Bordonaro Quarry, Portland, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USAi
Regional Level Types | |
---|---|
Bordonaro Quarry | Quarry |
Portland | - not defined - |
Middlesex County | County |
Connecticut | State |
USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
41° 37' 20'' North , 72° 35' 47'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
KΓΆppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
Place | Population | Distance |
---|---|---|
Cromwell | 13,750 (2017) | 5.1km |
Portland | 5,862 (2017) | 6.6km |
Lake Pocotopaug | 3,436 (2017) | 7.6km |
Middletown | 46,756 (2017) | 8.0km |
Glastonbury Center | 7,387 (2017) | 8.8km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Club | Location | Distance |
---|---|---|
Lapidary and Mineral Society of Central Connecticut | Meriden, Connecticut | 20km |
Bristol Gem & Mineral Club | Bristol, Connecticut | 30km |
New Haven Mineral Club | New Haven, Connecticut | 45km |
Mindat Locality ID:
209156
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:209156:6
GUID (UUID V4):
851ce388-c0eb-46f3-a74d-91ec13952269
Quarry and prospects in small granite pegmatite dike noted mostly for a relative abundance of beryl.
According to Cameron (1954) and Boos (1949), the property was owned in 1943 by Sam Bordonaro, of Portland. In 1929 Joseph Carini, worked one of the pegmatites on the property and recovered a few tons of feldspar, beryl and scrap mica. In 1935 Bordonaro mined feldspar and sold some run-of-the-mine mica to the Huse-Liberty Co., in Middletown, Conn.. The Bordonaro pegmatite strikes nearly N. - S. and dips west 25Β°-55Β°. The average dip is about 45Β°. The south half of the Bordonaro dike was mined in two sections. The first quarry was about 55 feet long and the second about 38 feet long. The two openings range from 1 foot to 10 feet in depth and for most of their length expose the pegmatite from wall to wall. A small prospect cut 30 feet south of the quarry exposes pegmatite.
The south section has a striking zonal structure. It consists of the following units, in order from the walls inward:
1. Border zone, plagioclase-quartz-perthite pegmatite, 1 to 3 inches thick. Composed of fine- to medium-grained quartz and albite plagioclase, with subordinate muscovite and microcline perthite, and accessory garnet and unevenly distributed beryl. The beryl crystals are Β½ to 1Β½ inches in diameter and as much as 3 inches long.
2. Perthite-quartz zone, 3 inches to 1 foot thick. Composed of coarse perthite and quartz, with subordinate muscovite and albite plagioclase. The microcline perthite crystals are euhedral against the quartz and also against quartz of the core described below. The zone is absent along part of the footwall.
3. Quartz core, 6 inches to 1Β½ feet thick. Consists of coarse, massive quartz.
The north section of the dike consists of the following zones:
1. Border zone, Β½ inch to 2 inches thick, similar to the border zone of the south section. The zone is absent at a few places along the hanging wall.
2. Wall zone, plagioclase-quartz-perthite pegmatite, 1 to 8 inches thick. Composed of quartz and albite plagioclase, with subordinate microcline perthite and muscovite and accessory beryl, tourmaline, and garnet. The zone is less than 4 inches thick in most places and is discontinuous. The mica books are Β½ inch to 6 inches broad, and ΒΌ inch to 2 inches thick. The mica is green, clear, and hard, but most of it is ruled, reeved, cross-fractured, and tangled. Inclusions of albite, quartz, tourmaline, and garnet are present in some books. Few books would yield even small sheet mica.
3. Perthite-quartz zone, 6 inches to 5 feet thick. This zone varies markedly from place to place in mineral proportions, but in general consists of quartz and coarse microcline perthite, with subordinate medium-grained albite plagioclase and muscovite, and accessory beryl and garnet. Perthite forms anhedral to subhedral crystals a few inches to 3 feet in diameter. Some of the crystals are intergrown with quartz. Light green to blue-green subhedral beryl crystals as much as 6 inches long and 2.5 inches in diameter are scattered unevenly through the zone. Some of the crystals seem to be pure and some are intergrown with or include quartz and feldspars or are veined by quartz and albite.
The other pegmatites exposed on the property are medium- to coarse-grained and consist essentially of quartz, albite plagioclase, microcline perthite, and muscovite in various proportions. Apart from thin border zones, they appear unzoned.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
β Albite Formula: Na(AlSi3O8) Colour: white Fluorescence: none Description: Mostly massive, minor vuggy zones with micro-crystals or albite and quartz. References: |
β Almandine Formula: Fe2+3Al2(SiO4)3 Habit: dodecahedral Colour: burgundy Description: crystals typically <5 mm. References: |
β Beryl Formula: Be3Al2(Si6O18) Habit: subhedral, hexagonal prisms with pinacoid terminations Colour: Light green to blue-green Description: Light green to blue-green subhedral beryl crystals as much as 6 inches long and 2.5 inches in diameter are scattered unevenly through the perthite-quartz zone. Some of the crystals seem to be pure and some are intergrown with or include quartz and feldspars or are veined by quartz and albite. |
βͺ Columbite-(Fe) Formula: Fe2+Nb2O6 Habit: bar-shaped to tabular Colour: black Description: Identified partly by SG of an isolated crystal (6.35). Crystals loose in dump are up to 45mm long. References: |
β Fluorapatite Formula: Ca5(PO4)3F References: |
β Microcline Formula: K(AlSi3O8) Description: Microcline perthite forms anhedral to subhedral crystals a few inches to 3 feet in diameter. References: |
β Muscovite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 Colour: pale green Description: The mica books are Β½ inch to 6 inches broad, and ΒΌ inch to 2 inches thick. The mica is green, clear, and hard, but most of it is ruled, reeved, cross-fractured, and tangled. |
β Quartz Formula: SiO2 Habit: vast majority is massive, small crystals in vuggy albite are elongated prismatic Colour: massive material is smoky, pocket crystals are colorless to pale blue-gray. Description: Very elongated crystals in vuggy albite can reach 58 mm, with frosty surface and a blue-gray tint. |
β Schorl Formula: NaFe2+3Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH) Habit: elongated prismatic Colour: Black Description: Mostly as subhedral crystals forming layers in the metamorphic rock along the contact with the pegmatite. |
β Uraninite Formula: UO2 Habit: crudely octahedral Colour: black Description: very small irregular masses are embedded in fluorapatite, isolated crystals in pegmatite matrix with halos of secondary minerals. References: |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
---|---|---|---|
β | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
β | Columbite-(Fe) | 4.DB.35 | Fe2+Nb2O6 |
β | Uraninite | 4.DL.05 | UO2 |
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
β | Fluorapatite | 8.BN.05 | Ca5(PO4)3F |
Group 9 - Silicates | |||
β | Almandine | 9.AD.25 | Fe2+3Al2(SiO4)3 |
β | Beryl | 9.CJ.05 | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
β | Schorl | 9.CK.05 | NaFe2+3Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH) |
β | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
β | Microcline | 9.FA.30 | K(AlSi3O8) |
β | Albite | 9.FA.35 | Na(AlSi3O8) |
List of minerals for each chemical element
H | Hydrogen | |
---|---|---|
H | β Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
H | β Schorl | NaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH) |
Be | Beryllium | |
Be | β Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
B | Boron | |
B | β Schorl | NaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH) |
O | Oxygen | |
O | β Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
O | β Almandine | Fe32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
O | β Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
O | β Columbite-(Fe) | Fe2+Nb2O6 |
O | β Fluorapatite | Ca5(PO4)3F |
O | β Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
O | β Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
O | β Quartz | SiO2 |
O | β Schorl | NaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH) |
O | β Uraninite | UO2 |
F | Fluorine | |
F | β Fluorapatite | Ca5(PO4)3F |
Na | Sodium | |
Na | β Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
Na | β Schorl | NaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH) |
Al | Aluminium | |
Al | β Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
Al | β Almandine | Fe32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
Al | β Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
Al | β Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
Al | β Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
Al | β Schorl | NaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH) |
Si | Silicon | |
Si | β Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
Si | β Almandine | Fe32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
Si | β Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
Si | β Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
Si | β Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
Si | β Quartz | SiO2 |
Si | β Schorl | NaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH) |
P | Phosphorus | |
P | β Fluorapatite | Ca5(PO4)3F |
K | Potassium | |
K | β Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
K | β Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
Ca | Calcium | |
Ca | β Fluorapatite | Ca5(PO4)3F |
Fe | Iron | |
Fe | β Almandine | Fe32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
Fe | β Columbite-(Fe) | Fe2+Nb2O6 |
Fe | β Schorl | NaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH) |
Nb | Niobium | |
Nb | β Columbite-(Fe) | Fe2+Nb2O6 |
U | Uranium | |
U | β Uraninite | UO2 |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Ganderia DomainDomain
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