Best of Connecticut

Here's a nice tourmaline specimen (possibly uvite) from a recent find along the Airline Trail in East Hampton. Collected by Rowan Lytle (who just so happens to be the author of this thread). Entire specimen measures approximately 2.5cm x 1.5cm x 1cm.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2012 11:23PM by Matthew Kimball.

For those who might think the above specimen is schorl or dravite,
it is brown,
it occurred in a thin quartz vein,
and the crystals have similar faces to the pierrepont ny uvites.

-Rowan Lytle

son: -picks up huge loose amethyst cluster- "Is this what we're looking for?"
father: "Holy #$@%!

Cant tell tourmaline species by color or crystallography. Read this thread:
[www.mindat.org]

Rowan, unless something happened to my eyes, the material from Pierrepont is jet black. I have a shelf full. But, Fritz is right.

yes, they are David, your eyes are fine, unless I have the same problem, but they are only similar in one terminal face, but, as Fritz say that has no help in identifying the different tourmaline species. It is listed on the locality page as questioned, because I truly am not sure. I will post photos of some more of mine, but for now, here is a better description of the locality:

It is a vein of quartz about 1-4in thick running through the schist in the RR cut. about 3in beneath the vein is a barren pegmatite. the tourmaline radiates from the top of the vein, going from massive to well crystallized where it contacts the quartz. I am pretty certain it crystallized well before the quartz filled in the vein. There are occasionally small pockets about 1cm wide where the quartz contacts the tourmaline. there is a significant amount of iron around, and i have observed some magnesium staining on a nearby quartz vein, which contained quartz crystals in one spot.

I hope that can be of help.

-Rowan Lytle

son: -picks up huge loose amethyst cluster- "Is this what we're looking for?"
father: "Holy #$@%!

Rowan, no matter which species of tourmaline you have, that is a beautiful specimen. I have come to the position that unless tourmalines from the location have been analyzed, in my collection I will simply call them tourmaline. Color and crystal forms unfortunately are not reliable for defining the species. (I can go with a "Probably Elbaite", however.) Gorgeous crystal!

They are fantastic from there Donald, and, like you, I label mine as tourmaline. but it is just Matt's choice, and he decided on uvite.

-Rowan Lytle

son: -picks up huge loose amethyst cluster- "Is this what we're looking for?"
father: "Holy #$@%!

If tourmaline is a better description for the present, I'll change it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2012 11:27PM by Matthew Kimball.

minerals, actually, aren't the only good thing Ct brings up. For good minerals, you need a good locality:

-Rowan Lytle

son: -picks up huge loose amethyst cluster- "Is this what we're looking for?"
father: "Holy #$@%!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2012 12:28AM by Rowan Lytle.

Good point!




Simpson Quarry, South Glastonbury,Connecticut

Prehnite from Talcott Mtn, Simsbury,CT. Specimen measures approx. 3cm x 2.5cm x 2cm. Collected by Rowan Lytle.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2012 12:54AM by Matthew Kimball.

Reasonably good sized partial beryl crystal self collected from the dumps at Simpson Quarry in 2011. Below scale measures 1in. long, marked at 1cm.

The afore mentioned Jack/John Pawlowski has some great Babingtonites from O&G at the CT Mining Museum north of the village of Kent CT along with most of the other minerals found there. Definitely worth a visit. He just remodeled the display cases in the last year.
As for the julgoldite, yes he did have it tested and it was confirmed. I believe he sends specimens to Germany for testing.

Five one to two inch pieces of Chlorophane Fluorite from Old Mine Plaza thermoluminescing on high heat.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/2012 06:30PM by Michael Otto.

Here are some of my best of Connecticut specimens, recently posted. These were collected over 4 decades!
Enjoy!
Tony

Microlite - [www.mindat.org]
Columbites - [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org]
Almandines - [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org]
Columbites - [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org]
Elbaite - [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org]
Triploidite and Lithiophilite - [www.mindat.org]
Triploidite - [www.mindat.org]
Apophyllite - [www.mindat.org]
Datolite - [www.mindat.org]
Aquamarines - [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org]
Ferberites - [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org]
Fluorite - [www.mindat.org]
Columbites - [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org]
Columbites - [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org]
Tantalites - [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org]
Fluorapatites - [www.mindat.org] & [www.mindat.org]
Danburite - [www.mindat.org]
Wodginite - [www.mindat.org]
Heliodor - [www.mindat.org]
Chrysoberyl - [www.mindat.org]
Columbites with samarskite - [www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2012 12:50AM by Tony Albini.

Tony,

Did you collect that pocket beryl from case in a pocket, or did you dig it from the dumps?

Adam, it was collected by a Bristol, CT collector in the 1970s and his collection was bought by one of my best friends.

Regards, Tony

Yeah, the No. 3 prospect has so much pocket material, including aquas, but that is the best I have seen.

-Rowan Lytle

son: -picks up huge loose amethyst cluster- "Is this what we're looking for?"
father: "Holy #$@%!

Thanks Tony

I collected this beryl in the middle of a rainstorm at Nathan Hall Quarry in early June 2012. The boulder it originaly was in was about 50lbs. I was trimming it down under a tarp since it suddenly started down pouring . Originaly, I was trimming the specimen down for the 2 little crystals on the right. I noticed the bottom section next, but just thought it to be a deformed ugly crystal. While trimming the bottom of the boulder, a large chunk fell off, revealing the single 17cm crystal that points up. The rest of the trimming was done at home Overall the specimen is 25cm wide and 17 cm tall.

©

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2012 03:51PM by Adam Berluti.

Wow! It would be nice if the had a little more color...

-Rowan Lytle

son: -picks up huge loose amethyst cluster- "Is this what we're looking for?"
father: "Holy #$@%!