For the Love of Dendrites
Posted by Stephanie Martin
This thread is being dedicated to the lovely form of dendrites. Initially this began as an appreciation of manganese oxides, however I invite any kind of dendrites to be shared here. In addition since dendrites are well suited for lapidary purposes and are poplular as such, these are also welcomed to be shared here.
Here are a few to start the parade. I left out Solnhofen deliberately since I am sure many of you would have wonderful ones to contribute and I would love to see them.
This first one is from Utah, USA, if anyone knows a more specific location please let me know.
Approx 10 x 9 cm
Rockydale Quarry
Roanoke, Virginia, USA
label indicates collected 7/11/1996
6 x 4 cm
Matachewan,
Ontario, Canada
6 x 2cm
Dřínová, Tišnov, Moravia, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
7.8 x 5.5 cm
Some lapidary items...
Cuprite Dendrites in Pectolite (larimar)
Dominican Republic
2 x 2 cm
Dendrites in Chrysocolla with Malachite
location unknown
18 mm x 14 mm
The second specimen is an ammonite (diameter 30 mm) crossed by well defined dendrites. I hope you like it.
Better to be just than good (Kempis)
Why don't you write an article about dendrites? At the very least you should write up a better definition for our glossary than the one we have and show some more pictures of them.
Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.
I bring a bit more to the fantastic world of the dendritesI think for many, was the first samples, we began to captivate.
Here is a copy of manganese oxides from Jalapa Mine in El Molar, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
Greetings to all.
Agustin Agudo Espinosa.
Beautiful examples and great topic! I hesitate to put this here because I am of course quite dubious that it's authentic. It appeared in Mineral Digest (vol. 5, Winter 1973) in an article by Roger Caillois, and well, it's interesting. The caption said it is limestone and the source is unknown and there was nothing else about it in the text. I'm curious if anyone has seen this piece and knows anything more about it.http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?file,17,file=40084,filename=Dendrites-sml.jpg
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2012 03:24PM by Kelly Nash.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2012 04:01PM by Norman King.
Rock, I will eventually put together an article, would like to see what interesting things may turn up on this thread in the meantime.
regards,
stephanie :-)
Now an example of the Canary Islands, dendrites of manganese oxides, found on the road near the village of Toto on the island of Fuerteventura (basal complex).A.Agudo Espinosa.
Kelly,I bet 99,99 % that this is not a dendrite neither a limestone specimen. It seems man made something like a drawing inspired in a limestone landscape and in the dendrites effects. Buildings, people, trees, birds, all in the right place... not natural for me.
Cheers
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2012 09:20PM by Rui P Nunes.
John
Hi Sthephanie :-)Some Dendrites of my collection : http://www.mindat.org/user-3851.html#2_0_26645_0_0_0_
Regards.
Martins da Pedra
Stephanie, do these fit the definition of mimetoliths?
While I don't have any worthy manganese dendrites, this fluorite pattern is reminiscent of dendrites.
-Dean Allum
http://www.mindat.org/photos/0488935001293913634.jpg
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2012 09:17PM by Dean Allum.
Dean, I would assume that they would qualify because they do resemble trees or ferns or such. And I do believe you have a worthy example of dendrites, and the spodumene they have formed on makes a nice contrastive canvas.
http://www.mindat.org/photo-357307.html
cheers,
stephanie :-)
Don't forget about dendrites within/on agates. Here's one of my favorites: my dad had a junk Lake Superior agate, showing no banding or any other redeeming features. Tossing it into a bucket, it broke along its banding (which we call "peeling," as this typically occurs due to freeze/thaw cycles). Examining the two halves that had popped apart, I noticed this tiny 1cm dendrite hiding on the surface, where it had been formed in the microscopic space between the bands.
Wow, What a great thread !I have always loved Dendrites.
This specimen has been in my collection since 1971.
Eichstatt, West Germany
16 cm x 9 cm
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2012 04:04PM by Marc Miterman (2).
Hi everyone,I recently found some calcite crystals with distinct presumably manganese oxide dendritic growths on several of the crystal faces. I have found similar dendritic growths from several different locations, where they had been caused by solutions seeping between bedding planes, but i'm mystified how these particular dendrites could have formed. Has anyone else seen dendrites on crystal faces?
Sorry no photos at present, all my specimens are in storage.
thanks
tom goodland
Hi, 
here are some of calcites with probably manganeze dendrites on crystal faces.
Mežica Mine,Slovenia:
Back side, same specimen:
Jasovnik tunnel, Slovenia. 3 × 3.5 × 3 cm
Specimen was all embeded in clay.
Good luck
Boris
Hope's Nose Gold
Alberoda Silver
Santa Rita Copper
Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.
Rob, you say you "lost" those, I hope they went to good homes. Thanks for sharing your mementos.
Microphoto of Manganese Dendrites on Aragonite.FOV: 4 x 4 mm.
From "Puesto Viejo" Quarry, Sierra de Puesto Viejo, Santa Bárbara Department, Province of Jujuy, Argentina.
Collected in 2004.
Manganes dendrites on mud-clay.Specimen size: 12,7 x 9 x 1.8 cm.
From Raco River, Trancas Department, Province of Tucumán, Argentina.
Collected in 2010.
Manganese Dendrites on Clay-Shale.Specimen size: 6.7 x 4 x 2.1 cm.
From Salar del Hombre Muerto, Antofagasta de la Sierra Department, Province of Catamarca, Argentina.
Collected in 2002.
Manganese Dendrites on mud-clay.Specimen size: 7 x 4 x 2,3 cm.
From "Loro" River, Burruyacú Department, Province of Tucumán, Argentina.
Collected in 80´s.
Dendritic manganese oxides on schist.Specimen size: 19.5 x 11 x 0.5 cm.
From Salar del Hombre Muerto, Antofagasta de la Sierra Department, Province of Catamarca, Argentina.
Collected in 2004.
Tom - regarding growth on crystals, I think it depends on the type of crystal and the environment in which the dendrites form. Dendrites are seen frequently on feldspars and I think it might have to do with the actual surface of the crystal. Certainly they seem to like more porous surfaces, perhaps that is a coincidence based on the nature of the deposits where they are more typically found. But you are are right, you don't see them much on gem type crystals, more in them than on them, especially quartz. I suspect this might have to do with secondary deposition conditions and these don't seem to favour them forming and adhering to gem crystals in their environs.
Here is a feldspar with some incipient dendrites in what I call the blotchy stage.
Orthoclase twin
Cinco, Kern Co, California USA
4 x 2.5cm ex Fred Devito
There has been a lot of this Chinese jasper out there, they look so much like paintings, so I had to get one of course. 10 x 4cm.
And the great thing is that it has two sides that can both be displayed, which side to choose? Or should I get one of those spinning frames? LOL.
cheers,
stephanie :))
Fossil Clam
Indonesia
4.3 x 2.8cm
Here is a lemon opal dendrite from the Knoxville Recreation Area north of Napa California.
Colonial Mine
Cape D'Or, Cumberland Co, Nova Scotia, Canada
~3cm
Aborescent Silver coated with Safflorite
Millerette Mine, Haultain Township, Gowganda area, Cobalt-Gowganda region, Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada
~2cm
Dendrites of Mossy AgateFOV: 10 x 5 mm.
From Madagascar.
Beautiful dendritic massive specimen of Native Copper with Quartz Cystals included.Specimen size: 9.5 x 9 x 4.6 cm.
From Copiapó, Copiapó Province, Atacama Region, Chile.
Collected in 1996.
Beautiful dendritic massive specimen of Native Copper with Quartz Cystals included.Specimen size: 10.5 x 6.5 x 6 cm.
From Copiapó, Copiapó Province, Atacama Region, Chile.
Collected in 1996.
Very nice sample of Dendritic Native Copper with flattened crystals and Malachite covered.Specimen size: 5.6 x 2 x 1.1 cm.
From Osceola Shaft # 10, Calumet, Houghton County, Michigan, U.S.A.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2012 03:03AM by Raúl Jorge Tauber Larry.
Beatiful Dendritic Psilomelane. It looks as branches of tree.Specimen size: 7.5 x 6 x 4.5 cm.
From La Providencia Mine, Susques Department, Province of Jujuy, Argentina.
Collected in 60´s.
Here are some cryptomelanes. I have posted these before but couldn't resist posting again for the dendrite cause.
Cryptomelane
Pitorra mine, Galiléia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Longest dendrite 28mm
faceted stone is 15mm x 10mm (unknown dendrite type), Brazil
Moss Opal
Nasławice, Gogołów-Jordanów Massif, Lower Silesia (Dolnośląskie), Poland
~4.5 x 4.5cm
The next two are from the same location, Czech Republic.
Bohouskovice, České Budějovice (Budweis), South Bohemia Region, Bohemia (Böhmen; Boehmen), Czech Republic
3.0 x 1.5 cm
2.0 x 1.5 cm
cedar City Iron county ,Utah Check out Dave Crosby site for maps and locations. I have been looking for dendrites in agate ( good one) in the east hills around Summitt Utah A very large area for agate, it goes all the way up the mountain to Brian Head Happy Hunting/size>
cedar City Iron county ,Utah Check out Dave Crosby site for maps and locations. I have been looking for dendrites in agate ( good one) in the east hills around Summitt Utah A very large area for agate, it goes all the way up the mountain to Brian Head Happy Hunting/size>
I want to grow my own manganese oxide dendrites.They seem to be natural fractals, and I have a hunch that they grow quickly and, as Bacteria Bart, I think there is an organic aspect to their formations, but I have never heard of mangenese metabolizing bacteria.
I tried an experiment. I crushed up some dirty manganese oxides, emusled them in rainwater, moistened some microscope slides in the suspension and waited almost a year for something to happen. Nothing happened.
It seems as though they most commonly form in fractures in carbonate rocks. I wonder it those carbonate rocks are most often manganese bearing.
My next effort will be to create some little slabs of manganese bearing carbonate rock, join them, and put them in dirty rainwater and leave them alone for at least a year.
Are there non manganese oxide examples of dendrites ?
Bart
.
And yes, they are natural fractals.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2012 04:25PM by Stephanie Martin.
Thank you Stephanie,I can't tell if your cryptomelanes are beautiful or creepy. I'll stick with fascinating.
I have an intuition that dendrites form by capillary activity (wicking).
My next experiment in growing my own dendrites will be to split some fine grained carbonate rocks and bind the pieces back together rather than ginding and mating some small slabs. That should improve the "gription" and improve my chances of becoming the first dendrite artist. A goal with no practical value. My specialty.
Maybe I'll use some weak manganese sulfate solution with the rainwater.
Bart
Re: "a goal with no practical value" - I don't know about that, Bart. The psychologists could use them for Rorzhak (sp) tests.
Alex,That's very funny, i retract my statement about no practical value for dendrites..
A completely natural and random source for Rorschack images.
I will would work on Rorschack pairs during first day of retirement. Except that would be a day after I'm dead.
I don't know how to spell that guy's name either.
I seem to think that Ruggles Mine uraninite, gummite specimens show a dendritic nature.
The difference between dendritic and arborescent features would seem to be two dimensions vs. three dimensions.
Bart
Wicking may be a factor in the creation of surface dendrites as per your instinctual hunch.
And FYI the correct spelling is Rorschach. I would think that inkblots are essentially fractals as well.
-------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> The difference between dendritic and arborescent
> features would seem to be two dimensions vs. three
> dimensions.
>
> Bart
a-HA! - Answers a question that I've been pondering since the start of this thread - thanks, Bart!
Maggie
Dendrites, eh? Ok, here we go! The display face of this specimen has been cut and polished to show off the dentritic effect.
Well it seems I keep finding those dendrite things turning up everywhere. :-D
Here's another featuring arborescent copper in gypsum.
Mission complex, San Xavier, Pima District (Olive District; Mineral Hill District; Twin Buttes District), Sierrita Mts, Pima Co., Arizona, USA
FOV 1.5 cm
I have always loved dendtrites. I started gathering them up but quickly over ran my daughter with things to photograph.Here are a few...
Rick
I love the structural aspect of these specimens and they LOVE to be photographed.
Castle Mine
Cobalt-Gowganda region, Ontario, Canada
2.6 x 2.0 x 0.8 cm
Manganese oxyde dendrites self-collected, from Argentinia.
More dendrites...
Rick
I know I am in my own little world, but everyone knows me here.
Montana Moss Agate dendrites...
More...
Rick
I know I am in my own little world, but everyone knows me here.
These malachite dendrites are very prolific at the mine. They are on sandstone and are about a thick as a hair, maybe thinner.
Rick
I know I am in my own little world, but everyone knows me here.
Here is a photo of some Dendrites in translucent Quartz I collected from an unnamed Feldspar prospect in Center Minot,Maine.
It is about 9 X 6 CM in size and the Dendrites are both on the surface and along internal fractures. Many great photos of Dendrites on this thread.
Cliff
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2012 03:03PM by Clifford Trebilcock.
Rick - thanks for sharing so many, you made my day.
Maggie – a nice local surpise, and from a location that is usually known for orange celestite. Just wonderful!
Cliff, that is a stunning unspoiled dendritic quartz! Hope you plan to keep it that way!
More on opals. You often see this material used for cabachons, pendants, earrings etc, but I just find the centers are fascinating on these dendritic opal nodules from Turkey. The chalcedony layer adds some interesting contrast and is fluorescent.
Eskişehir Province, Central Anatolia Region, Turkey
7 x 5 cm and 5.5 cm
That's a beautiful specimen! It's good to see that you have finally developed an appreciation for mineralogy and some healthy curiosity.
Unless you have just illegally posted a copyrighted picture which you do not own. THEN SHAME ON YOU!! :-X
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/2012 11:52PM by Dean Allum.
stephanie
I think you're confusing "appreciation" with "aesthetics". I actually have both. What I seem to be missing is good judgement.
Steph,
Apologies; it didn't occur to me that I would cheat you by posting your picture. 4 pages of posts went by and I never saw it. I was under the impression that this was all about knowledge for knowledge's sake.
To both of you,
1. There was no intention on my part of claiming "credit" for a photo that doesn't belong to me. Hover your mouse over the picture and see what you see,
2. There's always a danger with the written form of communication for miscommunication to occur. For my part, I apologize for having taken the liberty of assuming you would find my clownish actions amusing and in good spirit, instead of insulting. You can be assured I won't take such liberties in the future. Especially now that it seems clear that all I'm doing is making an idiot of myself by having to post a public apology.
Manganese Dendrites on Feldspar(Albite-Anorthite Series).FOV: 5 x 4 mm.
From Pegmatite of Milagro Mine, Cerro Pichao, Sierra de Quilmes, Tafí del Valle Department, Province of Tucumán, Argentina.
Collected in 1973.
FOV: 5 x 5 mm.
Manganese oxides dendrites on feldspar(Albite-Anorthite Series).From pegmatite of "Milagro" Mine, Cerro Pichao, Sierra de Quilmes, Tafí del Valle Department, Province of Tucumán, Argentina.
FOV: 4 x 5 mm.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2012 05:12PM by Raúl Jorge Tauber Larry.
Regarding the specimen, I was going to get around to it posting it again eventually, but it was nice to see it. I have enough dendrite material to post one everyday for the remainder of the year if I wanted to, but will spare you all from that overkill. LOL.
Let's get back to dendrites!
cheers,
stephanie :-)
Dendrites on Feldspar, Ontario, Canada
approximately 6 x 6 cm
just got back from West Cork, Ireland. Went looking for arsenopyrite crystals. Also saw this bit of sandstone, which I left in-situ at the dumps of
Dhurode (Carrigacat) Mine.
Regards,
Rog
Today a little piece of jasper-like material known as opalite from Australia. The information I have says it is found in the opalite mines not far from the Yerilla Chrysoprase Mines in the Goldfield Esperance region, Western Australia.
polished
3 x 2 cm
Regards,
Rog
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Dendrite_formation.gif
http://archive.org/details/MSFC-9902621
regards,
stephanie :-)
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Steins Pass District, Hidalgo Co., New Mexico, USA