Matt Ridley's Photo Gallery
K92-MC9Talc Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 , Marble, Pyrrhotite Fe1-xS , Pyrite FeS2
Tatlock Quarry, Lanark County, Ontario, CanadaDimensions: 11 cm x 7 cm x 7 cm
Weight: 439 g
Collected on a guided group tour. The geologist on site mentioned occasional green talc. The talc in this piece sits on marble with a thin and inconsistent layer of pyrrhotite between the two. Minor pyrite is visible in the pyrrhotite layer and on the right rear in the marble.
MT2-MLAKyanite Al2(SiO4)O
Northern Kyanite, Greater Sudbury, Ontario, CanadaLargest Crystal Size: 20 mm
Weight: 13 g
Single kyanite blade perched on top of quartz with minor biotite.
MFV-AYQAlmandine Fe2+3Al2(SiO4)3
River Valley Garnet Mine, Dana Township, Nipissing District, Ontario, CanadaLargest Crystal Size: 25 mm
Weight: 21 g
Dental pick used to reveal this crystal, hidden in mica. Soaked for one cycle in Wallers solution using sodium metabisulphite as a substitute for sodium dithionite. I wonder if the biotite from this location has been positively identified? Self collected and photographed. It is tough to get enough light on the garnet without blowing out the mica. Photo is edited with GIMP to recover lost detail in the mica, a process I am still learning.