Favorite Self-Collected Specimens

I would like to show two of my self-collected specimens which are not spectacular but which are relatively rare minerales of a historical mining area. The Eulytin I found at the dump of the historically Adam-Heber mine in Scheeberg/Erzgebirge. The specimen is 8 x 4 cm an rich coated with small brown Eulytine crystalls.

The Brendelite (analyzed) I found on the field where the dump of the historically Güldener-Falk mine was, also Schneeberg/Erzgebirge. The specimen is 6 x 3.5 cm. The Brendelite is arranged in dark brown spheriodal aggregats besides a yellow bismutite.

Uwe Ludwig

Thanks for sharing this, it shows that some rareities can still be found. Also I would encourage others to show the interesting and rare specimens as well as beauties, mineral collecting is not about price, aestetics and size only rareity and awailable information ae important to.

Although a relatively common pegmatite mineral, this albite (var. clevelandite) specimen [found at the Rutherford mine, Amelia, Va. in 1979] is extraordinarily large for the species. Composed of only three "blades", this specimen is three inches wide, nearly three inches high, by 1 1/2 inches deep. Large microlite crystals were found associated with these large clevelandite crystals, found embedded between the blades. Fine muscovite crystals dusting one side of the clevelandite.

In November 2007, during construction of the infrastructure associated with a new housing subdivision south of Bloomington, Indiana heavy equipment got into an area of geode bearing rock. This was during the scooping out of a small retention pond and a very short lived collecting site. Basically, over a 3 day period I walked back and forth over the 1/2 acre site, competing with the bulldozer crushing up the scooped out rock. A number of very fresh geodes were collected prior to the site being covered by gravel and water allowed to flow in to about 4' deep. The geodes are quite distinctive, being oval and containing very fresh pearly pink dolomite associated with one or several silky/satiny white to pale cream colored calcites as seen here. This geode is 11 cm x 7 cm and the calcite is about 5cm.

This is a rutilated smoky quartz I collected at the Goldflint Mountain area east of Butte, Montana, back in 1979. Also found in this pocket was a couple of greenish tourmalines!


William C. (CHRIS) van Laer: "I'm using the chicken to measure it..."

Nice rutilated quartz William.

I'll follow with another quartz xl from the Rutherford mine, in Amelia, Virginia (1979). The core is a milky quartz, with secondary smoky quartz growths completely around the core. I was thrilled when I found it.

Awesome quartz, Chris!!
What's the size on that (and don't say you're going to use the chicken to measure it!!).

Paul:
The smoky quartz with rutile inclusions measures 7.2 x 4.7 x 4.1 cm overall. Other rutilated quartz xls. from this pocket were much smaller, and remakably enough, one very flawless crystal held no rutile!

This next piece I found in the Upper Cramer Lakes area back in 1987; the pocket was barely exposed on a huge talus boulder; I had to chisel the rock apart to get access to the vug, which was 100% intact. This specimen was visible lying on the "bottom" on the vug (I use that term loosely, as the boulder had travelled quite a distance vertically), and after removing several slabs of granite I was able to remove the various specimens from the pocket, most of which were loose. the remaining matrix specimen, which was still solid on the floor, took quite some time to chisel around the base, but it disintegrated when I tried to pry it off....a fantastic smoky quartz crystal on a crown of microcline crystals!! (You can't win them all!!)

This specimen measures 15.8 x 9.5 x 9.1 cm. overall.


William C. (CHRIS) van Laer: "I'm using the chicken to measure it..."

Over the years I have collected several hundred baryte crystals with stibnite or stibnite-realgar zoning or phantoms from the Boulder Hill mine near Wellington, Nevada. This type, with only realgar outlining a phantom, is quite uncommon. Realgar crystals in this specimen are approximately 0.1 to 0.2 mm but range up to 2-4 mm in some baryte specimens. Overall specimen size: 3x2.4x1.5 cm.





Cheers!

Steve

Stephen, I also enjoyed collecting at Boulder Hill back in the early 1990's, Here's a group of Fluorite's That are super sharp and have mirror like crystal faces. Measures 10 x 8 x 4 cm.

Great specimen, Jay! And still a great place to collect.

Steve

This is a "flat" of aquamarine crystals I found near Camp Lake, Elmore County, Idaho, in 1996. Earlier on this thread I posted a pic of some of these as found, with the dirt & clay still attached, as piled near my feet at my campsite.


William C. (CHRIS) van Laer: "I'm using the chicken to measure it..."

Many Indiana geodes are unattractively iron or otherwise stained, but occasionally a specimen is found with really nice attractive hematite or other substance coloring the quartz crystals. This hematite coated quartz geode was found in a heavily fossilized sandy siltstone formation about 2004. The geode measures about 11.0 cm x 9.0 cm and the hematite preferentially colors the tips of the quartz crystals.

Baryte collecting in June, 1972, Timpas, Otero County, Colorado.


Yours truly with opened concretion.


Cavity with calcite and 2x2x2.5 cm clear baryte


Specimen after removal from concretion.

Cheers!

Steve

Is Timpas still accessible? I've collected some very nice tan calcite rhombs as in your maxtrix for the barite and some clear/white calcite on top of the more brown matrix calcite crystals near a highway bridge in La Junta Colorado next to the river. Looking up Timpas reveals that there is currently a bridge replacement project going on there scheduled to be finished in April. I occasionally visit my parents who live about 15 miles from La Junta so I'm looking at doing some more collecting as the last time I did any there was back in 1982 or so!

James,

It sounds as if you are on the right track. A few miles (NW) from where this baryte was found there are concretions with wonderful rosettes of white calcite on calcite matrix. And sometimes it is just a question of numbers. Open enough concretions and you are more likely to find baryte.

Timpas is just a spot on a map but the rocks containing these concretions are found over a wide area. This particular concretion was found in a roadcut along SR350 just NE of the spot marked Timpas. Over the years I have given what information I have about this to a number of people and some have had success finding barite. As things have changed in 40 years,I would start with geology maps and land status maps and see where you can find access in areas with favorable geologic outcrops. My guess is that if you can check in at a meeting of the Colorado Mineral Society you will find some people with experience in the area who might be willing to share.

Good luck!

Cheers!

Steve

Steve,
Nice specimen!!!...Interesting how the Baryte is 'welded' into the calsite...
Peace,
Sam

This baryte geode is from the road cut about 3/4 mile north of Harrodsburg, SR37, Monroe County Indiana. I believe that it is known as SR 37 location number 18 in the Mindat index. The baryte crystals have for the most part terminated against the geode shell, but a few bladed crystals at the edges of the cluster are terminated. Collected in the fall of 1964.



Cheers!

Steve

I decided to do something a bit different for this thread. These 2 pix are my (mostly) self collected Indiana geodes from the In 56 road cuts 7 miles East of the town of Salem, Indiana in Washington County. The case was one of two comprising my exhibit of Indiana geodes at the May 2011 Cincinnati, Ohio mineral show. All but one geode were self collected (middle row, second from the right) over the past 7 - 8 years. They show distinctive colorful dolomite filled geodes with abundant calcites and 3 with barites and one (previously pictured separately) with sphalerite. The general size can be noted by comparing each specimen with the business card size label. This show usually has really good displays; this year's theme is carbonate minerals and I plan to have a 1 case display of "aragonite in Indiana geodes". Please consider coming to the show on May 5 and 6 in Cincinnati. Stephen R and Steve G, it would be nice to see you there! By the way, great pix everyone! Also, a website to see several hi quality collections of Keokuk and related geodes from that area is firstcrackgeodes.com. ENJOY! BOB

A large aquamarine crystal found near Ardeth Lake in the summer of 1986; deeply etched, deep blue at the base, paler blue at the top, repaired in one place. Size: 18.2 x 4.4 x 3.8 cm. Click on the picture to read what the "authorities" say about the provenance of this specimen...apparently after my detailed article about the ENTIRE Sawtooth Batholith, they STILL don't believe aquamarine is found there!! Way to go, mindat guys!!!!

By the way, I need to get a better picture of this one.....photography is NOT my long suit!



William C. (CHRIS) van Laer: "I'm using the chicken to measure it..."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2012 04:17PM by William C. van Laer.