{"title":"Turkmenistan","description":"\u003cp\u003eTurkmenistan, occupying the arid heart of Central Asia between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag range, is a lesser-known but genuinely distinctive source of mineral specimens shaped by evaporite basins, karst caves, and Jurassic-to-Quaternary sedimentary sequences. The country's most celebrated locality among collectors is the \u003cstrong\u003eKap-Kutan Cave System\u003c\/strong\u003e (also called the \u003cstrong\u003eCupp-Coutunn Karst Cave System\u003c\/strong\u003e) in the \u003cstrong\u003eKugitangtau Ridge\u003c\/strong\u003e, Lebap Region, a vast gypsum-karst labyrinth famous for exceptional \u003cstrong\u003efluorite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ecalcite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ecelestine\u003c\/strong\u003e and rare cave minerals formed in a hydrothermal, low-temperature karst environment. Nearby, the \u003cstrong\u003eGaurdak basin\u003c\/strong\u003e, with its historic \u003cstrong\u003eMine No. 3\u003c\/strong\u003e near Chardzhou, is the type locality for \u003cstrong\u003epara-alumohydrocalcite\u003c\/strong\u003e and has produced fine \u003cstrong\u003egypsum\u003c\/strong\u003e (including selenite), \u003cstrong\u003ecalcite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ehalloysite\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003enative sulfur\u003c\/strong\u003e from thick Jurassic potash-bearing evaporite sequences that also hold enormous reserves of \u003cstrong\u003esylvite\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ecarnallite\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the northwest, the \u003cstrong\u003eBeineu-Kyr\u003c\/strong\u003e deposit in the \u003cstrong\u003eTuarkyr Mountains\u003c\/strong\u003e, Ahal Province, is prized by strontium-mineral collectors for its uncommon \u003cstrong\u003ecelestine\u003c\/strong\u003e crystals — tabular and platy, often pale blue to white with striking red hematite inclusions — a look distinct from the more common Malagasy or American material. Other notable occurrences include the \u003cstrong\u003eCheleken Peninsula\u003c\/strong\u003e near Türkmenbaşy, where native \u003cstrong\u003elead\u003c\/strong\u003e and lead oxychlorides have been documented precipitating in old oil-pipe casings alongside \u003cstrong\u003ecalcite\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the \u003cstrong\u003eKougitang\u003c\/strong\u003e lead-zinc deposit, hosting \u003cstrong\u003egalena\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003epyrite\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003esphalerite\u003c\/strong\u003e in Jurassic limestones. Turkmenistan's broader mineral inventory, built on more than 200 identified deposits, includes \u003cstrong\u003ebarite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003egypsum\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003emarble\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ebentonite\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ekaolin\u003c\/strong\u003e clays, potash salts, and the sulfate deposits of Karabogazgol Bay, one of the world's great natural reservoirs of \u003cstrong\u003emirabilite\u003c\/strong\u003e and sodium sulfate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCollectors seek Turkmen material precisely because it is scarce outside a handful of Soviet-era mineralogical publications and museum collections such as the Fersman Mineralogical Museum — cave-grown \u003cstrong\u003efluorite\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ecelestine\u003c\/strong\u003e from Kap-Kutan rarely reached the open market before the 1990s, making well-documented specimens genuinely uncommon. Combined with the striking red-and-white banding of Beineu-Kyr celestine and the type-locality status of Gaurdak for rare hydrated aluminum-calcium carbonates, Turkmenistan offers specialists in Central Asian evaporite and karst mineralogy pieces that are difficult to source anywhere else, each carrying a strong story of remote desert geology and Soviet-era exploration history.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"rb5-celestina-urss-1","title":"CELESTINE – Gemmy Clear Crystals, Orange Matrix, Beineu-Kyr, Turkmenistan","description":"\u003cp\u003eA striking Celestine specimen from the legendary and now-historic Beineu-Kyr locality in the Tuarkyr Mountains of Turkmenistan, prized by collectors for its rarity and exceptional gem-like clarity. Sharp, water-clear Celestine crystals rise from a warm orange matrix colored by hematite inclusions, producing a bold and elegant contrast rarely encountered from this remote Central Asian find.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMineral Data:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 81 x 53 x 61 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 341 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Beineu-Kyr, Tuarkyr Mountains, Geok Tepe, Ahal Region, Turkmenistan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"ITALMINERAL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45737023930477,"sku":null,"price":129.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0693\/8027\/6333\/files\/IMG20260511210130.jpg?v=1788061732"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.italmineral.com\/collections\/turkmenistan.oembed","provider":"ITALMINERAL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}