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GeneralTouchenite or Riebeckite?
16th May 2010 23:37 UTCChristopher Carlucci
A while back I posted a topic on a strange NJ rock that very little is known about called " Touchenite." It was understood that the rock known as Touchenite is actually RIEBECKITE or Silicified Croc, thanks to Mindat users!. However the Touchenite that I have found looks much different than Riebeckite photos I've seen online. I posted some pictures of a potato sized chunk I recently dug out of NJ. Any comments or info would be great. Also sorry for the low-grade photos. This rock really sparkles blue,gold,velvet in the sun.
17th May 2010 02:10 UTCDon Saathoff Expert
Don S.
17th May 2010 05:06 UTCAndrew G. Christy Manager
17th May 2010 19:06 UTCDon Saathoff Expert
Don S.
24th May 2010 17:43 UTCEric Stanchich
This is a gorgeous specimen!!
I have spent many a day in the creekbeds.....searching for Carnelian and Touchenite.
In my experiences......I have never heard anyone ever mention Riebeckite.
Touchenite and Carnelian are both Quartz. From what I know, the glimmer in Touchonite is from Quartz altering it's chemical composition over time via being submersed in water or water soaked grey/green clay.
Please let me know if you specimen is for sale?
Regards,
Eric Stanchich.
25th May 2010 12:56 UTCRock Currier Expert
25th May 2010 14:10 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert
AJ then said-Dad don't forget to tell him about the arrowhead. We left before he could find one.
27th May 2010 01:35 UTCChristopher Carlucci
To David, That was a funny story! You found an Amethyst arrowhead? I heard of Carnelian arrowheads before. I found a bunch of arrowheads back there but not Carnelian or Amethyst. I think the ultimate would be a Touchenite arrowhead. I found Opal back there too with fire in it. also I think Touchenite looks more like picrolite than Riebeckite as well. Thanks.
27th May 2010 03:46 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert
No, no,not an Amethyst arrowhead, just an Amethyst crystal point. Regular arrowhead. You never know what you will fish out of that brook.
28th May 2010 01:45 UTCChristopher Carlucci
28th May 2010 01:51 UTCChristopher Carlucci
28th May 2010 01:56 UTCChristopher Carlucci
16th Jun 2011 20:13 UTCAnonymous User
http://dirtyrockhounds.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Finds&thread=6364&page=1
For some reason I think he had mentioned crocidolite before but don't quote me on that
The first batch I ever got was one piece that I had cabbed. He has since sent me better material with the great blue and some better gold but it's all still in rough form except for these two cabbed pieces from the first piece I ever got. Sorry about bad pic..took this back when I was a noob with camera years ago
http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2011061612071224.jpg
16th Jun 2011 20:33 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager
I've not seen any analyses of the chatoyant material, but it looks very much like the blue chatoyant South Africa material which turned out to be riebeckite and quartz fibers in parallel growth (not "silicified crocidolite" or quartz pseudomorphs after riebeckite, as had been previously thought). Anyone want to sacrifice a rice-grain-sized fragment for X-ray diffraction?
Anyway, professional mineralogists don't get at all excited by local names for varieties of varieties of minerals, so don't anyone expect the International Mineralogical Association to promulgate an edict from on high defining this material - Won't ever happen, so the locals can just fight among themselves about how to define it :(
17th Jun 2011 00:21 UTCSteven Kuitems Expert
You are the one to get it CORRECT!!
Leon Touchon had a gas station/service station near the brook in Warren, NJ and besides the carnelian the riebeckite included agate/carnelian was found in moderate abundance near his station and the locals here in NJ have called it "Touchonite" for at least 60+ years. A local varietal name to be sure! Some specimens are chatoyant with a deep blue color others are golden and some are mixed blue/golden. Some still have the riebeckite intact and present on the surface, some are nearly complete replacements with agate and the golden is most likely from the high iron content of the host rock (basalt fissures and pockets). One of the key field identifiers of this material is the presence of negative casts of almost cubic calcite crystals on the intact outer surfaces of the carnelian, while only a few of the "Touchonite" pieces actually have this feature. One can easily find quartz points up to almost two inches. Yes a few carnelian arrowheads have been found (saw one at the NJESA show in Franklin,NJ) and some of the small carnelian nodules have some opal (usually white) lining internal openings. The old-timers found red and white banded carnelian and the rare stalactitic forms.
Congrats on your new finds!!
Steve.
17th Jun 2011 01:32 UTCAnonymous User
25th Aug 2015 19:14 UTCKurt A. Wehmann
25th Aug 2015 20:39 UTCD. Peck
27th Mar 2019 17:03 UTCJeremy K.
I acquired this piece from an old lapidary collection that included many unusual materials including some eastern localities (Crabtree emerald, etc.). It resembles examples of “touchenite” or chalcedony replacement of fibrous minerals. Anyone familiar with the material who can give some more insight? Thanks!
28th Mar 2019 00:02 UTCDonald B Peck Expert
Can you tell us where it is from? If it is from Warren, NJ, "Touchonite" from there is a local name, after Leon Touchon who owned a business on the property where it is dug. I believe the mineral is really silicified riebeckite (not carnelian as indicated in mindat). I lived about a mile from that locality for 42 years. Also, Leon operated a gas station not a convenience store or tavern as indicated on mindat. Alfredo, Steve, and I have all explained this already, above.
Don
28th Mar 2019 00:29 UTCJeremy K.
I bought it from an old collection with no locality info. Was hoping those who have seen the Warren material might be able to weigh in on whether this piece looks similar or not and if there are any diagnostic features to look for.
Thanks!
28th Mar 2019 15:54 UTCDonald B Peck Expert
Your piece doesn't look much like what I remember coming from the Warren, NJ location. But, it has been a long time. I don't remember that layered structure, nor much matrix with the pieces. I do remember the bluish gray chatoyancy, a lot like tigers-eye but the different color.
Don
Maybe Steve Kuitems will weigh in on this.
28th Mar 2019 16:31 UTCJeremy K.
Thanks for the additional info. In hand, the piece is more brecciated than layered. One side has a surface pattern similar to picrolite or fibrous. The closeup is through a 10X Loupe showing the remnants of fibers that give it the chatoyance. Also no matrix on the piece - the bred/brown areas are a coating on the chalcedony. One side of the piece is fused breccia, the other is more linear.
-Jeremy
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Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: May 9, 2024 23:43:20