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Identity HelpFranklin buckwheat dump minerals

30th Oct 2016 17:10 UTCStroodl

Hello all! So I recently made the trip to the buckwheat dump at the Franklin mineral museum and had a great time collercting there. Most stuff I found I was able to easily identify, but there were a few things I was unsure of.

So first, there's a highly magnetic specimen I found that's a dark metallic gray with a hardness of about 5 1/2. Then a greenish mineral I kept finding, mostly on calcite with a hardness of about 6 1/2. Then there's ano odd one I found in a huge mass that broke apart very easily. I took a chunk of it (it's very brittle) and it seems like it's a conglomerate of a few different minerals (I think one is franklinite) with the larger crystals being very soft, about a 3 - 3 1/2.

I'll post pictures of these specimens in the order I described them.

30th Oct 2016 17:20 UTCStroodl

This is a better picture of a larger crystal from last one I described.

30th Oct 2016 21:16 UTCGary Moldovany

The first photo looks like massive franklinite (it can be magnetic) with a little brown andradite. Photo #2 looks like willemite, calcite and franklinite. Photo # 3, the same. Photo #4 is heavily weathered calcite with a few franklinite crystals. Next time you go there, look in the shed, there is a display with examples of the most common minerals. I believe there is also a display inside the back door of the museum. Buckwheat dump is a great place to collect minerals, there are still quite a few there worth collecting. Every so often, I hear of someone finding a rare species there. They also hold two night digs every year, I think one is coming up soon. Happy collecting and check out the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg next time, it's 5 miles from Franklin and they also have a collecting area.

31st Oct 2016 13:55 UTCStroodl

Thanks! I'll havta check that other mine out next time im up there. Is it any different than the buckwheat dump?

31st Oct 2016 20:57 UTCGary Weinstein

Stroodl,

Though both mines have similar formations and minerals there can be some differences. Sometimes one mineral is found at one site with larger crystals, sometimes a mineral is only found at one site and not the other. Both places have world class museums, tours and over 400 mineral species. Enjoy them both, many times. Also, it is a good idea to get an ID from them up there as they can see them in person, check their fluorescent response and they are more familiar with their material.

2nd Nov 2016 15:53 UTCMad Zach

In my experience, I had better luck at the Sterling site... awesome fluorescence and nice zicite as well.

3rd Nov 2016 12:13 UTCSam Linton

Most people like Sterling better. Buckwheat is OK I guess. You tend to have the best finds in the barrels next to the buildings... that's where they dump the "unwanteds" from the lots they buy. I have found some pretty good stuff in there... fluorite, SW barite, xmas ore, etc. Just bring a BBQ cover, so you can lamp the stuff as you root through them. Just be careful of the bugs... spiders love hanging out in them.

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