these minerals.