The Best from Down Under

Steve, maybe, or perhaps more like pearceite, but it could be a number of things. Very interesting!

Regards,
Ralph

It's a really nice crystal Ralph, but unfortunately, only one of a kind! Don't think Andrew is going to say yes to getting it tested!

Regards
Steve

Ralph,try and get hold of "Poona, Western Australia and the Seekers of Emeralds" by Alex Palmer, Hesperian Press 2010. A fascinating saga of the trials, tribulations and back stabbing for those that tried emerald mining in the Poona district.

Thanks David, I will keep a look out. Does that mean there were lots of productive mines there?

Regards,
Ralph

Hi Ralph,

Alas, no pics, but according to the book, when the real Agah Kahn owned the mine and general area in the early 1900's, 44 gal drums of gem greade material were shipped O/S for "prooduction"

It's a really fascinating book, somehate tendious however with the repetative documentation of changes to the various mining lease sites....lots of back stabbing in those early days

Here's an assortment of Australian specimens, all self-collected with the exception of the Mooralla Smoky Quartz. Further details in each photo.
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And a mix from Harts Range, NT and New England, NSW. Further details in each photo.

Nice pix Patrick!

Regards,
Ralph

Thanks Ralph

A 50mm long pale yellow beryl crystal that I dug from a weathered pegmatite in the vicinity of Uralla, NSW in 1989. It weighs 15 carats and does not contain a single flaw or inclusion. There is a small chip off the tapered termination.

Initially a friend and I dug the prospect over several days because there were well formed schorl tourmaline crystals and prisms in the soil. We also found some smokey quartz crystals. We were sieving the weathered pegmatite from a relatively unproductive area and then this crystal appeared in the sieve. Its striations paralell to the C axis immediately indicated that it was beryl, which was a surprise given that previously the site had not yielded a single beryl crystal or fragment. We subsequently found a similar pale blue crystal which had a major flaw paralell to the C axis, as well as some smaller crystals.

Uralla is not a recognised/published locaility for beryl, but this specimen shows that very good quality specimens can be found with perservence by prospecting for new sites. I am still trying to find more when I get the chance!

Patrick - I reckon your various beryl crystals are great.

Great specimen Matthew, one of the nicest I've seen for a long time!

Been without decent a internet connection for a few weeks!

Here's a micro pyrosmalite-(Fe) with johannsenite from the North Mine, Broken Hill. Picked up at the Victorian Gemkhana at Shepparton a week or so ago. Photo width is 2.7mm.


Regards
Steve

Amazing specimens!

Amanda

Axinite-(Fe) from Colebrook Hill, western Tasmania...


Regards
Steve

of australia I love the Whim Creek Wulfenite's



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Mindat Page

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Attrezzatura e tecnica sono solo l'inizio. È il fotografo che conta più di tutto. (John Hedgecoe)

Here's an interesting gold specimen that I saw on display at the Perth Museum whilst in Perth for the Joint Australasian Mineralogical Societies Seminar last weekend. Reminds me of a horse's head.


Regards
Steve



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2012 12:30PM by Steve Sorrell.

I acquired this piece in a box of mostly rubble at a garage sale here in Broken Hill. When I cleaned the dirt off the sample I couldn't believe my eyes. Wires of native silver included inside gypsum - not a combination I had seen before - most likely from the Junction Mine (or at least somewhere close to that part of the line of lode). It was also a chance to try out the super-macro function on my new fuji finepix camera...


Cheers, from my little piece of the Sunny Australian Outback...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2012 01:22PM by Trevor Dart.

Here is a rather intersting specimen I aquired from Patrick Gundersen a while ago, which was initially identified as corundum var. sapphire from Inkamulla Bore, Harts Range NT, with associated twinned clear corundum crystals growing around the face of the sapphire. Pat and I have had some playful debate as to the identity of this associated mineral. After adding a picture of the specimen to my album, Mindat administration queried the location Thus began a rather interesting analytical exercise that has just been completed thanks to Ralph Bottrill and his XRD And the final result...............the associated mineral is DIASPORE. Further information about this find can be found in Olav Revheim's acticle "Corundum Australia" [www.mindat.org]

Steve,
new pseudomorph type: gold after horse?
And what happened to the rest of the horse?

Regards,
Ralph