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5739
LocalitiesNorth quarry, Dundas Quarry, West Flamborough Township, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
26th Sep 2011 14:16 UTCAndrew Haighton
Then there is this mineral, which is much smaller than 1 mm, so scratching it would be impossible. It does not fluoresce under short or long wave UV, and forms tapering crystals with hexagonal cross-section. It is red to brown, and also yellow to orange. as shown in the attached photos.
I was leaning towards Wurtzite as...
1) Sphalerite and Wurtzite are of the same formula, and Sphalerite is quite common in this quarry.
2) The colour and shape are very similar to that of specimens of Wurtzite in the MINDAT gallery,
3) Some of the crystals are on the outside of the spheres have these crystals attached to the Sphalerite balls, which would be fitting with a collophorm texture (checking my textbooks from back in my geolab days), which are Sphalerite with Wurtzite and Sulphur.
In the viscinity of the mystery crystals are Galena cubes as well as Dolomite crystals.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
26th Sep 2011 15:30 UTCAlain Hanson Expert
I am not familiar with the occurrence, but beside wurtzite wich is a good guess, your description (red or yellow hexagons stacked in inverse pyramids) and the paragenesis could also fit greenockite
Greetings from Belgium
Alain
26th Sep 2011 16:45 UTCAndrew Haighton
I have to admit, Greenockite was another thought I had, though, how would you determine if it was one or the other. The association with the Galena, and the fact that it in oxidized rock (dolomitic limestone hostrock, with occasional shaley zones predominantly in this quarry) lead me to believe that the crystals may be more than just Sphalerite. Oh, and the crystal form doesn't conform to anything else I have seen there.
Andy
27th Sep 2011 18:01 UTCUwe Kolitsch Manager
27th Sep 2011 18:18 UTCAndrew Haighton
I had been puzzling over this one for a while. There was no record of Wurtzite at this quarry, but all the signs pointed that way. It's always good when your gut feeling seems to be right. That being said, I have been in contact to a collector in the states who would get it analyzed. Never hurts to be 100% sure.(tu)
Thanks.
Andy
2nd Nov 2011 14:15 UTCAndrew Haighton
The crystals have been sent in for analysis (attached). The crystals sent in were described as "Long, thin with smooth faces, but different from Sphalerite". The Fe spike is in excess of 8% I am told, though Wurtzite is up to 8%.
I am unfamiliar to this analysis, so I put it out ... What are these crystals, Wurtzite? What ever we come up with, I will set up in Mindat.
Thanks
Andy Haighton,
Brampton, Ontario.
2nd Nov 2011 18:56 UTCReiner Mielke Expert
7th Nov 2011 15:33 UTCAndrew Haighton
Thanks for the input. Just need some clarification.
The Chemical Analysis indicates Sphalerite or Wurtzite, but the crystal shape is clearly not Sphalerite (6 sided and tapering). Would this then indicate Wurtzite without the XRD as Sphalerite does not do this?
If not, what else could it be?
Andy Haighton,
Brampton, Ontario
7th Nov 2011 21:14 UTCReiner Mielke Expert
12th Dec 2013 14:30 UTCLiz Fodi
The purple colouring is definitely caused by the presence of fluorite.
12th Dec 2013 14:34 UTCAndrew Haighton
I will change the description.
14th Dec 2013 17:19 UTCRob Woodside 🌟 Manager
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Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: March 19, 2024 01:01:47