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Identity HelpSerpentine Mineral -- Any idea what this might be.
1st Jun 2012 00:00 UTCMark J. Sigouin
I was wondering if anyone has experienced this mineral there and might know what it is.
I collected this myself about three or four years ago.
It is tabular. Ran as a short vein. Appears inter-bedded or laced with magnesite or hydromagnesite. It is soft. It has a waxy luster. Smaller pieces that broke off had a hexagonal look. What is left on these two specimens appear massive. Almost like a wax injected.
The orangish-brown mineral fluoresces a bright orange under longwave UV, less bright under shortwave UV.
The white minerals fluoresce bright white with traces of blue.
1st Jun 2012 01:02 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager
I'm sure someone more familiar with the area will chime in.
1st Jun 2012 02:19 UTCBen Grguric Expert
Cheers,
Ben.
1st Jun 2012 11:54 UTCMark J. Sigouin
Would the muratic acid found at the hardware store be dilute enough, or should dilute it 2 or more times?
1st Jun 2012 11:57 UTCJosé Zendrera 🌟 Manager
Close to my house there is many calcite concretions that look similar and also they are fluorescent with bright orange color.
Greetings.
2nd Jun 2012 04:06 UTCRalph S Bottrill 🌟 Manager
2nd Jun 2012 04:31 UTCMark Heintzelman 🌟 Expert
See Lizardite photo for Cedar Hill (same basic geological formation as you noted) here on mindat for reference.
That sample specimen I posted has this golden brown deweylite along with the deep olive green Lizardite.
MRH
PS Also note photo-350376 for this locale is NOT talc, but actually also dewelite, with nickel impurities which imparts that apple green coloration. (needs correcting).
3rd Jun 2012 11:01 UTCRalph S Bottrill 🌟 Manager
3rd Jun 2012 15:48 UTCVandall Thomas King Manager
14th Jun 2012 02:40 UTCMark J. Sigouin
I conducted your test. The two chips dissolved to a great extent in 1 molar HCl. There was only a slight efforvescence at first. The crystals became clear but retained a bright yellow brown color. The crystals became very tabular, but the edges were yet undefined. After about 10 minutes the solute turned lime green. After a day, it became roughly the same color as the crystals.
I believe the mineral is one of the hydrotalcite group minerals. Pyroaurite is identified as a mineral in the adjacent Cedar Hill Quarry though the one photograph of it is a green nickoline variety. The Wood's Chromite Mine, approximately one mile east lists pyroaurite and has photos. The color is about the same, as is the luster. My specimens are in general more massive.
At this point, I believe it is pyroaurite.
I agree that more work needs done. I will contact a friend that does SEm and XRD and see if I can get him to play with it a bit.
Thanks everybody.
14th Jun 2012 07:10 UTCBen Grguric Expert
1M HCl is about the right strength acid to use. Another simple test for Cl in the mineral structure is to dissolve the mineral in dilute nitric acid and then add a drop of silver nitrate solution. A dense white precipitate (AgCl) indicates a significant Cl content pointing to iowaite. If you dissolve in dilute nitric acid and then add a drop of barium chloride solution, a dense white ppt suggests sulphate, pointing to hydrotalcite.
But much better, your friend's XRD will tell you without a doubt if its hydrotalcite group, and SEM-EDAX will then help you constrain the species more precisely.
Cheers, Ben.
14th Jun 2012 12:09 UTCBen Grguric Expert
15th Jun 2012 23:35 UTCAnonymous User
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Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: April 26, 2024 14:16:54