Euhedral, pseudohexagonal nacrite was discovered as a thin layer coating a carbonaceous shale in the Sherwood Tunnel in Durban, Republic of South Africa. The nacrite apparently formed authigenically within a few weeks at ambient temperature by precipitation from pore solutions, probably as a result of evaporation. This observation suggests that nacrite can no longer be considered to indicate a high-temperature genetic environment. Precipitation from saturated pore solution may have been the mechanism of formation for this kaolin-mineral polymorph.
