Search Results
Mar 2016Re: Rock CurrierReply from John Magnasco in General.Rock led a huge life full of minerals and experiences associated with collecting and traveling. He was a great and colorful story-teller and was always willing to share his wit. It was a pleasure hanging out with him. His marks in the mineral community will remain deeply embossed for many, many ...
Sep 2015Re: New minerals approved by IMA CNMNC in June and July 2015Reply from John Magnasco in Mineralogical Classification.Congrats Alfredo, Andy and Marco!
Jun 2015Re: Is this really shattuckite after cuprite?Reply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.I didn't think we allowed anonymous users
Dec 2014Re: Does anyone else think the AMNH displays are lacking?Reply from John Magnasco in General.It's a shame they can't do better with the huge budget, big slaries and relatively strong profits.
AMNH faqs financial data
Nov 2014Re: Chris KorpiReply from John Magnasco in General.Bummer! Sorry to hear of Chris' death. I think Chris had some Rapid City roots as well with SD School of Mines degree. Got some nice specimens from him from Dr. Roberts in the mid 80's and a number of culls from his personal over the years. Chris was always a lot of fun to talk to and share ...
Aug 2014Re: Passing of Luiz Alberto Menezes FilhoReply from John Magnasco in General.Nearly every time I visited Luiz at a show he always had some well crystallized Brazilian treasure tucked away and great stories to go along with certain pieces or new discoveries. It was always a pleasure chatting with Luiz about digging and discovering minerals. He always remembered my name even ...
Feb 2014Re: Chris Wright R.I.PReply from John Magnasco in General.Sorry to hear the news of Chris' passing. He was always friendly and had some great minerals, some of which have made it into my collection. My condolences to his family and close friends.
Dec 2013Re: Chondrodite and PhlogopiteReply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.There are no crystals in the pictures you posted, but just massive rock-forming minerals of some sort that could be many different things from the appearance.
Could even be a man-made by-product such as slag.
Nov 2013Re: Columbite? Hubnerite? I may have stumbled upon an amazing piece!Reply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.Panasquiera. The small crystals that evenly coat the surface are almost certainly a marcasite druze together with some siderites. I have a piece that is its brother.
Nov 2013Re: Bornite with Galena? Unknown locality... HD PicsReply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.Looks like magnetite or hematite ps. magnetite from one of the Utah iron belt localities.
Nov 2013Re: CONGRATULATIONS Chris Stefano!!!!Reply from John Magnasco in Minerals and Museums.Hey Chris, if you curate the collection anywhere near as well as you have with your thumbnail displays it is bound to be better! Congrats!
Aug 2013Re: more unknowns from kelly mine NM USAReply from John Magnasco in General.The "schorl" looks like a goethite coating over an acicular crystal like hemimorphite, hydrozincite or selenite.
Jun 2013Re: Searching for Mindat on GoogleReply from John Magnasco in General.Looks like it is fixed after a few weeks in the "broken" state.
Jun 2013Searching for Mindat on GooglePosted by John Magnasco in General.For the last couple of weeks I have noticed that Mindat shows up differently than it used to when I do a search on Google. It does not provide a direct link to Mindat's home page and does not have the previous hierarchical configuration as shown in the attachment (for webmineral).
Seems like ...
Aug 2013Re: Editors and proof readers neededReply from John Magnasco in General.Rock:
I'd be happy to review technically if the work was relevant to my areas of expertise. Additionally, I'd be willing to review from a technical writing and English standpoint. I've directed technical publications functions for the last few companies where I've worked
Apr 2013Re: Strange textures of silica, from California mercury mineReply from John Magnasco in General.Hello Kyle:
Yes, these often contain either hydrocarbons or mercury. I've seen both. At the Guadalupe Mine in Santa Clara Co., I saw someone who broke open a quartz seem and there was a few ounces of gooey hydrocarbons that oozed out with a perfect 3cm hemisphere made up of 5mm quartz crystals ...
Apr 2013Re: Who should pay for ID if a mineral is misidentified?Reply from John Magnasco in General.Hello All:
Thanks for the thoughtful answers and enlightening persectives. I am sure that the person selling was not trying to hide anything. I've bought many fine rarities from them over a long period. I wasn't really looking for "my rights" in this case, but just a finger in the wind ...
Apr 2013Who should pay for ID if a mineral is misidentified?Posted by John Magnasco in General.Recently I had a mineral that I purchased as a rare sulfosalt, but suspected it was something else. I had the specimen analyzed and found that it was not what it was sold as. I contacted the seller, reported my findings and received a somewhat defensive reply. The ID was definitive showing that ...
Jan 2013Re: Some more Moroccan unknownsReply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.I can't speak to what pecentage of Moroccan dealers are trusworthy anymore than I can speak to what percentage of European, American or other dealers are trusworthy. Hard to place a label of trust or distrust on a whole society.
Nonetheless, it is unlikely that the apophyllite and corundum came ...
Aug 2012Re: jarosite-BeudantiteReply from John Magnasco in General.Hello Changmao:
Do you have any of the beudantite or other Taiwan minerals to trade? I have a small collection of samples from Chinkuashih in Keelung, some self-collected from the dumps and small adits. Would love to get a nice scorodite from there.
Aug 2012Re: Boleite/Diaboleite from CaliforniaReply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.There are caledonite/linarite pseudomorphs after galena. Not sure about any boleite, but would not be out of the question in the chemical environment there.
Aug 2012Re: Botryogen from Redington Mine?Reply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.Looks atypical compared to other "good" specimens I have seen from the Redington as it seems the crystals are more opaque, brighter orange and on a firm matrix. The pieces I've seen are more amber to orange-brown in color, more translucent and are often free of matrix or on an earthy/powdery ...
Sep 2012Re: The Weardale Giant - An exceptional Fluorite specimenReply from John Magnasco to an article.Maybe a nightmare if Mindat was involved or if somehow it is illegal to use Kickstarter in the UK, but I wasn't suggesting that. If set up properly it would not be a legal or logistical nightmare. But one needs to know how to set it up properly. That is what I was offering to help with. It is not ...
Sep 2012Re: The Weardale Giant - An exceptional Fluorite specimenReply from John Magnasco to an article.Kickstarter would clearly have been a practical option and could easily provide funding of the specimen for donation to a museum as well as funding specimen recovery operations. Unless you were talking about millions in two weeks, the time frame would be practical. Helped raise $85K for a bakery ...
Sep 2012Re: The Weardale Giant - An exceptional Fluorite specimenReply from John Magnasco to an article.What do you think of trying to crowdfund it on Kickstarter or similar site. You could fund the amount needed to save it with the "sale" of small samples from the mine. I can help with ideas on how to do this, but don't have the time to do it myself. Somebody web saavy with say Wordpress or ...
Jul 2012Re: Laguna agate Unidentified mineralReply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.Agree. Goethite. Not uncommon in geodes from Oco, Brazil or Atlas Mtns., Morocco
Jul 2012Re: Garnet twin?Reply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.There are definitely elongated garnets from various locations which probably have several mecahnism in play causing the elongation: plastic deformation due to metamorphic pressures, inclusions causing parallel growth, twinning(?), other mechanisms.
I have several examples that look like they are ...
Jun 2012Site Photos: Guidance for Posters and ApproversPosted by John Magnasco in General.Hello All:
Wanted to start a thread that provided some guidance for both posters and approvers around what makes a good site photo and what are some things that may cause your photo to be rejected. I'll start with some opininions, but feel free to chime in with your ideas as well.
A good ...
Jun 2012Re: Metallic columnar inclusions in Zagi Quartz with AstrophylliteReply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.Those are crazy! It looks like miniature aluminum rod stock embedded in the quartz. Absolutlety no idea what it could be, but fascinating morphology.
Jan 2014Re: Agate - Clear Creek area, Picacho Peak, New Idria District, Diablo Range, San Benito Co., California, USAReply from John Magnasco in Photos.After reading the cited definition, it seems erroneous to call this an agate on Mindat, but there are numerous other "agates" on Mindat that are not banded either: moss, dendritic, plume, brecciated, fire, etc.
Not sure whether the definition of agate should change or the non-banded "agates" ...
Jan 2014Re: Agate - Clear Creek area, Picacho Peak, New Idria District, Diablo Range, San Benito Co., California, USAReply from John Magnasco in Photos.Chalcedony (var: agate) is certainly the correct classification for this sample. It is probably best described as a becciated agate containing serpentine, silica-carbonate rock and other minerals such as cinnabar, chromite, millerite, etc. where present.
Chalcedony (and agate, jasper and all ...
May 2012Re: Minehillite?Reply from John Magnasco in Photos.Not versed on all the permutations of assemblages at Franklin, but on appearance only, it certainly resembles some mooreites I've seen.
Apr 2012Re: Cuprite Bisbee...or RayReply from John Magnasco in Improving Mindat.org.Matrix and morphology of the cuprite on copper looks very much like other pieces I have from Ray.
Nov 2012⚠159 imagesRe: Best Of California MineralsReply from John Magnasco in General.Nice Ribbon Agate, Jay!
Yeah, I remember trying to legally gain access while Homestake was running the mine in the late 80's and again in the eraly 90's, but found them to have absolutely no interest in allowing any kind of access by the public, interested individuals, or mineral collectors. ...
Feb 2013Re: Are Schorl & Biotite Mutually Exclusive?Reply from John Magnasco in General.If I had the diagrams handy I'd check the eH-pH and T-P phase diagrams for both to see if they overlap. At the Southern Pacific Silica Quarry there are books of Biotite not too distant from the Schorl, but not in contact with one another from what I remember, so it may be that is a sequential ...
Jan 2012Re: Why it is VERY VERY important to stop the SOPA actReply from John Magnasco in General.Absolutely agree. The big media types want it, but just so they can bully and overtake the "free" sites and the smaller sites.
I wrote both senators from my state and my congressman. I'm sure they are being deluged.
Jan 2012The CNBBNPosted by John Magnasco in General.The Commission on New Bugs and Bug Names is not quite as scientifically oriented as our counterpart in the mineral world:
New fly named for its bum
See, this is why all of the natural history museums are raking in the cash for the life sciences and nothing for the earth sciences. We should ...
Jan 2012Re: Mindat meeting in TucsonReply from John Magnasco in General.Thanks for the updates everyone. Looks like a full week of wandering during the days and wobbling during the nights.
Jan 2012Mindat meeting in TucsonPosted by John Magnasco in General.Hello Jolyon et al:
Wondering if there will be a Mindat meeting in Tucson this year and, if so, when and where. I'd like to attend and I'm trying to schedule our BAM event on a different night so we can make both, among other events that are scheduled the week of the main show.
Dec 2011Re: Iran And Italy Foot Ball Team aftre search of MieralsReply from John Magnasco to an article.Hello Farid:
Great combination....Calcio and Calcite!
Ciao!
Nov 2011Re: Mindat SpeedReply from John Magnasco in General.Significant speed and access improvements for me!
Thanks Jolyon & Mindat team!
Jul 2017Re: California, USAReply from John Magnasco in Localities.Wow Chet, awesome work on the California localities! I know many of them well.
Once on this thread, I noticed earlier references to the mineral collection at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Unfortunately, that was moved and the display collection was drastically downsized in 1983 when the ...
Oct 2011Re: Carminite with ?, MexicoReply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.Yes. Commonly with pharmacosiderite and jarosite from there.
Oct 2011Re: New mineral or just unknown?Reply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.First four pics look more like linarite to me that azurite, but that's just on appearance which is hardly worth anything when it comes to identifying minerals. The "tell" is the elongated crystals and the lighter colored green rims (probably not malachite). Again, just a visual impression.
Jun 2011Re: Field Trip Hazards!Reply from John Magnasco in General.This is the biggest little hazard I have run across over my many days collecting in the field:
http://www.pediatricdoc.com/images/lg/DeerTickFemale800.jpg
I got bitten while collecting near the I-290/I-495 roadcuts near Marlborough while out in Boston for some work. Didn't notice until a the ...
May 2011Re: Suggestions on a "Breaking" MethodReply from John Magnasco in Techniques for Collectors.You'll spend a lot less time hunched over with good tools and methods. As others have noted, a hydraulic trimmer is a great investment if you have a lot to trim. It helps break the rock along the planes that you want it to break.... most of the time. If you can get your hands on an old anvil, it ...
Apr 2011Re: mineral id from South AfricaReply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.Looks similar to a piece of Apophyllite-(KOH) that I have from Wessels
Apr 2011Re: Hydrozincite in California?Reply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.Hydrozincite is widespread in the Lead-Zinc-Silver mines of Inyo County. I am not particularly familiar with the Ophir Mine, butr would not be surprised. Also noted that Kevin Brady sells this material and he likely collected there himself. He is a very reliable seller and active field collector.
May 2011Re: Vinegar-Ajax-GarnetsReply from John Magnasco in Techniques for Collectors.Ajax is probably not a good idea because it contains abrasives which might damage the luster of the garnets.
Apr 2011Re: Butte Unknown on Enargite TwinsReply from John Magnasco in Identity Help.See The American Mineralogist, VOL 45, NOV-DEC, 1960 “ORIENTED OVERGROWTHS OF TENNANTITE AND COLUSITE ON ENARGITE”, by Dick Bideaux. It refers to Enargite samples from Cerro de Pasco.
