Dunton Quarry Newry Maine

While collecting at the Dunton Quarry in Newry Maine I notice large amounts of a blue mineral throughout the mine dumps.I was told this was vivianite.It looks like triphylite.Can anyone confirm which mineral this is?
Thanks
Steve

A picture would help otherwise the answer is just a guess.

Steve,
Was this found on the Dunton dumps or more towards the top and to the north (New Blue Pit area). There was a very large area of massive vivianite found there. If your lucky you could find some vuggy material with bladed vivianite crystals.

Chad Cramer

Chad
It was at the area where the owner had done some excavation last year.There was a pit and what looked like a large flat area that had been bull dozed in to a flat surface.I would guess a lot of the area was old dumps.And the blue mineral was in some of the older dumps.Upon further research is it correct that triphylite can break down into vivianite?
Steve

Sounds like you were really at the Crooker Quarries. There are abundant blue coatings on the pegmatite. The source material seems to be fine-grained flurapatite dispersed in the pegmatite. The fluorapatite was leached and the phosphate combined with iron, probably from groundwater. No triphylite was harmed in the formation of the vivianite. :)

Best Wishes, Van King



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2012 02:46PM by Van King.

Thanks Van
The name was "The Blue Pit"on Plumbago Mt off Newry hilll.I went with the Keene Mineral Club(NH)Oct 2011,we also visited the Nevel Quarry on that trip.My first visit to Maine to collect.It was a great collecting trip.I hope to go to Maine again this year and visit the Harvard Quarry.
KOR
Steve

The Blue Pit was one of the Crooker Quarries, but everything is now included in the Crooker Quarry excavation now encompassing everyone of the former prospects. BTW The Blue Pit was opened in 1930 only and the Martin prospect completely bulldozed the tiny Blue Pit dump away and later buried it by thousands of tons of debris between 1989-1991. The new use of Blue Pit is a misnomer, although I'm sure you heard someone using the name.

Best Wishes, Van King