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Pakistan Unknown

Posted by Steve Hardinger  
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Steve Hardinger
Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 03:38AM
At first I labeled this as epidote/clinozoisite, but doubted it later, because the striations are perpendicular to the long axis of the crystal.

The crystals are brown, transparent, and glassy. Hardness > glass. The only locality info I have is Pakistan. The matrix is quartz, and there appears to be a small hematite crystal present as well.

Any ideas about identity?
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open | download - 14981a.JPG (383.1 KB)
open | download - 14981b.JPG (373.3 KB)
open | download - 14981c.JPG (340 KB)
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Steve Hardinger
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 03:39AM
Another picture...
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Ralph Bottrill
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 04:26AM
Possibly tantalite-Mn, but the form is quite unusual?

Regards,
Ralph
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Steve Hardinger
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 04:55AM
I thought about tantalite but the terminations and striations seem wrong.
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Stephanie Martin
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 05:06AM 		ca    
I know the hardness doesn't fit and this is probably way off, but they remind me of xenotimes from Brazil?

regards,
stephaniesmiling smiley
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Eligiusz Szełęg
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 08:21AM 		pl    
looks like cassiterite or similar tetragonal minerals (zircon, xenotime)
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Uwe Kolitsch
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 08:25AM 		at    
I'd agree with Stephanie.
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Knut Eldjarn
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 09:05AM 		no    
Vesuvianite ?
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Peter Slootweg
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 09:06AM
That's a very nice Mangano-Tantalite. You don't see them too often with this high luster. fine specimen.

Peter
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Johan Kjellman
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 11:25AM
yes box - tantalite!
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Steve Hardinger
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 01:45PM
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll do more tests, with these candidates in mind. In the end I'll probably submit it for XRD.
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Ronald John Gyllenhammer
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 03:05PM 		us    
Hi Steve,

Alot of good suggestions. I think it may be either Zircon or Xenotime. Have you checked for fluorescence or radioactivity, these tests may be diagnostic for this. BTW, it's a beautiful specimen, good luck with it.

Ron
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Rudy Bolona
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 03:28PM
The striations, terminations and crystal form look just like a couple of wodginite specimens I have. These striations are located on the A axis and 100 face of wodginite crystals.
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Uwe Kolitsch
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 06, 2012 06:06PM 		at    
How were these wodginite specimens analysed?
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Steve Hardinger
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 07, 2012 03:03AM
The specimen is not radioactive, and has no fluorescence under either SW or LW UV.
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Harold (Hal) Prior
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 07, 2012 04:52AM
looks like Zaqi Mountain, Northern areas Xenotime.
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Steve Hardinger
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 07, 2012 05:57AM
Hal, I don't think so. The color of my specimen is too dark (too brown; not yellowish).
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Luiz Alberto Dias Menezes, Fo.
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 07, 2012 10:08PM
Xenotime will show a perfect prismatic cleavage
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Steve Hardinger
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 12, 2012 06:48PM
Thanks to John Attard of Attard's Minerals (http://attminerals.com/) for confirming that this is tantalite-(Mn).
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Jose Zendrera
Re: Pakistan Unknown
April 12, 2012 08:30PM
Congratulations to Ralph, Peter and Johan!

Josele
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