Mindat Mineralogy Messageboard - Best Minerals S http://www.mindat.org/msgboard-85.html Sat, 25 May 2013 07:18:24 +0000 Phorum 5.2.15a http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,293967,293967#msg-293967 Staurolite (no replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,293967,293967#msg-293967 This Article is Under Construction

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Staurolite
(Fe2+)2Al9Si4O23(OH)

Staurolite 8 cm specimen, Kola Peninsula, Russia ©


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?


Staurolite
Australia
Queensland, Mount Isa - Cloncurry area, Mary Kathleen district, Cattle Creek
Staurolite 3 cm crystal© Ryan Eagle


Staurolite
Australia
Tasmania, King Island
Staurolite 25mm crystals© R. Bottrill 2007


Staurolite
Brazil
Bahia, Paramirim, Serra da Mangabeira
Staurolite 4 cm crystal© Marco Barsanti
Staurolite 1,2 cm crystal© Luciana Barbosa

Staurolite
Brazil
Minas Gerais, Jequitinhonha valley, Rubelita,
Staurolite 4.1 cm crystal© Rob Lavinsky


Staurolite
Brazil
Minas Gerais, Jequitinhonha valley, Rubelita, Fazenda Gramiais
Staurolite >5 cm crystal©


Staurolite
Bulgaria
Haskovo Oblast (Khaskovo Oblast),Topolovgrad Obshtina, Oreshnik
Staurolite 6 cm specimen© Marcus Vau
Staurolite 12 cm specimen© Marcus Vau

Staurolite
Czech Republic
Moravia (Mähren; Maehren), Olomouc Region, Šumperk (Mährisch Schönberg),Nový Malín,
Staurolite 11 cm specimen© Petr Gadas


Staurolite
France
Brittany, Finistère , Briec, Landudal, Langelin brook alluvials
Staurolite ca 10 cm crystal ©

Staurolite
France
Brittany, Finistère, Coray
Staurolite 25mm crystal © Rui Nunes 2008
Staurolite 25mm crystal © Rui Nunes 2008



Staurolite
France
Brittany, Morbihan, Baud
Staurolite 7 cm crystal © Yves Masson


Magnesiostaurolite
Italy
Piedmont, Cuneo Province, Dora Maira Massif, Varaita Valley
Magnesiostaurolite FOV 1,5mm© Roberto Bosi

Staurolite
Italy
Trentino-Alto Adige, Bolzano Province (South Tyrol), Vizze Valley (Pfitsch Valley), San Giacomo Vizze pass (Pfitsch pass),
Staurolite 11,4 cm specimen © Edwards Minerals


Staurolite
Namibia
Erongo Region, Swakopmund District, Namib Naukluft National Park, Gorob Mine
Staurolite 4,2 cm crystal © Rob Lavinsky


Staurolite
Norway
Finnmark, Hasvik, Sørøya, Sørsandfjorden, Stupa area
Staurolite 4,5 cm crystal © A. Michalsen

Staurolite
Portugal
Porto District, Gondomar, Fânzeres
Staurolite 40mm crystal © Rui Nunes 2008


Staurolite
Russia
Northern Region, Murmanskaja Oblast', Kola Peninsula, Keivy Mountains
Staurolite 8.7 cm specimen © John Sobolewski

Staurolite 4 cm specimen © Dan & Diana Weinrich Minerals
Staurolite 28mm crystal © 2009 Michael C. Roarke



Staurolite
Russia
Northern Region, Murmanskaja Oblast', Kola Peninsula, Keivy Mountains, Pestsovye Keivy
Staurolite 6,2 cm specimen
Staurolite up to 6cm crystals © Rob Lavinsky

Staurolite 5,7 cm specimen © Rob Lavinsky
Staurolite 6 cm specimen © Joseph A. Freilich

Staurolite 7,5 cm crystal © Joseph A. Freilich
Staurolite 4,4 cm specimen © David J. Eicher


Staurolite
Russia
Northern Region, Murmanskaja Oblast', Kola Peninsula, Keivy Mountains, Western Keivy Massif, Ploskaya Mt,
Staurolite 5,5 cm crystal © B.Z. Kantor

Staurolite
Switzerland
Ticino (Tessin), Leventina, Chironico Valley, Sponda Alp - Pizzo Forno,
Staurolite
5 cm FOV 		© 2007 Peter Cristofono
Staurolite 2,75 cm crystal © Rob Lavinsky



Staurolite
USA
Connecticut, Hartford Co., Glastonbury, Diamond Lake locality
Staurolite 7 cm label © 2010 Peter Cristofono
Staurolite 63mm crystal © 2011 Harold Moritz


Staurolite
USA
Georgia, Fannin Co., Blue Ridge, J. Fred Hackney property
Staurolite 2.7 cm crystal © Van King
Staurolite 2 cm crystal © Van King

Staurolite 2 cm crystal © Van King
Staurolite 2 cm crystal © Ferdinando Giovine


Staurolite
USA
Idaho, Benewah Co., Carpenter Creek
Staurolite 4,6 cm crystal ©

Staurolite
USA
Maine, Cumberland Co., Windham
Staurolite 1 in. ruler ©

Staurolite
USA
Massachusetts, Worcester Co., Fitchburg
Staurolite 19 cm specimen © M&W Minerals

Staurolite
USA
New Mexico, San Miguel Co., Cowles, Mora River
Staurolite 1 in crystal ©

Staurolite
USA
Virginia, Patrick Co., Fairy Stone State Park, Patrick Co., Virginia, USA
Staurolite 17mm crystal ©
Staurolite 14mm crystal © Rob Lavinsky


Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> Olav Revheim Best Minerals S Wed, 15 May 2013 20:26:42 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,280493,280493#msg-280493 Spencerite (no replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,280493,280493#msg-280493 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.

Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?

Spencerite
Zn4(PO4)2(OH)2· 3H2O Monoclinic

Spencerite 5cm wide, Hudson Bay Mine, British Colombia, Canada© Paul Bongaerts


Spencerite has thus far been found only at three localities (2012). Mindat only has images of specimens from the Hudson Bay Mine which is is by far, by about two orders of magnitude, more important than three. The Handbook of Mineralogy says crystals up to 2cm were found with crystals elongated and tabular that were bluntly terminated or lance like with many other forms.


Spencerite
Canada
British Columbia, Nelson Mining Division, Salmo, Hudson Bay Mine (H.B. Mine)

Spencerite ~4cm tall©
Spencerite 3cm tall© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.

In 1915 in the H.B. Mine a cave of considerable size was discovered in which there was an unusual development of stalactitic material composed principally of the new zinc phosphate spencerite Zn3(PO4)2Zn(OH)2.3H20. Mr. Galloway who examined the mine at the time says. "The main draft in one place into a large natural cave, from the roof and floor of which were hanging and extending large stalactites and stalagmites. Large botryoidal masses of the same material were scattered around" Professor Phillips, referring to this cave as described by one of the miners in a letter to him, says, "We ran into this ore last October (1915) and most all of it was taken out and shipped. This ore was in a sort of cave 16' cy 24' by 8' high. When we broke into it there were pillars of ore reaching from the roof to the floor of the cave. also masses hanging down from the roof.... The main ledge of zinc carbonate passes directly over the cave. It is cut by two dykes at the cave, one dyke forming the wall and the other the roof of the cave....On the floor there was a mass of very phosphatic clay which carried about twenty percent of zinc and burred in the clay were great chunks of ore. About 100 tons of ore were taken from the cave". The stalactitic masses are white or cream-colored and are sometimes nearly a foot in diameter. The outermost zone, which is a few millimeters thick, is always calamine while the central part or core is made up entirely of zinc phosphates, principally spencerite. The first material obtained containing spencerite showed no crystals so that the original description was based on the cleavable material constuting the cores of the stalactitic masses.1
1. University of Toronto studies - Geological series No. 10: Mineralogy of the H.B Mine, Salmo, B.C. by T.L. Walter, 1919.
[brought to the attention of Mindat by Reiner Mielke 2012]

Very little of the original material was saved and specimens are only rarely found in old collections.


There are two additional localities for the mineral and they are immediately below. Mindat has no pictures yes off spencerite from these localities or any information about them.

Spencerite
UK
England, North Yorkshire, North Pennines, Wharfedale, Grassington, Grassington Moor, Turf Pits Mine


Spencerite
Zambia
Central Province, Kabwe District, Kabwe (Broken Hill), Kabwe Mine (Broken Hill Mine)



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Original image selection 2012]]> Rock Currier Best Minerals S Fri, 28 Dec 2012 22:21:24 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,279160,279160#msg-279160 Schorl (no replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,279160,279160#msg-279160 Best Minerals and here for Tourmaline group minerals, here for Chromium-dravite, here for Chromo-alumino-povondraite, here for Dravite, here for Elbaite, Afghanistan to Nigeria, here for Elbaite, Pakistan to Zambia here for Feruvite, here for Fluor Buergerite here for Fluor-dravite, here for Fluor-elbaite, here for Fluor-feruvite, here for Fluor-liddicoatite, here for Fluor-schorl, here for Foitite, here for Liddicoatite, here for Luinaite-(OH), here for Magnesiofoitite, here for Olenite, here for Oxy-dravite, here for Oxy-rossmanite, here for Oxy-schorl, here for Povondraite, here for Rossmanite, here for Schorl, here for Tsilaisite and here for Vanadium-dravite. Click here for Best Minerals T and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.



Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?



Schorl: Trigonal: Elbaite-Schorl Series, Dravite-Schorl Series.
Na(Fe2+3)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)

Schorl & quartz 10.5cm, Erongo Mt. Namibia© Schnaitmann

Mindat lists ~2400 localities for Schorl (2013), but very few of these localities have produced good specimens and most of them are listed below with images of the schorl specimens they produce. The Handbook of Mineralogy says crystals of 1.5 meters are known and they are probably crystals larger than that. Before the fragmentation of tourmaline into the various tourmaline group minerals, black tourmaline was simply called schorl. However there are several tourmaline group minerals that can appear to be black, although, even now most black tourmalines are still called schorl though they have not been analyzed. Almost every tourmaline bearing pegmatite has black tourmaline (usually schorl) lurking somewhere in its structure though if an analysis of them all were done I'm sure quite a few would be found to be tourmalines other than schorl. What locality has produced the best schorl tourmalines? I tend to favor the Erongo region of Namibia, although some of the specimens from northern Pakistan give them a run for their money. But take a look below and you can find your own favorites.
[Rock Currier 2013]



Schorl
Afghanistan, Konar Province (Kunar Province; Konarh Province; Konarha Province; Nuristan), Chapa Dara District, Dara-i-Pech pegmatite field (Darra-i-Pech; Darra-e-Pech; Pech; Peech; Page)

Schorl & albite 5cm wide© Russell G. Rizzo
Schorl& aAlbite 3.6cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Schorl & albite 10.5 cm wide© Lavinsky
Schorl & albite 11.8cm tall© Lavinsky



Schorl
Angola, Bengo Province, Ambriz City Council, Mabubas, Mabubas Pegmatite

Schorl 4cm wide© Martins da Pedra
Schorl & beryl 4cm wide© Martins da Pedra


Schorl
Argentina, Catamarca, Belen Department, El Portezuelo Granite, Papachacra

Schorl & quartz 4.1cm wide© JSS



Schorl
Australia, Queensland, Mount Isa - Cloncurry area

Schorl 5.4cm wide© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.



Schorl
Australia, Victoria, Carapooee, Alluvial gold mine

Schorl FOV 2.7cm© Judy Rowe


These crystals are interesting in that they were picked out of gold concentrates at this mine and if someone wanted to gather them up there were probably hundreds of pounds of these naturally abraded rounded tourmalines that could have been collected.


Schorl
Australia, Western Australia, Upper Gascoyne Shire, Yinnietharra (Yinnietharra Station), Mica King South pegmatite

Schorl 7.9cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
Austria, Salzburg, Hohe Tauern, Rauris valley, Hüttwinkl valley, Lohning quarry (Lohninger quarry)

Schorl 3cm tall© Volker Betz



Schorl
Brazil, Minas Gerais, Doce valley, Governador Valadares, Golconda pegmatite

Schorl 7cm© 2002 John H. Betts



Schorl
Brazil, Minas Gerais, Doce valley, Itambacuri, Santa Rosa mine

Schorl 19.2cm© Lavinsky



Schorl
Brazil, Minas Gerais, Doce valley, São José da Safira, Cruzeiro mine

Schorl 17.8cm tall© Lavinsky



Schorl
Brazil, Minas Gerais, Doce valley, São José da Safira, Pederneira claim

Schorl 8.1cm wide© Joseph A. Freilich
Schorl 7.7cm tall© Weinrich


Schorl
Brazil, Minas Gerais, Jequitinhonha Valley, Araçuaí (Arassuaí)

Schorl & quartz 3.2cm tall© Stefan Koch



Schorl
Brazil, Minas Gerais, Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Novas, Palmital Mine

Schorl & Quartz 5cm tall© Danny Jones



Schorl
Bulgaria, Sofiya Oblast (Sofia Oblast), Vitosha Mt, Vladaya (Vladaia)

Schorl 5cm wide© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.



Schorl
Burma (Myanmar), Mandalay Division, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District, Mogok Township

Schorl & elbaite? 4.2cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl, quartz & microcline 7.7cm tall© Weinrich


Schorl
Burma (Myanmar), Shan State, Kyaukme District, Momeik Township, Molo quarter, Khetchel village (Cache village; Khat Che village)

Schorl 8cm wide©



Schorl
Burma (Myanmar), Shan State, Kyaukme District, Momeik Township, Molo quarter, Khetchel village (Cache village; Khat Che village), Palelni mine

Schorl 6.5cm wide© rare-X.com



Schorl
China, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Schorl & quartz 6.2cm wide© Weinrich
Schorl & quartz 8.1cm tall© Weinrich


Schorl
China, Sichuan Province, Mianyang Prefecture, Pingwu Co., Mt Xuebaoding, Huya township, Huya W-Sn-Be deposit (Pingwu beryl mine)

Schorl 5 & 4.7cm© Vachik Hairapetian Nov 2012



Schorl
Czech Republic, Moravia (Mähren; Maehren), Vysočina Region, Křižanov, Bobrůvka

Schorl & albite 10cm tall© Zbynek Burival



Schorl
Czech Republic, Moravia (Mähren; Maehren), Vysočina Region, Žďár nad Sázavou, Dolní Bory

Schorl 3cm tall© Filip Kopecky



Schorl
Czech Republic, Moravia (Mähren; Maehren), Vysočina Region, Žďár nad Sázavou, Vídeň

Schorl & albite 4cm wide© Robert Vaňo



Schorl
France, Auvergne, Puy-de-Dôme, Olliergues, Saint-Pierre-la-Bourlhonne, Beauchaud pegmatite (Biauchaud pegmatite)

5 cm schorl in quartz© Alain TUEL



Schorl
France, Auvergne, Puy-de-Dôme, Olliergues, Saint-Pierre-la-Bourlhonne, Brugeron (Brugeron pegmatite)

8 cm schorl in quartz© Yves Masson



Schorl
Italy, Lombardy, Lecco Province, Colico, Olgiasca-Malpensata (Piona)

Schorl in albite 4cm tall© Sarah Sudcowsky



Schorl
Italy, Piedmont, Torino Province, Sesia-Lanzo zone, Lanzo Valley

Schorl 15cm wide©



Schorl
Italy, Piedmont, Torino Province, Sesia-Lanzo zone, Lanzo Valley, Grande Valley, Pessinetto, Punta delle Mene

Schorl 15cm wide©



Schorl
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Bolzano Province (South Tyrol), Vizze Valley (Pfitsch Valley), San Giacomo, Vizze pass (Pfitsch pass)

Schorl 34cm tall© Manuele Moro
Schorl 22cm wide© Manuele Moro


Schorl
Italy, Tuscany, Livorno Province, Elba Island, Campo nell'Elba, San Piero in Campo, Rosina vein

Schorl, microcline, quartz 12.2cm© Chinellato
2.5cm schorl & spessartine© Chinellato Matteo


Schorl
Italy, Tuscany, Livorno Province, Elba Island, Campo nell'Elba, Sant'Ilario in Campo, Forcioni

Schorl, Microcline etc. 13.4cm wide© Chinellato Matteo



Schorl
Kazakhstan, Karagandy Province (Qaragandy Oblysy; Karaganda Oblast'), Airtau

Schorl & albite 4.8cm tall© Igor Savin
Schorl 4.6cm tall© Igor Savin


Schorl
Madagascar, Antananarivo Province, Vakinankaratra Region, Betafo District, Ambohimanambola Commune, Anjanabonoina pegmatites

4 cm schorl© Arliguie M



Schorl
Madagascar, Antananarivo Province, Vakinankaratra Region, Sahatany Pegmatite Field (Mt Ibity area), Sahatany Valley

Schorl 2.5cm tall© G. Bijak




Madagascar, Fianarantsoa Province

Schorl 6cm© B.Z. Kantor



Madagascar, Fianarantsoa Province, Matsiatra Region, Ikalamavony Pegmatite Field, Ikalamavony District, Tsitondroina Commune

Schorl 9cm wide© Oleg Lopatkin
Schorl 8.3cm wide© Oleg Lopatkin

Schorl 10.5cm wide© Oleg Lopatkin

These somewhat complex crystals are somewhat new on the market and are certainly good enough to add to almost any collection.


Schorl
Madagascar, Toamasina Province (Tamatave)

Schorl 6cm wide© Sarah Sudcowsky



Schorl
Madagascar, Toamasina Province (Tamatave), Alaotra-Mangoro Region, Ambatondrazaka District, Ambatosoratra Commune, Ambatosoratra pegmatite

Schorl 5cm wide© Mark Rheinberger
Schorl 6.5cm tall© Arliguie M



Schorl
Mexico, Sonora, Mun. de Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz

Schorl 4.3cm© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl 11cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Schorl 8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl in quartz 5cm wide©


Schorl
Mexico, Sonora, Mun. de Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Sierra del Chivato

Schorl 3.4cm wide© Dan & Diana Weinrich Minerals

Thirty years ago there were many of these feathery black tourmaline specimens on the specimen market, but today you rarely see one for sale. The one pictured here is the best one we have a picture of in the database, but there are better.


Schorl
Mozambique, Nampula Province, Nacala, Tulua

Schorl 6cm tall© Martins da Pedra



Schorl
Mozambique, Zambezia Province, Alto Ligonha District

Schorl 3.8cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
Namibia, Erongo Region

Schorl 10.2cm tall© Joseph A. Freilich
Schorl 4cm© Sarah Sudcowsky


Schorl 6.2cm tall© Dan Weinrich
Schorl & quartz 10.5cm tall© Freilich


This region may produce the finest schorl specimens in the world. We have some good ones here, but there are better ones. Some of them are associated with well formed aquamarines.


Schorl
Namibia, Erongo Region, Erongo Mountain

Schorl 6.5cm wide© Carles Millan
Schorl 2.7cm tall© Rob Lavinsky


Schorl on quartz 7.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl on quartz 8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Schorl 5.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl on quartz 2.5cm wide© E.A. Schnaitmann


Schorl
Namibia, Erongo Region, Karibib District, Davib East Farm 61 (Davib Ost Farm)

Schorl on quartz 8cm wide© fabreminerals.com
Schorl 5.5cm tall© RK

Schorl 7.1cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl 8cm tall© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.


Schorl 4.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
Namibia, Erongo Region, Karibib District, Usakos, Ameib Farm 60

Schorl & Quartz 11cm wide© Josef Huber
Schorl & Quartz 6.2cm wide© Lee Johnson


Schorl
Namibia, Erongo Region, Swakopmund District, Cape Cross area, Km 72 Road Marker

Schorl 5.3cm tall© Dan & Diana Weinrich Minerals



Schorl
Nepal, Mechi Zone, Taplejung District

Schorl, albite, mica 9cm wide© Oleg Lopatkin



Schorl
North Korea, Kangwon Province, Pyonggang-gun

Schorl 5.5cm wide© C. Stefano '11



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas)

Schorl & albite 15cm tall© J.Scovil



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Astor District (Astore District), Astor valley (Astore valley), Bulochi (Balochi; Balche; Bulache; Bulachi; Drot Balachi)

Schorl & albite 6cm tall© Betts
Schorl & albite 6cm wide© Betts


Schorl & quartz 8.2cm tall© Carles Millan
Schorl & albite 6.3cm tall© Carles Millan


Schorl & albite ~8cm wide

This area has produced many fine schorl specimens. Some of the most sought after are associated with beryl, apatite and other minerals.


Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District

SchorlSchorl & quartz 7cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District, Basha Valley (Basha Nala; Basna)

Schorl 8cm tall© 2001 John H. Betts
Schorl 4.2cm tall© 2001 John H. Betts

Schorl 8cm wide© 2002 John H. Betts
Schorl 9.1cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District, Braldu Valley, Nyet (Niit; Niyit; Niyil)

Schorl, topaz & quartz 5cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District, Braldu Valley, Teston (Tigston; Tisgtung; Tekston)

Schorl 6cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl, muscovite & spessartine ~6cm wide© 2006, Jesse Fisher


Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District, Haramosh Mts., Shengus (Shingus)

Schorl 5cm tall© 2000 John H. Betts
Schorl & spessartine 5.5cm© Betts


Schorl & albite 5.6cm tall© Carles Millan



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District, Haramosh Mts., Stak Nala

Schorl, fluorapatite & albite 2.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl, topaz & albite 3.8cm© Rob Lavinsky


Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District, Shigar Valley

Schorl 12.9cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl & quartz 5.1cm tall© Rob Lavinsky


Schorl 11.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl, quartz, fluorapatite, albite 9.6cm© Rob Lavinsky

Schorl 11.1cm© Lavinsky
Schorl 14.4cm© Lavinsky
Schorl, fluorite 4.4cm © Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District, Shigar Valley, Dassu (Dasso; Dusso)

Schorl 10.9cm© Millan



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District, Shigar Valley, Nyet

Schorl & Beryl 7.9cm wide© Carles Millan



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District, Skardu

Schorl, quartz & albite 10.6cm© Weinrich



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Baltistan, Skardu District, Skardu Road

Schorl & albite 4cm wide© 2001 John H. Betts
Schorl & albite 9.1cm wide© Oleg Lopatkin


Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Gilgit District, Gilgit

Schorl/beryl/albite 2.7cm© Lavinsky



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Gilgit District, Hanuchal, Anzar army camp

Schorl & albite 6.2cm tall© Michael Shaw



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Gilgit District, Hunza Valley

Schorl & albite 2.3cm©



Schorl
Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Gilgit District, Laila

Schorl 4cm tall© Weinrich
Schorl 4cm tall© Verrier



Schorl
Portugal, Viseu District, Mangualde, Chãs de Tavares, Bom Sucesso No. 4 Quarry

Schorl on quartz 2.6cm wide© P.Alves



Schorl
Portugal, Viseu District, Mangualde, Chãs de Tavares, Corvaceira Quarry

Schorl on quartz 3.5cm tall© Martins da Pedra



Schorl
Russia, Urals Region, Middle Urals, Sverdlovskaya Oblast', Sarapulka (Murzinka) District

Schorl 15.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
Spain, Andalusia, Málaga, Estepona, Los Reales

Schorl on quartz 10.4cm tall©



Schorl
Spain, Catalonia, Girona (Gerona), Alt Empordà, Cadaqués, Cap de Creus (Cabo de Creus)

Schorl 2cm wide© Jose Zendrera



Schorl
Sweden, Norrbotten, Råneå

Schorl & quartz 4.5cm tall© Jorge M.Alves
Schorl & feldspar 7cm tall© Jorge M. Alves


Schorl
UK, England, Cornwall, St Just District, St Just, Tregeseal Valley, Lower Bostraze China Clay Pit

Schorl 4cm© Ben Grguric



Schorl
UK, England, Cornwall, Wendron & Falmouth District, Carnmenellis Area, Longdowns, Trolvis Quarry

Schorl ~8cm wide© Ian Jones



Schorl
UK, England, Devon, Dartmoor & Teign Valley District, Bovey Tracey, Woolley Farm

Schorl© J.Ralph
Schorl & quartz 8.1cm wide© Bob Griffis

Largest schorl specimen ~14cm tall© J.Ralph



Schorl
USA, Arizona, Maricopa Co., Paradise Valley, Mummy Mountain

Schorl & feldspar 6cm wide©



Schorl
USA, California, Fresno Co.

Schorl, fluorapatite, albite etc 5.3cm© Collectors Edge



Schorl
USA, California, Riverside Co., Cahuilla District

Schorl 5.1cm© 2004 SLR
Schorl & quartz 15.8cm© 2003 SLR


Schorl & quartz ~18.5cm© 1987 K. L. Gochenour



Schorl
USA, California, Riverside Co., Cahuilla District, Anza, Anza Valley

Schorl 3.2cm© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.



Schorl
USA, California, Riverside Co., Cahuilla District, Cahuilla, Cahuilla Mountain (Coahuila Mtn), Fano Mine (Big Pink claim; Fano-Simmons mine; Little Blue claim; MS 4800; Simmons mine)

Schorl 16.1cm© Lavinsky
Schorl 19.3cm© Lavinsky
Schorl 6.2cm© Rob Lavinsky


Schorl 5.6© Weinrich



Schorl
USA, California, Riverside Co., Cahuilla District, Cahuilla, Little Cahuilla Mountain, Audrey Lynn Mine (Audrey Lynne mine)

Schorl 5.2cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, California, Riverside Co., Cooper Canyon District, Blue Chihuahua Mine (Blue Dog)

Schorl 2.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl, talest 7.1cm© Rob Lavinsky


Schorl
USA, California, Riverside Co., Jurupa Mts, Jurupa, Jensen Quarry (Oak Quarry)

Schorl & albite 7.2cm tall© 2003 SLR
Schorl & albite 6cm wide©

Schorl & quartz 8cm tall©



Schorl
USA, California, Riverside Co., Nuevo, Southern Pacific Silica Quarry (Southern Pacific Quarry; S.P. Silica Quarry; Nuevo Quarry)

2cm schorl xl in matrix© WWB



Schorl
USA, California, San Diego Co., Jacumba District, Jacumba, Tule Mountain (Mount Tule; Tulley Mountain), Pack Rat Mine

Schorl 3.2cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, California, San Diego Co., Mesa Grande District, Gem Hill, Cota Mine

Schorl 4.5cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Pala, Chief Mountain, Elizabeth R. Mine (Hazel W. claim)

Schorl & albite 7.4cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl & albite 8.5cm tall© Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Pala, Chief Mountain, Oceanview Mine (MS 6452; MS 6848; Ocean View mine)

Schorl & quartz 10cm tall© Mauthner



Schorl
USA, California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Pala, Chief Mountain, Pala Chief Mine (Chief mine; MS 6452; Salmons mine)

Schorl/quartz 11.9cm© Lavinsky
Schorl 7.5cm tall© Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, California, San Diego Co., Ramona District, Ramona, Hercules Mine (Beryl claim; Hercules claim; Hercules group; Hercules prospect)

Schorl, albite & spessartine & quartz 4cm wide© Fisher



Schorl
USA, California, San Diego Co., Ramona District, Ramona, Little Three Mine (Little 3 mine)

Schorl, albite, quartz & spessartine 17.5cm© Lavinsky
Schorl, spessartine & albite 5.7cm© Lavinsky

Schorl, quartz & albite 9.5cm© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl & albite 4.5cm wide© Eric Graff


Schorl
USA, California, San Diego Co., Warner Springs District, Chihuahua Valley, Carmelita Mine (Big Spring mine; Blue Gem claim; Crest Gem mine; Elinor deposit; Elinor mine; Estudillo mine; French Pete mine; MS 6130; Peter Cabat mine)

Schorl, quartz & albite 8.6cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, California, San Diego Co., Warner Springs District, Warner Springs, Cryo-Genie Mine (Cindy B-Cryogenie claim; Lost Valley Truck Trail prospect)

Schorl 7.3cm tall© 2010 EMC



Schorl
USA, Connecticut, Fairfield Co., Bethel, Biermann (Bethel) quarries

Schorl & mica 12.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, Connecticut, Fairfield Co., Newtown

Schorl ~6cm wide© 2011 Peter Cristofono



Schorl
USA, Connecticut, Middlesex Co., East Hampton, Nathan Hall Quarry (Clark Hill quarries)

Schor ~5cm widel© 2009 Harold Moritz



Schorl
USA, Connecticut, Middlesex Co., East Hampton, Slocum Prospect

Schorl 7cm wide© 2011 Harold Moritz



Schorl
USA, Connecticut, Middlesex Co., Haddam

Schorl 7.3cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, Connecticut, Middlesex Co., Haddam, Haddam Neck, Brainerd Quarries

Schorl & albite 3cm© 2010 Harold Moritz
3.2cm schorl in matrix© 2010 Harold Moritz

4.7cm schorl xl. with almandine© Moritz
Schorl 4.8cm tall© Moritz



Schorl
USA, Connecticut, Middlesex Co., Haddam, Haddam Neck, Gillette Quarry (J-J Mine; Haddam Neck Quarry)

Schorl 3.7cm tall© 2010 Harold Moritz



Schorl
USA, Connecticut, Middlesex Co., Haddam, Timms Hill (Tim's Hill; Iolite Hill)

Schorl 4cm tall© 2010 Harold Moritz
Schorl 3cm tall© 2010 Harold Moritz


Schorl
USA, Connecticut, Middlesex Co., Portland, Collins Hill, Strickland pegmatite (Strickland-Cramer Quarry; Strickland-Cramer Mine; Strickland-Cramer Feldspar-Mica Quarries), Strickland Quarry (Eureka Quarry)

Schorl & fluorapatite 3.5cm tall© Moritz



Schorl
USA, Idaho, Gem Co., Ola, Ola Ridge

Schorl 7.2cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, Maine, Oxford Co., Paris, Hooper Ledge Quarry

Schorl 10cm wide© Terry Burtzlaff



Schorl
USA, Maine, Oxford Co., Stoneham, Aldrich Quarry

Schorl, quartz & beryl 11cm tall©



Schorl
USA, Massachusetts, Worcester Co., Fitchburg, Rollstone Hill Quarry

Schorl 9cm tall©



Schorl
USA, Montana, Jefferson Co., Boulder Batholith, Homestake Pass

Schorl & albite ~5cm wide© Rockpick Legend Co.



Schorl
USA, Montana, Jefferson Co., Whitehall District (Cardwell District)

Schorl & albite 2.9cm wide©



Schorl
USA, New Hampshire, Cheshire Co., Marlow, Turner Mine

Schorl 16.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, New Hampshire, Grafton Co., Groton, Rice Quarry

Schorl 9.9cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Schorl 6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Schorl
USA, New York, New York City, Manhattan (New York Co.), Manhattan Island

Schorl ~8cm wide©



Schorl
USA, North Carolina, Alexander Co., Hiddenite, Rist Mine (North America Emerald Mine)

Schorl 4.2cm wide© Dan & Diana Weinrich



Schorl
Zimbabwe, Mashonaland West, Makonde District (Lomagundi District), Mtoroshanga (Mutorashanga), Ethel Mine

3.8cm schorl in matrix© Dan Weinrich




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First draft completed [May 2013, Rock Currier]
]]> Rock Currier Best Minerals S Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:59:25 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,259524,259524#msg-259524 Smithsonite (2 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,259524,259524#msg-259524 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.

Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?


Smithsonite
ZnCO3 Trigonal
Below are outstanding examples of smithsonite specimens from some of the best localities for that species. Some of them show distinct crystals and others show massive and botryoidal forms. The last two in this parade of high class specimens have been cut and polished to show the color of the smithsonite. Almost certainly when it comes to crystals of Smithsonite, Tsumeb, Namibia has to be the champion for the variety of forms and colors of its specimens. The variety of smithsonite that this locality produces is not nearly matched by any other locality. If you are a collector you will definitely want to get as good an example as you can afford of the wonderful blue to blue green specimens of botryoidal Smithsonite specimens that were produced by the Kelly Mine near Socorro, New Mexico, USA. Though Mexico is not generally thought of as a producer of Smithsonite specimens I have included two fine examples of them here, the first a multicolored wonder from the Refugio Mine in Sinaloa, Mexico and a green botryoidal specimen with associated white tufts of Hemimorphite from the well know mine at Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico. Finally I have included two cut and polished specimens from two classical European localities. The first a cut and polished slab and egg of yellow cadmium bearing smithsonite from, the Masua Mine in Sardinia, Italy. These are drop dead classics if you can ever find one to add to your collection. The second is a blue and green polished specimen from Lavrion, Greece. Each of these six localities have produced a variety of specimens and I urge you to scroll down this article and make your self familiar with the variety of smithsonite they produce and those of other localities, some of which have produced specimens that rival many of the Smithsonites from the better know localities.

Smithsonite, Tsumeb, Namibia 15cm tall© J.Scovil
Smithsonite, Kelly Mine, New Mexico, USA ~10cm©
.
Smithsonite, Mexico, Refugio Mine 10cm wide© Jake Slagle

Smithsonite, Mexico 7.8cm© J.Scovil
Smithsonite, Tsumeb, Namibia 5.7cm wide© Lavinsky

Smithsonite, Sardinia, Italy 5.8cm tall© J.Scovil
Smithsonite, Lavrion, Greece ~7cm ©

Back in the day Smithsonite and Hemimorphite were lumped together and called calamine. They were frequently found together in ore deposits in not crystalline masses. In time it was observed that some varieties of calamine were different than others. Finally smithsonite became a separate species and the remaining calamines were called Hemimorphite. Crystals were not common, at least until Tsumeb started producing them. Crystals to ten cm are know and Mindat currently lists 1977 localities (April 2012). Of these many localities, only a few produce good specimens, and below are images of Smithsonite specimens from the localities that were deemed significant. Perhaps some of the ones shown here should not have been and a few others that should have been included are not. It is hoped that other good examples of smithsonite that should be included will be brought to our attention.

Smithsonite is a mineral commonly found in the oxidized portions of lead zinc deposits in the upper parts of the ore bodies. It is often quite ugly looking and has been called "dry bone" ore. Though many lead zinc mines, and there are many of them, commonly have smithsonite among the minerals they produce, relatively few mines produce what collectors would consider to be desirable specimens. There are enough of them however that a few collectors have made a specialty of collecting Smithsonites. One of the best private collection of Smithsonites was made by Jim and Dawn Minette. Jim was during the last part of his career manager of the big open pit borate mine at Boron, California.

Many specimens of smithsonite are botryoidal and dull when found and it is not uncommon for dealers and collectors to "improve" them by using hydrochloric acid to remove dull surface layers and expose shiny layers of smithsonite that lay beneath. Sometimes indications of this treatment can be seen on the edges of the specimens where the acid has selectively eaten away some layers of the smithsonite specimen more than others. It has been argued by some that this treatment is really no different that the natural etching that many smithsonite specimens receive naturally in the ground from time to time. You will have to make up your own mind about this.


Smithsonite
Algeria
Constantine Province

Smithsonite 13.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky


Not an outstanding specimen, but it is the best of what is currently in our data base. Can someone tell us about the mine and its specimens?


Smithsonite
Argentina
Córdoba, Dumesnil, Malpaso Quarry

Smithsonite 6.5cm wide© JCLodovichi



Smithsonite
Australia
New South Wales, Yancowinna Co., Broken Hill

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Mark Rheinberger
Smithsonite & Cerussite 2cm wide© John Betts


Smithsonite
Australia
New South Wales, Yancowinna Co., Broken Hill, Block 14 opencut

Smithsonite on Coronadite 6.1cm wide© JSS



Smithsonite
Australia
New South Wales, Yancowinna Co., Broken Hill, Broken Hill Proprietary Mine (Proprietary Mine; BHP Mine)

Smithsonite 5.0cm tall© DSW 2011
Smithsonite on Coronadite 7.5cm wide©

Smithsonite on Coronadite ~18cm wide©

Smithsonite 8.5cm wide© crocoite.com
Smithsonite 4.2cm center© Weinrich Minerals

Smithsonite on Kaolinite 2.8cm© Compton
Smithsonite, Coronadite 5.2cm© Compton

The classic Smithsonite specimens from Broken Hill are the "rice grain" Smithsonites on the black Coronadite matrix. These are by far the most common specimens of Smithsonite that collectors are familiar with. The deposit at Broken Hill did produce other kinds of specimens, but green colored Smithsonite specimens like the one pictured here are very uncommon.


Smithsonite
Australia
New South Wales, Yancowinna Co., Broken Hill, Junction Mine

Smithsonite 3.9cm wide© Keith F Compton



Smithsonite
Australia
New South Wales, Yancowinna Co., Broken Hill, Kintore opencut

Smithsonite 2.5cm long© Vic Cloete



Smithsonite
Austria
Carinthia, Gailtaler Alpen & Karnische Alpen, Bleiberg District, Bad Bleiberg, Stefanie Mine

Smithsonite & Cerussite 4.5cm wide© Rudo


Taken under UV light?


Smithsonite
Belgium
Liège Province, Engis

Smithsonite 12cm tall© Paul De Bondt



Smithsonite
Belgium
Liège Province, Verviers, Plombières-Vieille Montagne (Plombières-Altenberg) District

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Peter Haas
Smithsonite ~8cm wide©


Smithsonite
Belgium
Liège Province, Verviers, Plombières-Vieille Montagne (Plombières-Altenberg) District, Kelmis, Moresnet, Vieille Montagne (Altenberg; Kelmisberg)
Smithsonite © Paul De Bondt
Smithsonite 12cm wide© Paul De Bondt

Smithsonite 9.4cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 7.2cm tall© Edward Rosenzweig


Smithsonite
Brazil
Minas Gerais, Vazante, Vazante Mine

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Brhounds



Smithsonite
China
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hezhou Prefecture, Zhaoping Co., Xiafu dam construction site

Smithsonite 5.8cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 7.4cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6.9cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
Colombia
Valle del Cauca Department

Smithsonite 3.9cm© Daniel S. Yunis


We will replace this image with an image of the entire specimen if and when we can get one or with images of better specimens. Can someone tell us about this locality?


Smithsonite
Czech Republic
Bohemia (Böhmen; Boehmen), Plzeň Region, Plzeň (Pilsen), Merklín (Merklin)

Smithsonite 9.5cm wide© Jakub Jirásek



Smithsonite
Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaïre)
Katanga (Shaba), Kengere, Kengere Mine

Smithsonite 10.4cm wide© Paul De Bondt


This Smithsonite specimen was personally collected by Gilbert Gauthier in the 50's. This is as good as Smithsonite specimens get from Kengere. Gilbert prospected the mine carefully and went twice a year to see what's up but was never able to find good specimens. The good ones where found in the middle 40's and where collected by the mine engineer in the upper levels. When Gilbert arrived at the mine, the upper levels where gone. Great specimens from the mine reached the market in 2005, probably by the mine engineer himself or one of his family members, but there were no good Smithsonite specimens among them. Kengere is a lead-zinc deposit like Kipushi without the cobalt, copper and germanium. Great specimens of cerussite and hemimorphite where found as well as medium to poor mimetite and smithsonite.
[Paul De Bondt 2012]


Smithsonite
Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaïre)
Katanga (Shaba), Kipushi, Kipushi Mine (Prince Léopold Mine)

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Osana hervé

Smithsonite 7.4cm wide© Paul De Bondt

These are is a very good examples of Smithsonite from the Kipushi mine. The rice grain like crystals clearly visible in the first picture are more densely agglomerated in the second. I tot the second one from Joseph Lhoest who collected this himself in the upper levels of the mine. Smithsonite was abundant at Kipushi but no really great specimens where found.
[Paul De Bondt 2012]


Smithsonite
France
Aquitaine, Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Smithsonite 9.4cm wide© Collectors Edge



Smithsonite
France
Languedoc-Roussillon, Gard, Saint-Laurent-le-Minier, Les Malines District, Les Vieux Travaux mine

Smithsonite xls on Hydrozincite FOV 11.35cm© Chollet Pascal



Smithsonite
France
Rhône-Alpes, Rhône, Le Bois d'Oingt, Chessy-les-Mines, Chessy copper mines

Smithsonite 3cm wide© jm.CLAUDE
Smithsonite 5cm wide©

Smithsonite 7cm tall© Arliguie M



Smithsonite
Germany
Bavaria, Upper Bavaria, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald

Smithsonite 10cm wide© Jakub Jirásek



Smithsonite
Germany
Lower Saxony, Harz, Goslar, Rammelsberg, Rammelsberg Mine

Smithsonite 7cm wide© Paul Bongaerts



Smithsonite
Germany
Lower Saxony, Schaumburg, Rinteln, Rohden Quarry

Smithsonite 9cm tall© PMB



Smithsonite
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Eifel, Mechernich, Mechernicher Bleiberg

Smithsonite 5.5cm wide© Volker Betz



Smithsonite
Greece
Attikí (Attica; Attika) Prefecture, Lavrion (Laurion; Laurium) District

Smithsonite ~17cm wide©

Smithsonite ~11cm wide©
Smithsonite 10cm wide© Spirom

Smithsonite ~15cm tall©
Smithsonite 5cm tall© Ch. Spirom. & Greekrocks.com

Smithsonite ~7.5cm wide©
Smithsonite 6cm wide© Martins da Pedra

Smithsonite 7.9cm wide© Spirom.
Smithsonite 9.5cm wide© Spirom.

Smithsonite 5cm wide© Ch. Spirom. & Greekrocks.com
Smithsonite 5.1cm wide© Ch. Spirom. & Greekrocks.com

Smithsonite 5cm tall© Russell G. Rizzo
Smithsonite 5.5cm wide© Ch. Spirom. & Greekrocks.com

Smithsonite 7.2cm wide© Spirom.
Smithsonite 4.4cm wide© Spirom.

Smithsonite 7.9cm wide© Spirom.
Smithsonite 13.3cm tall© Weinrich

Smithsonite 9.2cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 19cm wide© Geol. Coll. U.C.L.

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 9.1cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 9cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 9cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 10.5cm tall© J.Scovil
Smithsonite 8cm tall© Y.Okazaki

Smithsonite 11cm tall© Dan & Diana Weinrich Minerals
Smithsonite on Fluorite 5cm wide© Michael Samouhos

As you can see from the many specimens of Smithsonite above, the mines at Lavrion have produced a wide variety of various colored Smithsonites. It may be the champion for the greatest variety of colors. Many years ago the wonderful colored specimens of cut and polished Smithsonites were apparently abundant and well known, but today it is very unusual to find a good example of these for sale. Perhaps someone who specializes in specimens from these ancient mines will tell us more about the specimens that this locality has produced.


Smithsonite
Greece
Attikí (Attica; Attika) Prefecture, Lavrion (Laurion; Laurium) District, Lavrion District Mines, Agios Konstantinos [St Constantine] (Kamariza), Hilarion area, Kamariza Mines (Kamareza Mines), Hilarion Mine (Hilarion adit; Hilarion Mine No. 50)

Smithsonite 7cm wide© Geol. Coll. U.C.L.



Smithsonite
Ireland
Co. Clare, The Burren, Carron, Sheshodonnell East Mine

Smithsonite & Hydrozincite 5.5cm wide© Unitt
Smithsonite on Fluorite 5.1cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 7.2cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 7cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 18.4cm wide© Stephen Moreton
Smithsonite 4.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Who would have thought that Smithsonites of this quality have been produced from Ireland.


Smithsonite
Ireland
Co. Tipperary, Silvermines District, Mogul Mine (Garryard; International Mogul Mines)

Smithsonite 7.5cm wide© Barry Flannery



Smithsonite
Italy
Lombardy, Bergamo Province, Brembana Valley, Dossena, Paglio Pignolino Mine

Smithsonite 8cm wide©
Smithsonite after Calcite 16cm wide©


Smithsonite
Italy
Lombardy, Bergamo Province, Brembana Valley, Oltre il Colle, Vedra Valley, Zorzone Mine

Smithsonite 5.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
Italy
Sardinia

Smithsonite after Calcite 7.5cm tall© DSW 2011



Smithsonite
Italy
Sardinia, Carbonia-Iglesias Province, Iglesias

Smithsonite ~8cm wide©



Smithsonite
Italy
Sardinia, Carbonia-Iglesias Province, Iglesias, Masua, Masua Mine


Smithsonite ~22cm tall©
Smithsonite 10cm wide© Joseph Polityka
.
Smithsonite ~24cm wide©

Smithsonite ~10cm tall©
Smithsonite @11 cm tall© Dan & Diana Weinrich Minerals

Smithsonite 8.2cm wide© Graziano Del Core
Smithsonite 9cm wide© Marco Macchieraldo

Yellow Smithsonites from the Masua Mine have been sought after by collectors for more than 100 years. The yellow cadmium rich smithsonite is unrivaled for producing beautiful banded bright yellow slabs. Much of the smithsonite from this locality is botryoidal and many stalactites of it were found. The stalactites don't look all that attractive but just try and find one for your collection. They are quite rare, probably because they could be cut up into attractive slabs that were easy to sell. The one stalactite pictured above has been cut in the long direction and it is the only one I have ever seen that has been cut like that.
[Rock Currier 2012]


Smithsonite
Italy
Sardinia, Carbonia-Iglesias Province, Iglesias, Monteponi Mine

Smithsonite 7.9cm wide© Collectors Edge
Smithsonite after Calcite 6cm wide© Rosenzweig

Smithsonite 9.5cm tall© Antonio Gamboni



Smithsonite
Italy
Sardinia, Carbonia-Iglesias Province, Iglesias, Punta della Torre, San Giovanni Mine

Smithsonite after Calcite 9cm wide©
Smithsonite after Calcite 15cm wide©

Smithsonite after Calcite ~14cm wide©
Smithsonite 10cm wide© Mauro Astolfi

Smithsonite 9cm wide
Smithsonite 11cm wide©


Smithsonite
Italy
Sardinia, Carbonia-Iglesias Province, Iglesias, Seddas Moddizzis Mine

Smithsonite 17cm wide© AL



Smithsonite
Kazakhstan
Kostanay Province (Qostanay Oblysy; Kostanai Oblast'), Shaimerden Zn deposit

Smithsonite 6.2cm wide© Pavel M. Kartashov



Smithsonite
Mexico
Chihuahua, Mun. de Aquiles Serdán, Santa Eulalia District

Smithsonite & Hemimorphite 6.5cm wide© Marin
Smithsonite 7.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Christopher O'Neill
Smithsonite 6.2cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 8.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 5.2cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite after Calcite 9.5cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 5.7cm wide© Trinity Mineral Co.
Smithsonite after Calcite 7.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite ~9cm wide© Alan Goldstein
Smithsonite 21cm wide© Sergio Romero

Smithsonite 3.7cm wide© 2007 JSS
Smithsonite & Hemimorphite 9.5cm© vasco trancoso

Smithsonite 32cm wide & 12.78kg© Charles Creekmur
Smithsonite 5.8cm wide©

Smithsonite from the mines at Santa Eulalia is fairly abundant and though fine examples are not that common. As you can see from the examples shown above and below it is found in a remarkably broad range of colors and associations.


Smithsonite
Mexico
Chihuahua, Mun. de Aquiles Serdán, Santa Eulalia District, East Camp, San Antonio Mine (San Antonio el Grande Mine)

Smithsonite 5.6cm tall© J.Scovil
Smithsonite 7.2cm tall© J.Scovil

Smithsonite & Hemimorphite 10.5cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Carlos Pareja
Smithsonite 9cm wide© 1Joseph Polityka

Smithsonite 3.9cm tall© Danny Jones
Smithsonite 6cm wide© Eric Graff

Smithsonite & Hemimorphite 7.8cm wide© Weinrich
Smithsonite 7cm wide© Joseph Polityka

Smithsonite 8.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 9.5cm wide© Dan & Diana Weinrich Minerals

Smithsonite 5.8cm wide© J.Scovil
Smithsonite 9.1cm wide© fabreminerals.com

Smithsonite 10cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 9.1cm wide© J.Scovil

Smithsonite 7.7cm tall© Weinrich
Smithsonite 6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky


Smithsonite
Mexico
Coahuila, Mun. de Sierra Mojada, Sierra Mojada

Smithsonite 16.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 14.9cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 14.3cm wide© Weinrich



Smithsonite
Mexico
Durango, Mun. de Mapimí, Mapimí, Ojuela Mine

Smithsonite 6.3cm tall© J.Scovil
Smithsonite & Calcite 6.6cm wide©



Smithsonite
Mexico
Sinaloa, Mun. de Choix, Choix, El Refugio Mine

Smithsonite 8.3cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 5.9cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 9cm tall© finestminerals
Smithsonite 7.8cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 4cm wide© 2002 John H. Betts
Smithsonite 8.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 8.1cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 5.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 18.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 7.8cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 8.8cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 8.9cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 7.0cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 6.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 15.2cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 13.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 11.8cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 10.cm tall© J.Scovil

Smithsonite 7.4cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 13.7cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
.
Smithsonite 13cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 15cm wide© Rob Lavinsky


Smithsonite from this mine was for a while fairly abundant during the 1990s and though most of the production produced was colored botryoidal material of not high quality you can see from the examples above that some very nice specimens were produced.


Smithsonite
Mexico
Sinaloa, Mun. de Choix, Choix, Santa Anita Mine

Smithsonite 9.8cm tall© fabreminerals.com
Smithsonite 6.5cm tall© fabreminerals.com

Smithsonite 5.5cm wide© fabreminerals.com
Smithsonite 9cm wide© Joseph A. Freilich

Smithsonite 9cm wide© fabreminerals.com
Smithsonite 6cm wide© fabreminerals.com


Smithsonite
Mexico
Zacatecas, Mun. de Concepción del Oro, Concepción del Oro, Socabon Mine

Smithsonite 5.2cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
Mexico
Zacatecas, Mun. de Mazapil, Mazapil

Smithsonite ~6.5cm wide©



Smithsonite
Mexico
Zacatecas, Mun. de Zacatecas, Zacatecas

Smithsonite 4.5cm wide© Martins da Pedra



Smithsonite
Mexico
Zacatecas, Reyes Mine

Smithsonite 6.1cm tall© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
Morocco
Oriental Region, Oujda-Angad Province, Touissit District

Smithsonite 6.1cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 5.7cm wide© Christian Bracke

Smithsonite 12.2cm wide©
Smithsonite 5.1cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 7cm wide© G. van der Veldt
Smithsonite 10.4cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Fine examples of smithsonite from Touissit are rare.


Smithsonite
Namibia
Karas Region, Lüderitz District, Rosh Pinah, Skorpion Mine

Smithsonite 9cm wide© Bill Dameron
Smithsonite 5.2cm wide.© David J. Eicher


Smithsonite
Namibia
Otjikoto (Oshikoto) Region, Tsumeb
At most deposits, well crystallized smithsonite are rare, at Tsumeb they are fairly common place. It has produced such a variety that the examples shown below have been broken down in sections. The first section shows the cobaltoan rich pink Smithsonites, then the copper rich green ones and finally those of other colors. Some of the specimens shown below are about as good as the locality ever produced.

Pink Smithsonites
Smithsonite 7cm wide© YCL
Smithsonite 4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 8.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 5.9cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 5cm wide© Paul W. Kendall

Smithsonite 2.5cm wide© Michael C. Roarke
Smithsonite 5cm wide© Joseph A. Freilich LLC

Smithsonite 8cm wide©
Smithsonite 4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 6cm wide© Mark Rheinberger

Smithsonite 7.6cm tall© Edwards Minerals
Smithsonite 5cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 9.1cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 15cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 7.5cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 7.9cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
.
Smithsonite 9cm tall© fabreminerals.com

Smithsonite ~7.5cm tall©
Smithsonite 8cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6.2cm wide© Weinrich Minerals
Smithsonite ~7cm wide©

Smithsonite 8.4cm tall© fabreminerals.com


Green Smithsonites
Smithsonite 10cm tall© Joe Budd Photography
Smithsonite 7.2cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 10cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite on Cerussite 10cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite ~8cm wide©
Smithsonite 14cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite ~8cm tall©
Smithsonite & Cerussite ~8cm wide©
.
Smithsonite & Cerussite 7cm wide© Marin Mineral

Smithsonite ~7cm wide©
Smithsonite 6.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6.8cm tall© Weinrich
Smithsonite ~10cm wide©

Smithsonite 2.4cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 12cm wide© Rob Lavinsky


Smithsonite of other colors

Smithsonite 3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 10cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6.6cm tall© Y.Okazaki
Smithsonite after ? ~9cm tall©

Smithsonite 7cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 10cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 17cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 8cm wide©

Smithsonite ~20cm tall©
Smithsonite after ? 13cm tall©
.
Smithsonite ~5cm wide©

Smithsonite ~7cm tall©
Smithsonite ~ 5cm wide©
.
Smithsonite 7.5cm wide© Weinrich

Smithsonite 11cm wide© Weinrich
Smithsonite ~10cm wide©


Smithsonite
Namibia
Otjozondjupa Region, Grootfontein District, Grootfontein

Smithsonite 6cm tall© Michael C. Roarke



Smithsonite
Namibia
Otjozondjupa Region, Grootfontein District, Berg Aukas (Berg Aukus)

Smithsonite 5cm wide© Dan & Diana Weinrich Minerals
Smithsonite 4.6cm wide© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.

Smithsonite 12cm wide© Th.Krassmann
Smithsonite 4.5cm wide© 2002 John H. Betts

Smithsonite 8.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 4.5cm tall© Dan Weinrich

Smithsonite 7.6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 13cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 9.9cm wide© Weinrich
Smithsonite 7.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 9cm wide© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.


The Berg Akus mine, located not far from Tsumeb also produced many good Smithsonite specimens.


Smithsonite
New Zealand
North Island, Te Aroha, Tui Mine

Smithsonite FOV 9mm© Judy Rowe



Smithsonite
Poland
Małopolskie, Olkusz District, Olkusz, Pomorzany Mine

Smithsonite 8cm wide© Jakub Jirásek



Smithsonite
Portugal
Beja District, Moura, Sobral da Adiça, Preguiça Mine

Smithsonite 3cm wide?© Rui Nunes 2005
Smithsonite 6cm wide© Martins da Pedra



Smithsonite
Slovenia
Mežica (Miess), Mežica Mines

Smithsonite 7.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
South Africa
Northern Cape Province, Aggeneys, Broken Hill mine

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Rockpick Legend Co.



Smithsonite
Spain
Andalusia, Granada, Albuñuelas

Smithsonite 8.1cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
Spain
Cantabria, Udías, Sel del Haya Mine

Smithsonite 8cm wide© JRGL
Smithsonite 4cm wide© Martins da Pedra


Smithsonite
Spain
Murcia, Sierra de Cartagena, La Unión, San Valentín Mine (San Valentín Quarry)

Smithsonite 6cm tall© fabreminerals.com
Smithsonite 5cm tall© fabreminerals.com

Smithsonite 5.3cm wide© fabreminerals.com
Smithsonite 5cm wide© fabreminerals.com


Smithsonite
Tunisia
Zaghouan Governorate, Zriba-Village, Hammam-Zriba Mine

Smithsonite 11cm tall© Stephen Moreton
Smithsonite 8cm wide© Stephen Moreton


Smithsonite
Turkey
Mediterranean Region, Adana Province, Tufanbeyli, Akçal

Smithsonite 7cm wide© PMB



Smithsonite
UK
England, Cumbria, North and Western Region (Cumberland), North Pennines, Alston Moor District

Smithsonite 8cm wide©



Smithsonite
UK
England, Cumbria, South Eastern Region (Westmorland), North Pennines, Escarpment District, Hilton, Scordale, Hilton Mine

Smithsonite after ? 9.1cm tall© www.e-rocks.com
Smithsonite after ? 9.1cm wide© www.e-rocks.com


Smithsonite
UK
England, North Yorkshire, North Pennines, Pateley Bridge District, Greenhow, Coldstones Quarry

Smithsonite after Calcite 6cm wide© HW
Smithsonite after Calcite ~6cm wide© HW


Smithsonite
USA
Arizona, Cochise Co., Dragoon Mts, Turquoise District (Courtland-Gleeson District), Gleeson, Costello Mine group (Costello claims), Silver Bill Mine

Smithsonite 5cm wide© J.Scovil
Smithsonite 3.4cm wide© Michael Cline


Smithsonite
USA
Arizona, Cochise Co., Mule Mts, Warren District, Bisbee

Smithsonite 7.2cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
USA
Arizona, Coconino Co., Grandview District, Grand Canyon National Park, Horseshoe Mesa, Cape Royal, Grand View Mine (Last Chance Mine; No. 1 Pat claim 3591; No. 5 Pat claim 3592a; No. 4 Pat claim 3592a; Canyon Copper Mine; Grand Canyon Mine)

Smithsonite 3.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
USA
Arizona, Gila Co., Dripping Spring Mts, Banner District

Smithsonite 4.8cm wide© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.
Smithsonite 8.1cm wide© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.

Smithsonite 5.7cm wide© Weinrich
Smithsonite 6.6cm wide© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.


Smithsonite
USA
Arizona, Gila Co., Dripping Spring Mts, Banner District, Hayden area, Chilito, 79 Mine (79th Mine; Seventy-Nine Mine; Seventy-Nine property; McHur prospect)

Smithsonite 5.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 3.7cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 5.1cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 8.8cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 8.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
.
Smithsonite 9.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 5cm wide© Russell G. Rizzo
Smithsonite 4.7cm tall© Dan & Diana Weinrich Minerals

Smithsonite & Calcite 5.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 7cm wide©

Smithsonite 6.2cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 7.6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 9.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 11.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 9.5cm wide© Weinrich
Smithsonite 9.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite & Calcite 6.8cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 7.1cm tall© Rob Lavinsky


Smithsonite
USA
Arizona, Mohave Co., Hualapai (Hualpai) Mts, Hualapai District, Arrastra Mt., Antler Mine (Antler Gold Mine; Spuyten Duyvel Mine)

Smithsonite 8.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 13.2cm tall© J.Scovil


Smithsonite
USA
Arizona, Pima Co., Waterman Mts, Waterman District, Silver Hill District, Silver Hill, Silver Hill Mine group

Smithsonite 8cm wide© Renee Teresa Polityka
Smithsonite on Calcite 3cm wide©

Smithsonite 4.1cm wide© WS-09
Smithsonite 3.1cm wide© Peter Hargis


Smithsonite
USA
Arizona, Pinal Co., Mammoth District, Tiger, St. Anthony deposit, Mammoth-Saint Anthony Mine (Mammoth-St Anthony Mine; Mammoth Mine; St. Anthony Mine)

Smithsonite ~7cm wide© 2008 Bruce Murphy
Smithsonite @7cm wide© 2008 Bruce Murphy

Smithsonite ~6cm wide©


Good specimens of Smithsonite from Tiger are quite rare.


Smithsonite
USA
Arizona, Santa Cruz Co., Santa Rita Mts, Tyndall District, Cottonwood Canyon, Amado, Devil's Cash Box ridge, Glove Mine (Sunrise Mine), Glove Mine group (Zombie & Zeco claims; Festiago-Franklin; Blacksmith adit)

Smithsonite 7.1cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 8cm wide© 2001 John H. Betts


Smithsonite
USA
Arkansas, Marion Co., Rush Creek District

Smithsonite 7cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite after Dolomite 6.7cm tall© Lavinsky

Smithsonite 5.1cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite ~6cm wide©

Smithsonite after Dolomite ~7.5cm wide©
Smithsonite 6.4cm wide© Weinrich

Smithsonite after Dolomite ~10cm wide©
Smithsonite ~8cm wide©

Smithsonite ~8cm wide©
Smithsonite after Dolomite 8.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky


The cadmium rich yellow Smithsonites from the Rush Creek District can on occasion rival the best specimens of their yellow cousins from Sardinia. The fine yellow specimens of Smithsonite after Dolomite are particularly desirable.


Smithsonite
USA
Arkansas, Marion Co., Rush Creek District, Morning Star Mine

Smithsonite 3.5cm wide©
Smithsonite 6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 14.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 14cm wide© 2003 John H. Betts


Smithsonite
USA
Arkansas, Marion Co., Rush Creek District, Rush, Philadelphia mine

Smithsonite after Dolomite 9cm wide© Weinrich
Smithsonite after Dolomite 9cm wide© Weinrich

Smithsonite after Dolomite 4.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 5.2cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
USA
Arkansas, Marion Co., Rush Creek District, Rush, Monte Cristo mine ("Monte Christo" mine)

Smithsonite 2.7cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite after Dolomite 3.2cm wide© Rob Lavinsky


Smithsonite
USA
Arkansas, Marion Co., Rush Creek District, Rush

Smithsonite @ Dolomite 6.7cm© Lavinsky
Smithsonite after Dolomite 11.8cm wide© Weinrich


Smithsonite
USA
California, Inyo Co., Inyo Mts (Inyo Range)

Smithsonite 9cm wide© David J. Eicher



Smithsonite
USA
Kentucky, Crittenden Co., Illinois - Kentucky Fluorspar District, Marion

Smithsonite 7.7cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 7.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky


Smithsonite
USA
Missouri, Jasper Co., Tri-State District, Joplin Field, Gobbler Mine

Smithsonite 9cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
USA
Missouri, Jasper Co., Tri-State District, Oronogo Field


Smithsonite 6.6cm tall© Dan & Diana Weinrich Minerals
Smithsonite 4.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
.
Smithsonite 9.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky


Smithsonite
USA
New Mexico, Grant Co., Burro Mountains District, Tyrone Area, Tyrone Mine

Smithsonite on Chrysocolla 7cm wide© FL Murray



Smithsonite
USA
New Mexico, Socorro Co., Hansonburg District, Bingham, Blanchard Mine (Portalas-Blanchard Mine)

Smithsonite ~7cm wide© 2008 Peter Cristofono



Smithsonite
USA
New Mexico, Socorro Co., Magdalena District, Kelly Mine

Smithsonite ~7cm wide©
Smithsonite ~12cm tall©

Smithsonite 6cm wide© 2002 John H. Betts
Smithsonite 6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 9.3cm wide© Mario Pauwels
Smithsonite 8.5cm wide© Crystal Classics

Smithsonite 5cm tall© 2002 John H. Betts
Smithsonite 12.1cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 20cm wide©
Smithsonite 12.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite ~6cm tall©
Smithsonite 7.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
.
Smithsonite 23.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 9.4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 12.6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite ~12cm wide© 2008 Peter Cristofono
Smithsonite 11cm wide© Mark Mauthner

Smithsonite 14.6cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 10.1cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite ~23cm wide©
Smithsonite 16.5 cm wide© Weinrich

Smithsonite 5.8cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 13.8cm wide© Weinrich

Smithsonite 9.8cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite & Aurichalcite 5cm wide© Weinrich

Smithsonite ~3cm tall©
Smithsonite on Aurichalcite 3cm wide © Betts

Smithsonite ~12 cm wide©
Smithsonite 9cm wide© www.donpekerocks.com

Smithsonite ~20cm wide©


The blue to blue green Smithsonites because of their color are particularly appealing to collectors and fine specimens of Kelly Smithsonite can bring tens of thousands of dollars. They used to be fairly common, but the good ones are becoming hard to get at any price.


Smithsonite
USA
Oklahoma, Ottawa Co., Tri-State District

Smithsonite 1.5 meters wide



Smithsonite
USA
Pennsylvania, Lehigh Co., Upper Saucon Township, Saucon Valley, Friedensville, Ueberroth Mine

Smithsonite 7.5cm wide© 1Joseph Polityka



Smithsonite
USA
Tennessee, Jefferson Co., Mascot-Jefferson City Zinc District, New Market, New Market Mine (Asarco New Market Mine)

Smithsonite 5.1cm wide© Jasun McAvoy



Smithsonite
USA
Utah, Beaver Co., San Francisco Mts, San Francisco District (Frisco District)

Smithsonite after Calcite ~7cm wide©



Smithsonite
USA
Utah, Beaver Co., Star Range, Star and North Star Districts, Moscow Mine (Old Moscow/New Moscow)

Smithsonite 6cm wide© Rockpick Legend Co.



Smithsonite
USA
Utah, Tooele Co., Oquirrh Mts, Ophir District, Ophir Hill area, Hidden Treasure Mine (Sacramento; Chicago)

Smithsonite 7cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Smithsonite 9.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Smithsonite 12cm wide© Weinrich



Smithsonite
USA
Washington, Stevens Co.

Smithsonite 6cm tall© Karl Volkman 2002



Smithsonite
USA
Wisconsin, Iowa Co., Upper Mississippi Valley District, Mineral Point

Smithsonite ~16cm tall©
Smithsonite after Calcite ~6cm tall©

Smithsonite ~11cm wide©
Smithsonite after Calcite 7.6cm wide© Weinrich

Smithsonite after Calcite 13cm© Lavinsky
Smithsonite after Calcite 12.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky



Smithsonite
Zambia
Central Province, Kabwe (Broken Hill), Kabwe Mine (Broken Hill Mine)

Smithsonite 7.8cm wide© Weinrich Minerals, Inc.



Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.

First draft of Smithsonite article completed 30 April 2012 Rock Currier]]> Rock Currier Best Minerals S Fri, 18 May 2012 20:34:40 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,221626,221626#msg-221626 Stibiotantalite, place holder (7 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,221626,221626#msg-221626
©



Click here to view Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.

Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?



Stibiotantalite
Sb(Ta,Nb)O4

Here will go a selected image of a fine specimen of Stibiotantalite and come comments about the species in general.


Here will go the first described locality, images of Stibiotantalite from that locality and some text about the specimens from this locality if anything is known.



Click here to view Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> Rock Currier Best Minerals S Wed, 01 Jun 2011 01:56:12 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,200272,200272#msg-200272 Sekaninaite (1 reply) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,200272,200272#msg-200272 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.




Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities? After each set of pictures there should be some descriptive text. If none appears it means that we need someone to tell us about the specimens from that locality and something about the geology of the occurrence.

Sekaninaite
(Fe,Mg)2Al4Si5O18

Sekaninaite 8cm long crystal© Jakub Jirásek
,

Sekaninaite is the Fe dominant member of the continuous series between the Mg dominant cordierite and sekaninaite. The physical an optical appearance of sekaninaite is similar to those of cordierite, and before 1975 no distinction was made between the species. Sekaninaite is quite a rare mineral. In the Mindat database only 18 ( as pr sept 2010) locations are registered worldwide. This is rather strange as the cordierite end member of the series is an abundant, rock forming mineral. There are good reasons for sekaninaite being rarer:

- The cordierite-series minerals are predominantly found in magnesium rich environments poor in iron. In environments with more iron than magnesium present, garnets and micas tend to form rather than sekaninaite. This is particularly true in regional metamorphic conditions where the P/T (pressure/temperature) conditions are stable for an extended period of time. Sekaninaite is consequently found in pegmatites and contact metamorphic rocks.

- Also, sekaninaite was not described as a separate species until 1975, any earlier finds was classified as cordierite or Fe-cordierite, so some of the cordierites described in the literature may well be sekaninaites. A typical example is the 1950 article “CORDIERITE IN PEGMATITE NEAR MICANITE, COLORADO” E. Wm. Heinrich, University of Michigan,Ann Arbor, Michigan, indicating that the cordierite contains 60% Fe2Al4Si5O18 and 1,5% alkalies. If this is correct, the “cordierite” is in fact sekaninaite.


Sekaninaite
Czech republic,
Moravia (Mähren; Maehren), Vysočina Region, Žďár nad Sázavou, Dolní Bory

Sekaninaite 7x7 cm crystal cross section© Paul Bongaerts


The best loction for sekaninaite is by far the type locality Dolní Bory in the Bory pegmatite district.
where giant crystals can be found. Sekaninaite occurs as poorly developed crystals up to 60-70 cm
in size, usually twinned on {l l0} and {310}, simulating hexagonal symmetry. They are often partly or fully altered to chlorite and/or mica type minerals.

This pegmatite district is located within the area of granulitic rocks of the Bory granulit massif surrounded by cordierite migmatites and biotite-sillimanite migmatitic gneisses. There are three types of pegmatites in this area:

(i)Symmetrically zoned barren pegmatite dikes with schorl, muscovite, apatite and locally also with andalusite and sekaninaite
(ii) phosphate-bearing pegmatites characterized by the presence of primary Fe,Mn-phosphates
(iii) The most evolved lepidolite-subtype pegmatites with abundant elbaite, locally amblygonite-montebrazite, cookeite and spodumene+quartz pseudomorphs after petalite,

All these pegmatites, whose geochemical characteristics indicate the LCT affiliation, belong to a single pegmatite population likely derived from related parental granites, and are about 350 mill years old.

Sekaninaite are found in an intermediate, albite-rich zone between the outer graphic granite zona and the central zone with blocky microcline and quartz. Sekaninaite occurs with schorl, muscovite, andalusite, biotite and apatite in minor to accessory amounts.




Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> Olav Revheim Best Minerals S Mon, 25 Oct 2010 03:38:00 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,177415,177415#msg-177415 Sphalerite (2 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,177415,177415#msg-177415 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.


Article under construction:

Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities? After each set of pictures there should be some descriptive text. If none appears it means that we need someone to tell us about the specimens from that locality and something about the geology of the occurrence.


Sphalerite
ZnS, Isometric


Sphalerite, Dolomite & Quartz, Kosovo, 5.5cm wide© Bill Dameron

Sphalerite can be black like its fellow sulfides, but also one of the most beautiful of gems, with a very high index of refractiion.

Ireland

One of the better sphalerite specimens from Mogul mine, Ireland. Full details on the link to photo gallery. Sphalerite Ireland Mogul Mine [Bill Dameron 2010]

Kosovo

United Kingdom

United States
Another sphalerite. We need a sphalerite thread/page, but until you have one I'll post here and see what you do with them. This one of my favorites, from Trepca, Kosovo. I have another with virtually all twins.Sphalerite Dolomite Quartz Trepca Kosovo [Bill Dameron 2010]
Rock Currier
rockcurrier@CS.com
Jewel Tunnel Imports
13100 Spring St.
Baldwin Park, CA 91706
626-814-2257



Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> Rock Currier Best Minerals S Sun, 04 Apr 2010 21:02:40 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,146794,146794#msg-146794 Sulphur (3 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,146794,146794#msg-146794 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities? After each set of pictures there should be some descriptive text. If none appears it means that we need someone to tell us about the specimens from that locality and something about the geology of the occurrence.


Sulphur
S Orthorhombic

Cianciana, Sicily, Italy 10 cm© Zbynek Burival

Probably the best known sulphur specimens come from Italy, but they tend to be a bit difficult to find. The Bolivian sulphurs are relatively easy to obtain, there is some mining for local consumption and the specimen market. Some Italian specimens were claimed to be artificially produced. Although there were probably good sulphur crystals in the Gulf Coast of the US, since these were mined using the Frasch process, only some drill cores were recovered.


Sulphur has been long known (the "brimstone" of the ancients) and has been used in many commodities over the years (including gunpowder). Sulphur was obtained commercially by mining the native element (mines and the Frasch process) and from pyrite. With the desire to decrease air pollution, today the majority of the production comes from scrubbing the emissions of smelters and removing sulphur from hydrocarbons. Except in local situations, these sources now provide all the needed commercial sulphur requirements.


Sulphur is formed in a number of different environments. It can be directly deposited by fumaroles (volcanic gas vents) or underground fires, oxidation of some sulfide minerals, and as a microbial product acting on gypsum and anhydrite. The best specimens from Sicily, Michigan and the US Gulf Coast are all products of microbial action.



Bolivia, Potosí Department, El Desierto mine

Production from the mine started in the 1940's. Production is currently only used for the sugar industry and specimen mining (~1-2000 tons per year). The solfatara deposit measures 5 meter wide, 2 meter deep and 75 meter long in size. Crystals vary from 1 to 4cm in size and are either yellow or a greenish yellow color.

7 cm© Rob Lavinsky
9 cm© Rob Lavinsky

6 cm© Rob Lavinsky
6 cm© Rob Lavinsky



China, Guizhou Province, Liupanshui Prefecture

Alteration of sulfides

On valentinite 8 cm© Wang Minerals


China, Hunan Province, Xikuangshan Sb deposit

7 cm© 2001 John H. Betts
1.5 cm© Tagliabue-Foschi



Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Anna Mine

4 mm© Frank de Wit
3 mm© Frank de Wit

Red selian sulphur 10mm© Frank de Wit


Germany, Thuringia, Ronneburg U deposit

3 cm© Thomas Witzke
8 cm© Thomas Witzke



Italy, Pesaro-Urbino Province, Perticara Mine

28 cm© Chinellato Matteo
4 cm© Chinellato Matteo

12 cm© www.exceptionalminerals.com



Italy, Sicily

Although mining started in about 1250AD, large scale mining did not commence until the late 1700's and lasted to the late 1900's. There were about 1400 sulphur mines in the southern portion of Sicily extending from Gibellina to Centuripe. The largest crystals are up to 9 cm in size.

6 cm© Roger Lang 2003
4 cm© Rob Lavinsky




Italy, Sicily, Agrigento Province

3 cm© Rob Lavinsky
On aragonite 6 cm© Rob Lavinsky

5 cm© Rob Lavinsky
7 cm© Rob Lavinsky

18 cm© Rob Lavinsky
7 cm© fabreminerals.com



Italy, Sicily, Agrigento Province, Cozzodisi Mine

7 cm© www.exceptionalminerals.com
2 cm© Chinellato Matteo

2 cm© Peter Haas
2 cm© Peter Haas




Italy, Sicily, Agrigento Province, Cianciana

10 cm© Joseph A. Freilich, LLC
2.5 cm© G.S




Italy, Sicily, Agrigento Province, Gibellina mine

4 cm© Rob Lavinsky


Italy, Sicily, Agrigento Province, Racalmuto Mine

On calcite 10 cm© 2001 John H. Betts
7 cm© Maco Barsanti




Italy, Sicily, Caltanissetta Province

4 cm© Rob Lavinsky


4 cm© 2008 Michael C. Roarke


Italy, Sicily, Caltanissetta Province, Gessolungo mine

15 cm© C.F.


Mexico, Baja California Norte, San Felipe

2 cm© Rob Lavinsky
4 cm© 2008 Michael C. Roarke



Netherlands, Limburg, Willem-Sophia mine

1.5 mm© fred.kruijen



New Zealand, North Island, Lake Rotokawa

Fumarole deposits.

7 cm© Donald Stanley
20 cm©



Poland, Tarnobrzeg, Machów mine

2 cm© E. Szełęg
5 cm© www.SpiriferMinerals.com

6 cm© fabreminerals.com
On barite 14 cm© Rob Lavinsky



Russia, Samaraskaya Oblast', Vodinskoye Deposit

3 cm© 2002 John H. Betts
4 cm© Rob Lavinsky



UK, Wales, Llangynog Mine

cm© Steve Rust
Sulfur crystals to 0.5mm on corroded galena with anglesite

Yavorovskoe, L'viv Oblast', Ukraine

10 cm© fabreminerals.com


USA, Michigan, Monroe Co., Maybee

Found in vugs in limestone with celestite, calcite and gypsum. Vugs from a few centimeters to over a meter have bben found. Single crystals to 15 cm are in the Seaman and Cranbrook Insitute museums and aggregates up to 30cm have been found. Possibly some pseudomorphs of sulphur after celestite have been found.

7 cm© www.exceptionalminerals.com
5 cm© Rob Lavinsky



Steamboat Springs District, Washoe Co., Nevada, USA

Located in an active geothermal area, it has produced several thousands of sulfur specimens. Elongated hoppered crystals to 5cm on matrix and individual crystals to 7cm have been found.

2 cm© Rob Lavinsky
5 cm© Russell G. Rizzo




USA, Pennsylvania, Schuylkill Co., Kehley's Run Mine

8 mm© M.Heintzelman

Pale yellow dendritic crystals of Sulfur on hornsfel matrix. Deposition caused by the burning Anthracite coal within the mine (non-native).



Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> David Von Bargen Best Minerals S Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:33:20 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,145898,145898#msg-145898 Silver (30 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,145898,145898#msg-145898 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities? After each set of pictures there should be some descriptive text. If none appears it means that we need someone to tell us about the specimens from that locality and something about the geology of the occurrence.





Silver
Ag Isometric

Kongsberg, Norway 15 cm©



Silver specimens are readily available (although good ones can be expensive). The most common habits are wires or as reticulated masses of twinned crystals (herringbone). It is relatively simple to artificially grow silver wires.


The first major production of silver was obtained by the Chaldeans via cuppellation in ~ 2500BC. Historically Athens used the silver found in the Laurium area to pay for it becoming a naval power circa 483BC and the mines were a major source of silver until the Romans began exploiting Spanish mines. In the Middle ages, the German and Central European deposits were exploited. Spanish colonization of the Americas resulted in production from the Andes Mountains (Bolivia and Peru) and Mexico. The gold rushes in the American west often led to the discovery of significant silver deposits such as the Comstock Lode, Nevada and Leadville, Colorado.



Silver is found in a number of hydrothermal deposits, but most of the better reticulated masses come from Ag-Ni-Co-Bi-U-As veins. The wires usually form in supergene enrichment zones. Also, silver has been found associated with copper in red bed sedimentary deposits. Silver is also found as various sulfide, sulfosalt and halide minerals. Some of the native silver specimens have been cut and polished for jewelry making.


Native silver specimens can occur in large masses. Duke Albrecht and his entourage in 1477 were in the St. Georg mine in Schneeburg and ate a meal on a 4x2x1 meter mass of native silver (the "Silbertisch" - silver table). Possibly the largest mass of silver was found in a surface outcropping on the Lawson mine property in Cobalt, Ontario named the "Silver Sidewalk". The shoot measured 100 m long, 60m deep and up to 0.5m wide and consisted of native silver and cobalt arsenides. Silver specimens were able to evade the smelter early in mine lives (the owners tended to call it "highgrading"), but over time as miners ran into a need for money, many specimens ended up being melted in assay offices. The extraordinary quality and size of specimens from Kongsberg prevented the destruction of numerous specimens, but even many of these ended up in the smelters.




Australia, New South Wales, Cobar, Elura Mine (Endeavor Mine)

Known for extremely long spinel twins.

Spinel twins© Rob Lavinsky
6 cm© 2001 John H. Betts




Czech Republic, Bohemia, Příbram

Pseudomorh after dyscrasite 2.5 cm© Rob Lavinsky



Germany, Baden-Württemberg, Wittichen

3 cm© Rob Lavinsky




Germany, Saxony, Erzgebirge, Freiberg

District discovered in late 12th century.

8 cm© Joseph A. Freilich
14 cm© Joseph A. Freilich



Germany, Saxony, Erzgebirge, Himmelsfürst Mine

4 cm© www.exceptionalminerals.com
5 cm©



Germany, Saxony, Erzgebirge, Pöhla-Tellerhäuser Mine

2 cm© L. Rantos
2 cm© Dario Cericola



Kazakhstan, Zhezqazghan Oblysy, Dzhezkazgan Mine

2 cm© Joseph A. Freilich, LLC
7 cm© RWMW



Mexico, Chihuahua, Mun. de Batopilas, Batopilas

3 cm© Rob Lavinsky
3 cm© Rob Lavinsky

8 cm©
7 cm©


Mexico, Chihuahua, Mun. de Batopilas, Batopilas, New Nevada Mine

4 cm© Rob Lavinsky
4 cm© Rob Lavinsky





Norway, Buskerud, Kongsberg Silver Mining District

Most famous silver specimens. Wire silver to 1m, twinned silver crystal of 5cm size, 17kg wire mass in the Kongsberg museum.

11.0 x 5.8 x 1.8 cm© Rob Lavinsky
12 cm©

Crystals to 1 cm© Kristalle and Crys
5.2 cm by 4.5 cm© www.exceptionalminerals.com

5 cm©
Cubic crystals to 1cm© Rob Lavinsky

Spinel twins 6.9 x 5.5 x 1.3 cm© fabreminerals.com
3 cm© Rob Lavinsky



Silver
United Kingdom
Scotland, Central Region, Alva Silver Mine

Silver crystals up to ~mm© Dr Stephen Moreton
Dendritic silver crystals up to 2cm© Dr Stephen Moreton


Dendritic silver crystals up to 2 cm©


The first two specimens shown here were collected by Stephen Moreton. His comments abut them are interesting.
"My two best ever finds, from my student days in the 1980s. I call them the "Crown Jewels" of my collection and they were the result of years of methodical excavation of the waste heap of Scotland's richest silver mine (indeed the richest bonanza of native silver ever found in the British Isles)"


USA, Michigan, Keweenaw Peninsula

Although not as well known as the copper specimens, much silver was mined and saved from the area mines (the "white" copper was frequently kept by miners and mine captains as a sort of unapproved bonus). The best known specimens are the "half-breeds" - areas of massive native silver and copper that were probably produced in the stamps or by glacial action. Recorded silver production is 16 million ounces, but probably twice that amount was mined. The best silver specimens were found in the Kearsarge and Pewabic lodes as well as the fissure mines. Wire silver is rare, most specimens are herringbone aggregates or "spikes" (up to 10cm). Most are octahedral or dodecahedral crystals although rare cubes (to 5mm) have been found.

USA, Michigan, Houghton Co., Quincy Mine

3 cm© Rob Lavinsky


USA, Michigan, Houghton Co., Kearsarge Mine

5.3 cm by 2.8 cm© www.exceptionalminerals.com


Keweenaw Co., Michigan, USA

Halfbreed 5.2 x 3.1 x 1.7 cm© Rob Lavinsky


USA, Michigan, Ontonagon Co.

Halfbreed 4.7 x 3.1 x 1.1 cm© Rob Lavinsky


USA, Michigan, Ontonagon Co., White Pine Mine

Arborescent and herringbone aggregates in calcite veins from the southwest orebody.

10x 4cm©



Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> David Von Bargen Best Minerals S Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:21:26 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,138091,138091#msg-138091 Sperrylite (3 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,138091,138091#msg-138091 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?

Below are some preliminary notes I have made about Sperrylite. This entry and thread has been made as a place holder for information that you will hopefully contribute about Sperrylite. It should be in no way be thought of as a claim I have staked out to write about this mineral, and in fact is an invitation for someone to step forward and create the article about this mineral. If you are so inclined and have questions about the format that such an article should have, go the The welcome topic at the top of the Best Minerals forum and read what has been posted there. Also take a look at some of the more mature articles that have already been written like Rhodochrosite, Adamite, Millerite etc. You will need also to pick out other images of Sperryllite that will go into the article.


Sperrylite
PtAs2 Cubic
Sperrylite, Noril'sk, Taimyr Peninsula, Taymyrskiy Autonomous Okrug, Russia 4.1cm wide© fabreminerals.com


Here will go general comments about Sperrylite specimens in general.

Dear Rob,
in your captions to your photos [www.mindat.org] and [www.mindat.org] some errors exist.
Yellow mineral of marix is chalcopyrite (+/- cubanite) and apparently don't contain any talnakhite at all. Talnachite is orange-brown, bronze mineral on fresh breaks, but for some hours it become pinkish -> lilac -> violet and some days (4-5) it begin transform into dark violet-brown. It never is yellow.
Chromite is known in Norilsk group deposits, but mainly as 0.n-0.0n mm grains. All visible by eye black octahedrons in Norilsk masive sulphide ores are magnetites. Cromspinelides from here may be visible only in polished sections under microscope. These localities connected with gabbro-norites (basaltic rocks) not with ultrabasic ones, where chromites are abundant.
By the way, in 1992 I saw block of ore ~40x20x7 cm size from unspecified mine of the Norilsk group, in which sperryllite skeletons were so large, that I was unable to cover some of them by my palm (it is 10x9 cm, according to the last measurements ). The block contained some kg of sperryllite. Unfortunately it was divided into ~40-50 specimens. And some of them I saw here on mindat - [www.mindat.org] for example.
This block contained a lot of paolovite and nigglyite inclusions in the chalcopyrite "matrix". So it contained also additional 200-300 g of PGM besides obvious sperryllite.




My Dad was a pack rat who loved bargains. After he died I sent a 30 m moving van ( "pantechnion" for you English!)packed tightly with Dad's treasures to auction and with the entire proceeds bought the large specimen, At the the time the chalco was quite purple and billed as Talnakhite. What amazed me was the parallel growth of the sperrylite crystals. There seemed nothing commensurate between the "talnakhite" lattice and the sperrylite lattice that could account for the sperrylite's parallel growth. I showed it to Dr. Godoviko (sp?) from the Fersman and asked him why the parallelism. He said he had never seen such good sperrylites as were currently marketed in the States and said he had no idea why the parallelism. I pressed him and he replied with a strong Russian accent." Probably there are little worms of sperrylite between the crystals." That surprised me so I took it to Bart Cannon's and used his abrasive blaster to further excavate the specimen. Sure enough he was right. There were bars of sperrylite that connected the crystals in a skeletal growth!!!. The blasting removed the deep purple colour of the "talnakhite". I thought the purple would come back, but after nearly a decade it photoed as you see it. So I conclude that the last step in preping these for market was a soak in whatever turns chalco into "bornite" as commonly sold in rock shops. Bart told me that the black octos had been probed for someone else who thought they might be Laurites. I thought Bart said they turned out to be chromites. I'll ask Bart about it, but I doubt that he'll remember. Bart is pretty good, but there may be a problem with the amount of Cr in the black octos. He would have been looking for Ru, but saw some Cr instead and so called it chromite??? (Not according to your observations given above!!!) Recently there was some discussion about real chromites. Arghh!!! I may be mis remembering myself as my Borneo "Laurite" octos probed as Chromite. That is more likely. The other Sperrylite came from Brad Van Scriver and I did nothing to it, so the purple remained. A little of the "talnakhite" broke away from this piece and all was purple, so the fractures must have been present when the piece was soaked. l did no analytic work on these pieces.

This is a good example of "the world's biggest or best" The world is a very big place!!! Although nothing larger escaped Russia that I ever saw or heard of, it is not too surprising that much larger skeletal pieces existed. Thanks so much for the info. It is a real shame that the piece was broken up for commercial purposes. Curetonizing is breaking up a large piece that you couldn't sell for more than a few hunded dollars into fifty or more pieces that you can sell for $50. each.Obviously the vandals didn't know what they had as they could have sold it for far more as a huge skeletal piece rather than bits and pieces for hundreds to thousands. I'll clean up the captions. Thanks again!!!

This is good info for the Best Stuff and we should report it there. Also these specimens are now at the Royal Ontario Museum and I would like your permission to copy these messages to them.

Rob Woodside

Dear Rob,
laurite isn't known in Norilsk group deposits because of it is typical mineral of ultrabasic associations - chromite, Os-Ir-Ru alloys, erlichmanite, IsoFePt and 4FePt... Besides that, the largest laurite xls, about which I sometimes heard, hadn't exceed 2 mm.

These black octahedrons from Norilsk sulphide ores always are STRONG magnetic. No cromite hasn't such strong and obvious magnetism. Besides that, mostly chromite is more lustrous/reflective than magnetite.

Kind regards,



Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> Rock Currier Best Minerals S Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:23:23 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,134773,134773#msg-134773 Schalenblende (79 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,134773,134773#msg-134773 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?

Schalenblende

Schalenblende from Olkusz, Poland© E. Szełęg


A mixture of Sphalerite (Zn,Fe2+)S and Wurtzite (Zn,Fe)S masses of a pale brown colour, occurring in concentric layers with reniform surfaces which also may contain pyrite and galena. It is believed to have formed by crystallization of a sulfide gel.


Schalenblende
Australia
New South Wales, Yancowinna Co., Broken Hill

5cm© Knut Eldjarn


These coatings are usually called secondary Sphalerite rather then Schalenblende but they do also contain Wurtzite (by XRD) and usually include dendritic galena. They were abundant in the 1970's.
In Australia the Schalenblende specimens were called "Brunckite"
[Ralph Bottrill, Knut Eldjarn, 2009]


Schalenblende
Austria
Carinthia, Gailtaler Alpen & Karnische Alpen Mts, Bleiberg District

14x17cm© Rudo
7cm© H. Prasnik

8,5x5,5cm© PMB
6,5x5cm© PMB

Ancient lead-zinc mining area, worked from the 16th century until the late 1980's when the Stefanie mine was the last mine to close. The deposit is situated in a raised valley west of Villach, which separates the Dobratsch massif to the south from the Gailtaler Alpen Mts to the north.
A tourist mine can be visited.
Sedimentary Pb-Zn mineralizations in triassic limestones (Wetterstein formation) and intercalate carbonatites. The valley is believed to have been part of a marine rift system in the triassic age. The main ores are galena (nearly free of silver) and cadmian sphalerite. Due to fault systems, the oxidation zone extends to depths of around 400 m in some areas of the district (Rudolf mine, Bad Bleiberg). Within the deposit, the galena content decreases to the west: at Kreuth (Max mine), sphalerite was more abundant than galena. Identical mineralizations are found in superimposing layers (Cardita formation, basal main dolomite) to the north. Together, these rocks form a several km wide zone that extends far up the Gail valley (to the west). Within this zone, numerous small Pb-Zn deposits with similar mineralizations are located (e.g. Jaukenhöhe, Radnig near Hermagor, Förolach, Zuchengraben and Schliwagraben near St Stefan, Mitterberg, Golsernock near Stockenboi and Burg near Rubland).
Can anyone help us with information on specimens from this locality?


Schalenblende
Belgium
Liège Province, Engis, La Mallieue

5,7cm© Paul De Bondt
11,5cm© Paul De Bondt

Carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn deposit.


Schalenblende
Belgium
Liège Province, Verviers, Plombières-Vieille Montagne (Plombières-Altenberg) District, Kelmis, Moresnet, Schmalgraf Mine

35,2cm© Paul De Bondt
22,5cm© Paul De Bondt

12,4cm© Paul De Bondt
11x8,5cm© JDehove

20cm© R. Lang 2009
5,2cm© R. Lang 2009

7,2cm© Paul De Bondt
8,6cm© Paul De Bondt

Ancient zinc and lead mine that started in 1867 and was abandoned in 1932.
The mine is located 2.5 km west of Moresnet with old dumps opposite the adit (Oskarstollen) in the valley of “Lontzener Bach”. Many very fine examples of Schalenblende came out of the mine during the many years of operation.
The light bands in Schalenblende from Schmalgraff(Neu-Moresnet) show an orange fluorescence under long wave UV light (info Nico Nilis).
Can anyone help us with information on specimens from this locality?


Schalenblende
Belgium
Liège Province, Verviers, Plombières-Vieille Montagne (Plombières-Altenberg) District, Welkenraedt

14cm© C.H.M.-Schäfer
FOV 3,4cm© Paul De Bondt

Ancient lead and zinc mine located 7 km NNW of Eupen and 4 km SW of Moresnet.
Can anyone help us with information on specimens from this locality?


Schalenblende
Belgium
Liège Province, Verviers, Plombières-Vieille Montagne (Plombières-Altenberg) District, Lontzen, Astenet, Fossey, Fossey Mine

6,8x3,8cm© PMB
5x4cm© Leon Hupperichs

Can anyone help us with information on specimens from this locality?


Schalenblende
Belgium
Namur Province, Andenne,Seilles

12x11cm© Harjo
10cm© Paul De Bondt

18,6cm© Paul De Bondt
10cm© Richard De Nul

8,2cm© Paul De Bondt
10,8cm© Paul De Bondt

Active Limestone quarry famous (in Belgium) for outstanding Fluorite specimens found in the 1970s and 80s. The Schalenblende specimens were recovered from a single " walk-in " pocket in 2007 (info Paul de Bondt)


Schalenblende
Belgium
Namur Province, Namur, Vedrin

6,2cm© Paul De Bondt



Part of the Meuse-Vesdre lead-zinc district.
The mine was more an iron mine with large amounts of marcasite rather than a lead-zinc mine. [Paul de Bondt]


Schalenblende
Canada
Northwest Territories, Pine Point

10,7cm© Paul De Bondt 2013



Pine Point sets on coarsely crystalline dolomite of the Presqu'ile formation and the dolomitic calcarenite of the underlying Pine Point formation, Mississippi Valley type Pb-Zn deposit. 36 pits over an area of 20x60 km.
Located near Great Slave Lake.


Schalenblende
Canada
Nunavut Territory, Little Cornwallis Island, Polaris Mine (Arvik Mine)

7x6,5cm© PMB
9,2cm© Paul De Bondt

A lead-zinc mine owned by Cominco. Production was at 100,000 tons/year Zn & 30,000 tons/year Pb in concentrates. This mine is the farthest north in the world!


Schalenblende
Germany
Baden-Wurtenberg, Heidelberg, Wiesloch, Segen Gottes Mine

3x5cm© Volker Betz
FOV 12cm© 2005 M. Kampf

FOV 4,5cm© 2005 M. Kampf
7x6cm© PMB

Ancient lead and zinc mine, closed in 1953, located near Wiesloch, about 12 km south of Heidelberg.
Information on Wiesloch mining history
Can anyone help us with information on specimens from this locality?


Schalenblende
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Aachen, Stolberg, Breinig, Breinigerberg Mine

FOV 4cm© C.H.M.-Schäfer
8x6cm© Leon Hupperichs


A lead and zinc mine, closed in 1893. Located near Breinig, 4 km SSE of Stolberg.
Can anyone help us with information on specimens from this locality?


Schalenblende
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Aachen, Stolberg, Mausbach, Diepenlinchen Mine, Henriette Shaft

13cm© R. Lang/F. Holtz 2009
5x4cm© R. Lang/F. Holtz 2009

17x9cm© Leon Hupperichs
17x13x8cm© R. Lang 2009

Schalenblende from Diepenlinchen Mine

The Diepenlinchen mine produced quite a few good mineral specimens. From the main site beautiful Calcite crystals on colloform Schalenblende are noticeable. The most known specimens are beautifully banded Schalenblende samples. The best ones were found at the Henriette shaft site. The primary sulphide paragenesis is dominated by Schalenblende with a variable content of Galena and Marcasite. The pale layers of the Schalenblende only contain Sphalerite, in the dark layers also Wurtzite may be present. Some veins carry silver-rich galena as main ore mineral. Between the compact schalenblende and the wallrock often an impregnation zone can be observed with idiomorphic crystals of Sphalerite, Pyrite crystals, Tetrahedrite, Chalcopyrite and Quartz. Marcasite generally was precipitated at the final stage of the ore mineralization and hence forms the outermost layers of the schalenblende. Bravoite is a characteristic mineral of the paragenesis.
[Roger Lang 2009]

Mineralogy, geology and mining history of Diepenlinchen Mine

The Diepenlinchen mine was one of the most important mines of the Aachen-Stolberg Zn-Pb ore district. The occurrences are hosted by devonian and carboniferous sediments - mostly limestones, sand-, silt- and mudstones. Mineralization is structurally controlled and of low temperature hydrothermal origin. It is considered to be of post-Variscan age and similar to the Mississipi Valley Type deposits. The ore occurs as fissure veins and vein or veinlet boxworks (called 'stockworks'). Besides the vein type deposits also concordant orebodies are known which occur in fracture zones along bedding or longitudinal faults particularly where these are intersected by cross-faults. Mineralized karst-sinks have been described as 'ore-pipes' or 'ore-caves'. The mineralization of the Aachen-Stolberg Zn-Pb ore district consists in the upper levels - down to around 60 m, maximum 100 m - predominantly of Calamine, Limonite and relics of primary sulphide ore towards depth. As a particularity at Diepenlinchen calamine was mined down to 300 m depth.

The Diepenlinchen concession is geologically positioned at the NE-end of the Werth syncline, SE of the city of Stolberg. The syncline is formed by sedimentary rocks of Couvinean to Visean age. The strata strike SW-NE with a steep dip at the Southern flank and a flat at the Northern flank. The concession covers a size of 8 km2. Commodities were Pb, Zn, Fe and Cu.

Mining in the area of the Diepenlinchen concession goes back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries when the romans extracted calamine for brass manufacturing. Also galena was mined at that time. From the 16th to the 19th century small scale calamine mining operations were carried out. The concession was created in the first quarter of the 19th century by the consolidation of numerous small claims. In 1809 Bäumer, Buchacker & Cie. were granted a concession on Pb ore, Calamine and 'Ironstone'. An underground mining operation was established reaching 80 m depth. Water problems caused the early installation of steam machines but nevertheless mining wasn´t successfull. In 1820 the works were stopped and the concession was leased to miners from the nearby village Mausbach. The industrial mining period started in 1838. The Diepenlinchen mine was operated by the METALLURGISCHE GESELLSCHAFT and their followers KOMMANDITGESELLSCHAFT DE SASSENAY & CIE. and STOLBERGER GESELLSCHAFT. Exploitation at the Diepenlinchen mine lasted until 1919 with the deepest level reaching 376 m. From 1855 to 1919 450,000 t of Zn concentrate and 150,000 t of Pb concentrates have been produced. The ore grade was 14% ZnS and 3% PbS on average. The closure of the mine was related to the impact of World War I. The extraction tonnage decreased during WW I and severe problems of coal transport for the power plants supply led to a critical situation at the mine. The actual inducement of the closure was a general strike in 1919. In 1927/28 a flotation processing plant with a capacity of 5 tons per hour was built in order to recover the base metal content of the older tailings. In 1933 more than 4,000 t of ore concentrate could be extracted. The flotation plant was finally closed in 1942 and the last chapter of ore mining in Stolberg came to an end. Estimated remaining reserves are > 1 million tonnes of ore. The concession was still owned by Metallgesellschaft (Stolberger Zink) in 1990.

The Diepenlinchen concession comprised the following sites/occurrences:
Deposits in Devonian reef limestone: Doerrenberg, 'Lichtloch VII' of Dohm gallery, Theuerkauf, Scheidt, Mausbacher Hecken.
Deposits in Carboniferous limestone (from SW to NE): Henriette site with 2 veins and nests. Diepenlinchen site with nest no. II with 'Gang IV', nest no. I with 'Gang III', 'Schwefelkies' stockwork, 'Brennessel' stockwork, Brennesselgang, 'Weissbleierz' stockwork, 'Andreasgang', 'Leongang', nest at main shaft, 'Gang V', 'Gang III', 'Heinrich stockwork' with 'Gang I' and 'II'.'Ludwiggang','neuer Franzgang','alter Franzgang','Johanngang', 2 nameless veins, 'Gang VI', 'Weissenberg' stockwork, 'Schwarzgruben' nest. Neuer Simon site with 5 small veins (Streifen I to V). Alter Simon site with 2 nests. Hitzberg site with only some small nests and veinlets. Alter Ravelsberg site with small unnamed veins and 'Gang I and II'.
[Roger Lang 2009]


Schalenblende
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Aachen, Stolberg, Hammerberg Mine

9x5cm© Leon Hupperichs
8x5cm© R. Lang/F. Holtz 2009

The Hammerberg Mine, south of Stolberg, was one of the mines of the Aachen-Stolberg Zn-Pb ore district. Industial mining started in the 1840's. The Hammerberg Mine was operated by the Eschweiler Bergwerks-Verein and their follower the Eschweiler Gesellschaft. Main veins: Fuchsgang and Schürfgang.
Exploitation ended at the end of the 19th century. Like most of the mines in the Stolberg area this mine also produced some very nice schalenblende specimens.
[Leon Hupperichs 2009]


Schalenblende
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Niederberg area, Wülfrath, Rohdenhaus, Rohdenhaus Quarry

8,5x6cm© Harjo
24x20cm© Harjo

21x14cm© Harjo
19x14,5x9cm© Harjo

A quarry in upper Devonian limestones disseminated by lead, zinc and copper bearing veins, located 1.5 km NNE of Rohdenhaus, NW of Wülfrath. Early 2008 a massive wall came down due to a landslide in the upper parts of the north-eastern side of the quarry. The whole wall was mineralised with Schalenblende and Marcasite. Many splendid specimens of Schalenblende with Marcasite were collected during the first half of 2008.
[Harjo Neutkens 2009]


Schalenblende
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Sauerland, Meschede, Ramsbeck, Dörnberg Mine

9,2cm© Paul De Bondt
12,2cm© Paul De Bondt

Ancient lead and zinc mine. Located on the east slope of Dörnberg mountain, about 2.5 km ENE of Ramsbeck.
Could anyone tell us more about specimens from this locality?


Schalenblende
Germany
Baden-Württemberg, Black Forest, Lahr, Reichenbach, Gereuth, Felgendobel creek, Silbereckle Mine

5,5x2,5cm© P Blümner
7x6,5cm© PMB

This location has produced some samples of Schalenblende, mostly consisting of banded greyish to yellowish brown sphalerite with minor wurtzite. Pyrite/marcasite is not common at the Reichenbach localities at all. Typically it is accompanied by grey chert-like quartz and white to pale greyish or brownish baryte as dense, earthy aggregates without tabular forms. Jordanite (pseudomorphs after gratonite), mostly pseudomorphed by mimetite is present at one sample. In this vein, native arsenic is another typical ore mineral as well as the main ore, galena. Secondary minerals include adamite and köttigite, both as very nice xls.
The vein is part of a larger vein system in a fault zone, striking NE-SW (parallel to the main fault system of the Upper Rhine Graben). It is tertiary in age as well as the main fault zone, parallel to the eastern flank of the main fault zone (Schwarzwaldrandverwerfung). The vein goes to the south to the Michael Mine (type locality of hallimondite, hügelite, the first descriptions of a Zn-Fe-arsenate (later described from Tsumeb as Tsumcorite) and Weilerite (SO4-rich Arsenogorceixite) have been made there). But interestingly the Silbereckle Mine is the only known location in the Black Forest that has Schalenblende.
[Sebastian Möller 2009]


Schalenblende
Germany
Saxony, Erzgebirge, Freiberg District, Halsbrücke, Beihilfe Mine

11cm© Paul De Bondt



Info needed.


Schalenblende
Germany
Saxony, Erzgebirge, Freiberg District, Naundorf

6,3x4,3cm© PMB


Info needed.


Schalenblende
Italy
Friuly Venezia Giulia, Udine Province, Tarvisio, Cave del Predil, Raibl Mines

8cm© Paul De Bondt 2011


Dolomitic limestone in contact with upper Permian limestones.

These mines were surely active in the XIV century when Emperor Philip the Nice conceded permission to extract lead and zinc to a group of miners. In the XIX century, under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the mine was half an Imperial property and half property of Hanckel Von Donnersmarck Earls. After WWI, Italy annexed the Tarvisio area, and the Italian government assigned the extraction concessions to the Society Cave del Predil. In 1953 the mine changed hands various times, and in 1963 became property of the Italian government, with Azienda Mineraria Metallurgica Italiana Spa. In 1965 the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regions became the mine owner and conceded the use of the mine to AMMI up to 1987. But gestional costs are so high that in 1976 the mine was almost closed. In 1978 a new society, SAMIM, appeared that operated the mine up to 1986. The mine has closed on February, 6, 1991 (sic!).


Schalenblende
Poland
Małopolskie, Olkusz District, Olkusz Mine

15x7cm© G. Bijak
10cm© R. Lang 2006


Schalenblende
Poland
Małopolskie, Olkusz District, Pomorzany Mine

19,7cm© Paul De Bondt
8x10cm© E. Szełęg

The most wanted specimens of Olkusz Schalenblende by collectors are "closed", concentric forms (looking like agates). Usually the size of better quality specimens is about 8-15 cm. Prices vary from a few $ to 50-150$ for good quality specimens. The best ones may cost about 200-300$, but the best quality is really hard to find on the market. The biggest problem with these specimens is that Marcasite is very unstable there. It should be kept in really dry conditions otherwise Marcasite will be decomposed by bacteria. The Sphalerite/Wurtzite bands in Pomorzany specimens show an orange fluorescence under long wave UV light (info Stefan Oertel and Axel Emmerman)
[Tomasz Praszkier 2009]


Schalenblende
Slovenia
Mežica (Miess)

6,4 cm© Paul De Bondt



Pb-Zn mineralizations in triassic limestones, similar to those at Bad Bleiberg in Carinthia.
The Mezica mining district is located near the Austrian border - the area was part of Carinthia before the first world war.


And can anyone help us with information and photographs of specimens from other localities worldwide?


[Harjo Neutkens 2009]



Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> Harjo Neutkens Best Minerals S Sat, 11 May 2013 23:17:37 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,134090,134090#msg-134090 Stichtite (11 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,134090,134090#msg-134090 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?
Should the different species be treated in separate articles?


Stichtite
(Mg6Cr2(CO3)(OH)16.4H2O) rhombohedral
Stichtite in serpentine, Tunnel Hill, Dundas, 20cm across© R. Bottrill


Stichtite is an uncommon magnesium chromium hydroxycarbonate which belongs to the hydrotalcite group and forms a series with hydrotalcite, pyroaurite and woodallite. Barbertonite is a less common hexagonal polymorph that belongs to the sjögrenite group and may occur as intergrowths with some stichtite. Stichtite was known from Dundas since 1891 and was first recorded (albeit described incorrectly as “kammererite”, a chromian clinochlore) by Petterd (1896) after a specimen from there was exhibited at the Tasmanian Exhibition in Launceston in 1891 (Twelvetrees, 1914). It was later recognised as a new mineral by Petterd (1910), after chemical analysis by A.S. Wesley at the Mt Lyell mine, but Petterd died in 1910 before describing the mineral properly. It was formally described by Twelvetrees (1914) who sent material to Europe for more detailed analysis by several mineralogists and collated the various mineralogical data from Petterd (1914, description), Ward (1914, optics), Hezner (1914, chemistry) and Himmelbauer (1914, structure). It was named stichtite after Mr Robert Sticht, general manager of the Mt Lyell mines, and a world-renowned pioneering metallurgist and sponsor of Petterd’s first catalogue of minerals.

The original find and type locality was described by Twelvetrees (1914) as “the razorback crest of a ridge above the Adelaide silver-lead mine, Dundas”. This description corresponds well with the present workings on Stichtite Hill. A co-type sample is stored in the ENSM, Paris, France (Sutherland et al., 2000).


Locations
Australia
Tasmania, Macquarie Harbour, Birches Inlet, BHP prospect
Australian Journal of Mineralogy (2006) 12: 101-107

Tasmania, Zeehan District, Dundas mineral field, Adelaide Mine (Adelaide Pty Mine; Adelaide Proprietary Mine)
Anthony, J. W. et al. (1997): Handbook of Mineralogy, Vol. 3, 39

Tasmania, Zeehan District, Dundas mineral field, Bonanza Mine (Lucky Star Mine)
Australian Journal of Mineralogy (2006) 12: 93-99

Tasmania, Zeehan District, Dundas mineral field, Red Lead Mine
Bottrill & Baker (in prep) Catalogue of minerals of Tasmania

Tasmania
Zeehan District, Dundas mineral field, Stichtite Hill (TL)
© JSS
http://www.mindat.org/photo-72974.html
Australian Journal of Mineralogy (2006) 12: 101-107


Tasmania, Zeehan District, Dundas mineral field, West Comet Mine
Bottrill & Baker (in prep) Catalogue of minerals of Tasmania

Tasmania, Zeehan District, North Dundas, Nevada Ck
webmineral.com/specimens/PG2MS/047-11Small.jpg
Bottrill & Baker (in prep) Catalogue of minerals of Tasmania

Tasmania, Zeehan District, Dundas mineral field, Serpentine Hill, Tunnel Hill Quarry
© Greg Murray
http://www.mindat.org/photo-15438.html
Bottrill RS & Baker, WE (in prep) Catalogue of Minerals of Tasmania. Mineral Resources Tasmania

The five main stichtite deposits in Tasmania (Figure 1) are Serpentine Hill, Nevada Creek, West Comet, Stichtite Hill (probable type locality) and Birches Inlet (on Macquarie Harbour, about 100km south of Dundas). The Stichtite Hill area is presently being mined for stichtite and serpentine (mostly for carving and polishing: Bottrill and Brown, 2000; Figs. 2 & 3) and is one of the principal sources of stichtite specimens in the world. The lilac stichtite in a yellow-green to black serpentine matrix makes attractive specimens.
The stichtite deposits at Dundas are all hosted by generally massive serpentinite bodies, probably derived from altered chromite-rich dunites within mid-Cambrian ultramafic complexes, particularly the Dundas ultramafic complex (Brown, 1986; Burrett and Martin, 1989) These complexes are a series of thrust-emplaced, dismembered ophiolitic bodies along the Dundas Trough, which bisects western Tasmania. They were deformed and intruded by mineralised granites during the Devonian era (Brown 1986).The occurrences are erratic, both in size and distribution within the serpentinites, and some appear to be related to brecciation of the host serpentinite. The occurrences include zones with small spots of stichtite nucleated around chromite (Fig. 4), and zones with stichtite remobilised during deformation into coarser patches and irregular vein-like bodies (up to 20 cm across; Fig. 5). The latter style of occurrence is the main source of stichtite specimens for collectors.
Stichtite occurs as opaque to translucent, pale pink to lilac, orange (any photos of orange stichtite?), mauve or deep purple, fine-grained, massive to micaceous material with a waxy lustre. It commonly contains disseminated chromite-magnesiochromite grains (up to 1 cm diameter), which may be octahedral or occur in irregular to highly angular fragments. The stichtite is hosted in massive to schistose, pale to yellowish green, dark green or black serpentinite. The serpentinite contains mostly serpentine minerals and minor chlorite, talc, magnetite and haematite. The black serpentinite contains abundant fine-grained disseminated magnetite. The serpentines mostly comprises lizardite and/or clinochrysotile, but antigorite occurs in some schistose serpentinites. Asbestiform chrysotile is a rare associate of stichtite, but occurs in some nearby serpentinites.
Discrete macroscopic stichtite crystals are unknown, but in thin section it consists of fine-grained platy or micaceous to radiating fibrous aggregates of crystallites to 2 mm or more in size. It forms radiating aggregates around, and largely replacing, chromite and also part of the surrounding serpentine minerals. In some samples, stichtite is partly altered to a chromian clinochlore (“kammererite”. Stichtite may also occur in association with aragonite, talc, clinochlore, haematite and magnetite. Some stichtite is partly weathered to soft pink aggregates that can include mountkeithite, hydromagnesite, kaolinite or magnesite,

Australia
Western Australia, Wiluna Shire, Mount Keith, MKD5 nickel deposit
Nickel Mineralisation in Western Australia by R.J. Marston 1984.
Grguric, B.A., 2003: Minerals of the MKD5 nickel deposit, Mt Keith, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Mineralogy, 9, 55-71.


Morocco
Souss-Massa-Draâ Region, Ouarzazate Province,Tazenakht, Bou Azzer District
© 2005 M. Kampf
http://www.mindat.org/photo-34032.html
Favreau, G. and Dietrich, J. E. (2006). Die Mineralien von Bou Azzer. Lapis 31(7/8), 27-68

Dunite quarry, Greenhills, Southland, South Island, New Zealand
D. Coombs in Micro-Scope, August 1992
The thin purplish film is mainly stichtite. Its presence at this locality was confirmed by Professor Douglas Coombs..


Saranovskii Mine (Saranovskoe), Saranovskaya (Sarany) Village, Gorozavodskii area, Permskaya Oblast', Middle Urals, Urals Region, Russia
© Pavel M. Kartashov
http://www.mindat.org/photo-225379.html
Impregnation of fine-grained lilac stichtite colouring outer parts of calcite vein fragment. In difference from more abundant and very similar chromian chlorite (var. rhodochrome) this stichtite is completely soluble in acid together with calcite. Associating mineral is unidentified yellow clinohumite-like grains (arrowed). Specimen size is 8x4.5x4 cm. Collected in 1986.

Kaznakhtinskii massif, Ust'-Koksa district, Altai Republic (Gorno-Altayskaya Autonomous Oblast'), Western-Siberian Region, Russia
© Pavel M. Kartashov
http://www.mindat.org/photo-224901.html
11x7x1.8 cm segregation of almost pure granular purple-violet Stichtite. Small admixture of brownish serpentine present on outer parts of the specimen. Abundant rhombohedral holes are result of dissolution of crystals of magnesite. Diameter of the coin on daughter photo is 1,65 cm. Collected before 1989.


Consolidated Murchison Mine, Gravelotte, Murchison Range, Limpopo Province, South Africa
© 2005 M. Kampf
http://www.mindat.org/photo-34348.html


Kaapsche Hoop, Barberton District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
© 2002 John H. Betts
http://www.mindat.org/photo-5874.html
Minerals of South Africa
This is the type location for barbertonite, but there is some doubt about the actual existence of this polymorph of stichtite.


Stolzburg, Barberton District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
© Martins da Pedra
http://www.mindat.org/photo-69026.html
Minerals of South Africa

Kaapsehoop, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
© Debbie Woolf
http://www.mindat.org/photo-187804.html
Minerals of South Africa

Refs

Bottrill, R.S., and Graham, I. (2006). Stichtite from western Tasmania. Australian Journal of Mineralogy. 12, 101-107
Bottrill, R. S., and Brown, G., 2000: Rare Australian Gemstones: Stichtite: Australian Gemmologist, 20, 391-393.

Petterd, W.F., 1914: Description of the mineral. In: Twelvetrees, W.H., (ed.), Stichtite: a new Tasmanian mineral. Tasmania Dept. Mines, Geological Survey Record, 2, 3-4.
Sutherland, F.L., Pogson, R.E., Birch, W.D., Henry, D.A., Pring, A., Bevan, A.W.R., Stalder, H.A. and Graham, I.T., 2000: Mineral species first described from Tasmania and their type specimens. Australian Journal of Mineralogy, 6(2), 104-128.
Twelevtrees, W.H., 1914: (ed.), Stichtite: a new Tasmanian mineral. Tasmania Dept. Mines, Geological Survey Record, 2, 11pp.
Bottrill, R.S. & Baker, W.E. (2008) A Catalogue of the Minerals of Tasmania. Bull. 73. Tasmanian Geological Survey

Ralph Bottrill 12/4/09



Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> Ralph Bottrill Best Minerals S Wed, 24 Nov 2010 03:07:39 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,129412,129412#msg-129412 Best S Minerals - Welcome (no replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,129412,129412#msg-129412
Ideally what we want to know about each significant mineral from each locality is:

1. What is the largest crystal of the mineral that the locality has produced?
2. What do the best specimens from this locality look like and where can one be seen?
3. Does the locality produce a variety of different kinds of specimens of this species, and what do the best of each type look like and how many of them were found etc.
4. What are the associated minerals found with this species and what is its geological setting?
5. How abundant are these specimens and when were they found? A type locality? In other words, how rare are they.
6. How do they compare to other specimens of the same mineral from other localities?
7. How much is it worth. This should probably be optional, but in cases where specimens are worth thousands of dollars we should probably say something of the value of these things.
8. What kind of care and feeding do these specimens require? Are they delicate, radioactive, unstable, color changeable etc.?
9. Are the specimens commonly faked, and if so, how to tell if they are?
10. Are there any interesting stories relating to the collecting of these specimens or their discovery as a new mineral?

Of course this is in reality impractical, but if we keep these questions in mind, we will do a lot better job when writing about them.]]> Rock Currier Best Minerals S Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:26:48 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,121684,121684#msg-121684 Sylvite (10 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,121684,121684#msg-121684
©




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Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?


Sylvite
KCl
Sylvite is very soluble and crystals of this mineral are much rarer than crystals of salt (NaCl). The mineral is mined wherever it is found because it is of considerable industrial value for many applications including fertilizer where the potassium content is valued. Mining companies will go to great lengths to mine the material, sinking shafts more than 1000 feet through very difficult conditions to reach sizeable deposits of this mineral. The quickest way to tell if you have a specimen of sylvite rather than halite is just to lick it. Sylvite doesn’t quite taste like salt, but sort of. The mineral is not the most stable mineral, probably about like halite. If you have some, keep it in a dry place. Damp cellars or places where the humidity fluctuates will cause it to decompose, sometimes completely.
[Rock Currier, 1 January 2009]

The seqence of percipitation from brines was first described by the Italian chemist J. Usiglio, and published ref: "Usiglio J, 1849. Annales Chem. P. 27:92-107". He found that by allowing seawater to evaporate, he observed minerals precipitate in the following order: 1) calcite, 2) dolomite, 3) gypsum, 4) anhydrite, 5) halite and 6) sylvite as the water disappeared. By googling "evaporite precipitation order" a lot of interesting literature will appear, such as this link
[Olav Revheim 2012]

Sylvite also occurs as a vapor deposit in high-temperature volcanic fumaroles,
(Alfredo Petrov, 22 July 2009)


Silvite
USA
New Mexico, The US Borax mine near Carlsbad, New Mexico, Carlsbad Potash district.
Sylvite, octahedral crystals 5.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky


This mine has produced probably the largest number of crystal specimens of sylvite that are seen in collections today, although you don’t see many of them. Just another example of hundreds of specimens vanishing into the collections of people all around the world. Most of the specimens from this mine were collected by a mining engineer named Jim Minette. He worked for the mine and was an avid mineral collector. There were a few places in the mine where water seeping from the ore would collect in the bottoms of old stopes and gradually evaporate leaving the breakdown from the ceiling and the walls and bottoms of the stopes literally coated with millions of small sylvite crystals, that rarely exceeded an inch in size, but when collected would make nice hand specimens. Jim once took me underground in the mine, and they were fun to collect, but good knobs and bumps and mounds of crystals were not all that easy to collect as most of the surfaces were rather flat. Over the few years he worked there he must have collected at least several hundred specimens that he traded around for things to add to his collection.
[Rock Currier, 1 January 2009]


Silvite
USA
New Mexico, PCA mine near Carlsbad, New Mexico, Carlsbad Potash district.

Some miners were drilling holes in preparation for creating a raise in order to reach a different part of the deposit. Some of the holes started producing a lot of water continuously, but after a few days the water stopped. They raised into the area at the end of the holes and discovered an open pocket of giant halite and sylvite crystals. The pockets floor was covered with pink bubbly polyhalite. The halite crystals mostly were growing from the ceiling, quite transparent and some measured four feet in diameter. There were a few large octahedral sylvite crystals which were growing out of the polyhalite on the floor of the pocket, some of them weighed as much as 65 pounds. They were also transparent and white. The big halite crystals tended to be a little amber colored. At least that is the way they looked in the pictures. I saw one of the large sylvite crystals, but never got to visit the big pocket. The pocked was large enough to crawl into and even sit up in, but not large enough to stand up in. The pocket was perhaps 15 to 20 feet long. Very little material from this pocket was collected.
[Rock Currier, 1 January 2009]


Sylvite
Germany
Saxony-Anhalt, Pottash deposit, Stassfurt
A crystal of sylvite 2.9cm tall© Rob Lavinsky


We need someone to tell us about the sylvite crystals from Stassfurt.
[Rock Currier, 1 January 2009]



Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> Rock Currier Best Minerals S Mon, 28 May 2012 07:02:55 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,121523,121523#msg-121523 Szenicsite (10 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,121523,121523#msg-121523 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?


Szenicsite
Cu32+(MoO4)(OH)4
Chile
Inca de Oro, Mina Jardinera, 69° 51.14' W & 26° 4.44' S.
Szenicsite 4.6cm tall© Rob Lavinsky
Szenicsite 3.5cm wide© Rob Lavinsky


Szenicsite ~4cm wide© Rob Lavinsky
Szenicsite 5cm wide© Marek Patúš

The Jardinera mine is located about 5 km east of Inca De Oro which is a small mining community located about 80 km north of Copiapo. Szenicsite occurs as dark green bladed crystals in vugs and as fracture fills to about 5mm in thickness. The largest crystals are about 1x3 cm in length and width. Some are intergrown jackstraw fashion or in fans radiating like the pages of a partially opened book, often showing lustrous curved{010} cleavage faces. Terminated crystals are extremely rare. The total estimated weight of recovered szenicsite is in the two to three kilogram range. Several of the best specimens from the find are in the mineral collection of Harvard Mineralogical Museum. They are cataloged under numbers 133734-133773. Scenics specimens 133734-133735 and 133738-133739 are designated cotypes. A few specimens are associated with tiny mm size pointed powellite crystals. Most of the minerals discovered in the last 20 years are nondescript looking and usually found only in very small crystals. The discovery of szenicsite was almost shocking to the mineral community. Almost like biologists finding large communities of new animals around the volcanic vents in the deep ocean and even new phila of critters.

The mineral was discovered by Terry Szenics in January of 1993 and the story is worth recording here. Terry Szenics was visiting a mine north of Inca de Oro to gather specimens of drusy quartz on chrysocolla for the up coming Tucson Gem and Mineral show. Finishing his work early he returned to Inca de Oro to see if there were any specimens there that he might be able to get for the up coming Tucson show. His first night in town he drifted off to sleep listening to the surf like sounds of little water filled ball malls milling down gold ore in the back yards of subsistence miners and the smell of raw sewage. In the morning he visited a general service mechanic and junk yard. The operator of this establishment often collected specimens from the local miners which he would sell to interested parties. He had a box full of specimens which included molybdenite and a heavy massive piece of mostly massive yellow material that Terry recognized as being powellite which he thought was from the Mina Jardinera. He promptly visited the mine and found a primitive five man mining operation which had produced an ore pile of several cubic yards. He chatted up El Lobo, the mine operator and was soon checking for specimens on the ore pile. Because of the considerable amount of molybdenite at the mine he knew most of the heavy yellow massive ore almost had to be powellite. On the back of the first piece of powellite he picked up from the small ore pile he found some crystals of a tabular green mineral that looked like torbernite, but knew it almost certainly could not be. He went through the entire ore pile almost piece by piece and collected about ten flats?, of specimens. On other trips to the mine he collected a few more specimens and also visited the underground portion of the mine which was not very productive of specimens. Specimens were sent to the Aurora Mineral Company of Long Island, New York and then to Harvard where the mineral was identified and described as a new copper molybdate mineral which was named after him. Some of the best specimens are in the collection of Harvard University.
[Rock Currier, 30 December 2008]



Click here to view Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> Rock Currier Best Minerals S Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:35:52 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,121470,121470#msg-121470 Sewardite (9 replies) http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,85,121470,121470#msg-121470 Best Minerals S and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?


Sewardite orthorhombic
Ca Fe2+3 (AsO4)2(OH)2
Namibia
Tsumeb Mine 31st Level.
Dr. Terry Seward collected the mineral in the 1982. Bright red acicular crystals. It was collected as a single specimen of gangue that has since been split for scientific study. From the original find perhaps only 1 or 2 mg remain out side of the holotype material. Carminite from the mine is sometimes mistaken for sewardite. The mineral was found in a 3cm size vug on the 31st level of the Tsumeb mine. It is intimately intergrown with a very dark green to black botryoidal mas of material that was identified as a member of the tsumcorite group and appeared to be in intimate intergrowth of two distinct phases one of which conformed to the composition of ferrilotharmeyerite and the other which may have been a cuprian, zincian variety of ferrilotharmeyerite. The material occus as platy to compact anhedral to subhedral masses that do not exceed 0.3 mm in maximum size and are randomoly scattered throughout the dark greento black matrix. There were no obvious crystal forms and twinning was not observed megascopically or in X-ray single-crystal studies. The holotype material, consisting of a few small aggregates in two gelatin capsules, is housed in the Systematic Reference Series of the National Mineral Collection at the Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, under catalogue number 68095. The polished section used for the quantitative electron-microprobe and reflectance studies is preserved in the mineral collection at the Natural History Museum, London, Great Britain, as BM 2001.36.1
1. Canadian Mineralogist, August 2002, Vol. 40, part 4, p.1191-1198. Sewardite....The Ca-Analogue of Carminite from Tsumeb, Namibia: Description and Crystal Structure, Andrew C. Roberts, Mark A. Cooper, Frank C. Hawthorne, Alan J. Criddle & John A. R. Stirling.
[Rock Currier, 30 December 2008]


Sewardite
Mexico
Durango, Mun. de Mapimí, Mapimi, Ojuela Mine1.
FOV 2.5 mm© Werner Mühlbauer
© Stuart McClure & Uwe Kolitsch

The specimens from Mapimi appear to be substantially better than the ones from Tsumeb because the appear to have free standing crystals. The specimens shown above have been analysed and confirmed by Uwe Kolitsch and the image on the right, is a rosette-shaped sewardite aggregate (PXRD- and EDS-analysed). SEM micrograph and is definitely Sewardite and was provided for us by Uwe Kolitsch. This photo was originally published in U. Kolitsch (2002): Sewardite from the Mina Ojuela, Mexico: a second occurrence. Lapis 27 (12), 43. (in German)
1. Kolitsch, U. (2002): Sewardite from the Mina Ojuela, Mexico: a second occurrence. Lapis 27(12), 43 (in German). 2. Personal communication from Jesse Crawford, 2009.
[Rock Currier, 30 December 2008]


Sewardite
Mexico
Sonora, La Mur, Las Animas mine
Click here for two pictures of definitely identified Sewardite. They don't look like much till you click on them for the full size images.

We need someone to tell us about the Sewardite specimens from this mine.


Sewardite
Mexico
Sonora, Mun. de Benjamin Hill, Benjamin Hill
© Pavel M. Kartashov

As further evidence of the rarity of Sewardite and what is often requirred to identify it correctly, read the caption below of the image presented above.

Set of SEM images. Many specimens from Benjamin Hill were investigated in search of sewardite. It was confirmed only in the single specimen, where red carminite crystals are included in brown fibrous arseniosiderite. On these SEM images is visible, that sewardite form only thin outer zones (grey in BSE) over carminite cores (brightest phase on photos) in complex carminite/sewardite crystals. Matrix is grey in BSE arseniosiderite.
Compositions of sewardite zones are (clockwise from the lower right photo, which is my favourite):
(Ca.83Pb.12Sb.03)0.98Fe1.99[(As2.02S.02)2.04O8](OH)2
(Ca.89Pb.09Sb.01)0.99Fe1.99[As2.02O8](OH)2
(Ca0.88Pb.07Sb.02)0.97Fe2.05[(As1.94S.03)1.97O8](OH)2
(Ca.92Pb.06Sb.03)1.01Fe1.99[(As1.93S.06)1.99O8](OH)2

The result is the next: most of unanalysed red crystals of "sewardite" from Benjamin Hill are usual carminite. If you want to have real sewardite from the locality, you should to analyse it.

Specimen and analytical data of Mikhail N. Murashko.



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Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities? We have no images of this mineral nor are there any on Mindat.


Santafeite
Na3Mn22+Mn24+(VO4)4(OH)3-2H2O orthorhombic
The Handbook of Mineralogy says the mineral is black with acicular crystals to 4mm 9 probably from the New Mexico, but the picture of Santafeite shown here from Arizona apparently shows yellow blebs of Santafeite.(Check this out with Tony Kampf) Other sources site the color as brown.


Santafeite
USA
Arizona, Navajo Co., Navajo Indian Reservation, Monument Valley, Mystery Valley, Monument No. 1 channel, Monument No. 1 Mine
Santafeite FOV 6mm© 2005 M. Kampf


The Santafeite from this locality occurs in sandstone and is associated with carnotite.1
1. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony, Bideaux, Bladh & Nichols, Vol IV, p.519

We need someone to tell us about the Santafeite specimens from this loclaity.


Santafeite
USA
New Mexico, McKinley County, Grants Uranium District.
Found in a cliff-face outcrop of the Todilto limestone in an unnamed uranium mine in section 25, T13N, R10W, about 19 km north of Grants, New Mexico, and 1.6 km north of the McKinley-Valencia county line. “Santafeite occurs as well-defined rosettes of radially oriented acicular crystals…Individual rosettes range from about 1.5 to 4 mm. In diameter. Some of them are triangular in profile along the diameter, suggesting an original spherulitic form from which the upper two-thirds has been broken away. A typical rosette 2.8 mm. In diameter consists of crystals measuring approximately 0.3 mm along the a-axis, 0.07 mm along the b-axis and 1.4 mm along the c-axis. The small size and fragile character of individual crystals prohibited optical goniometric measurements. Of the forms present, however, the b-face is especially prominent. Cleavages are (010) easy and perfect, and (110) distinct; very brittle; color black…The material is translucent only in very small fragments, which shows pronounced pleochroism ranging from dark reddish brown to yellowish brown…Insufficient material was present in the original sample to permit a complete chemical analysis, so the locality was revisited by the writers in the summer of 1054. It was found that the outcrop from which the original sample was taken had been destroyed by subsequent mining operations, and none of the santafeite left exposed in 1951 remained. A second search of most of the cliff edge and surface mine workings in the Todilto limestone between San Mateo road and Haystack Mountain in 1955 was also fruitless. Fortunately, however, an additional 100 milligram sample of santafeite was collected in the summer of 1956 by Mr. Robert Thaden and Dr. Alice D. Weeks of the U.S. Geological Survey, from a shallow open pit along the rim outcrop of the Todilto limestone in Section 26, which adjoins the location of the original sample.”1
It occurs as a crust of small brown rosettes of acicular crystals sometimes in association with cuprosklodowskite. …Santafeite is named for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company, because of its contribution to exploration and development of the New Mexico uranium deposits.”2 “Found on jointed surfaces in limestone. The entire find covered about a square foot of fracture surfaces and consisted of less than a flat of specimens. The best specimen is a limestone fragment about 4x4 inches with less than half of the specimen covered with a scattering of radiating black rosettes of santafeite. There were some individual crystals on the specimen up to about 5 mm long and 2mm wide. The type specimen and the best specimen is in the Mineralogical Museum of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources of the Mew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.3
1 American Mineralogist, Vol. 43, 1958 p. 677-80. 2 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 20, 1989, p 10.- 3 Robert Weber, personal communication 2002.
Dr. Virgil Lueth Mineralogist/economic Geologist, Curator of the Mineralogical Museum, New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology referred me to Robert H. Weber of Socorro, NM 87801-4366, who aparently collected the material.
[Rock Currier, 28 December 2008]



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Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?


Sampleite
NaCaCu5(PO4)4Cl-5H2O
A not very common copper mineral found at about ten localities. Frequently the crystals are blue, lath like and flat laying though some form rosettes which are usually aggregated into crusts. Crystals are up to about a cm but most are micros.1
1. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony, Bideaux, Bladh, Nichols, Vol IV p.516


Sampleite
Australia
New South Wales, Parkes, Kennedy Co., Northparks Mine, Endeavour 26 (E26 ore body).
Sampleite on matrix ~50mm across© Kristalle and Crys
Sampleite FOV 11mm© Michael C. Roarke

Sampleite & minor Lebethenite FOV 2mm© viccloete


In specimens similar to that from Chuquicamata. Flat laying blue laths of crystals up to about a cm covering joint surfaces in rocks. Specimens up to 20 cm in diameter.
[Rock Currier, 28 December 2008]


Sampleite
Australia
Victoria, Lake Boga, Lake Boga granite quarry
A recent study showed the sampleite specimens of Lake Boga to be a new polymorph of sampleite. See the following article for more details:
Giester, G., Kolitsch, U., Leverett, P., Turner, P. & Williams, P.A. (2007): The crystal structures of lavendulan, sampleite, and a new polymorph of sampleite. European Journal of Mineralogy 19, 75-93.1 Steve Sorrell tells us that Sampleite from Lake Boga, Victoria, Australia, is pretty good for the species too. Perhaps he will tell us something of the nature of the sampleite specimens from this locality and provide us with some pictures we can include in this article.
[Herwig Pelckmans 2009]


Sampleite
Chile
Chuquicamata.
Sampleite FOV 2.5mm© 2008 Jesse Crawford
Sampleite on matrix 4.3cm wide© Rob Lavinsky

Chuquicamata is the type locality for sampleite. Here the mineral is found in very thin, lath-like, pale blue crystals flattened [010] and elongated [001]. The size of the laths is up to about a cm. You rarely see good specimens of this mineral for sale.
[Rock Currier, 28 December 2008]


Sampleite
Chile
Antofagasta Region, Tocopilla Province, Sierra Gorda District, Caracoles, Santa Catalina Mine.
Sampleite xls. ~2mm wide & Atacamite©
Sampleite FOV .75mm© Brent Thorne

Sampleite FOV 2.5mm© Antonio Borrelli


We need someone to tell us about the sampleite specimens from this mine.


Sampleite
Chile
Mantos Blancos.
As large crystals.1
1. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony, Bideaux, Bladh, Nichols, Vol IV p.516



Sampleite
Chile
Antofagasta Retion, Antofagasta Province, Santa Catalina, Gunaco (Huanaco), Emma Luisa MIne.
"...there were specimens of massive sampleite to several cms (considerable size for a rare mineral on the market several decades ago. Seems to have been quite abundant."1
1. Personal communication, Peter Haas, January 2009.



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Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?


Schwertmannite (Rare species and systematic collections)
Fe16+3O16(OH)12(SO4)2 tetragonal
Finland, Oulu, Pyhäsalmi Mine
“The purest sample found to date is from the Pyhäsalmi base-metal mine, Province of Oulu, Finland (type locality), at which schwertmannite occurs as crusts on stones inundated by acidic drainage from a mound of concentrate sand.1 The mineral is found “As fibrous aggregates of poorly-crystalline needles, to 100 μm, in films and thin to thick crusts.”1 “The mineral is known synthetically and from more than 40 localities in Europe, North America and Australia (unspecified). All occurrences are related to the surface or near-surface oxidation of metal sulfides; optimum conditions for formation are pH 3-4.5 and SO4 concentrations of 1000-3000mg/L. Typical associations are jarosite, natrojarosite, goethite, and ferrihydrite. The new name is for Udo Schwertmann (b.1927), Technical university of Munich. Cotype specimens are in the Geological Museum, University of Helsinki, Finland.”2
The mineral is obviously not a rare one, but it is certainly not one of interest to most collectors. If you want to get specimens of this material the authors of the original description should probably be consulted. They may still have access to specimens from the the Pyhäsalmi mine and the 20 unspecified localities that they site. Some rare mineral dealers may also carry specimens of this material. I would imagine that the demand for this mineral is not brisk.
1. Handbook of Mineralogy, Volume III, , Anthony, Bideaux, Bladh, Nichols, p501.
2. J.M. Bigham, L. Carlson, E. Murad (1994) Schwertmannite, a new iron oxyhydroxysulphate from Pyhäsalmi, Finland, and other localities. Mineral. Mag., 58, 641-648. (American Mineralogist abstract Vol 80, July-August 1995 p. 847.
[Rock Currier 5 November 08]


Schwertmannite
Germany
Thuringia, Saalfeld, Garnsdorf, (Fairy Grotto; Feengrotte), Jeremias Glück Mine
Schwertmannite, field of view 5mm.© Thomas Witzke


In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the mine was worked for silurian alum shales used as a raw material for the production of sulphuric acid. Around 1915, in order to preserve the coloured sulphate sinters formed by decomposition of pyrite and marcasite, the underground workings were transformed into a visitor's grotto. Located at Garnsdorf, 2 km SW of Saalfeld.
[Rock Currier 23 December 08]



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