John Betts' Photo Gallery

6QH-4Y3Galena : PbS, Quartz : SiO₂

Borieva mine, Madan ore field, Rhodope Mts, Smolyan Oblast, Bulgaria

Dimensions: 16 cm x 11 cm x 6.5 cm

Large gray metallic galena crystals up to 20 mm across with transparent colorless quartz crystals up to 24 mm long. The galena crystals exhibit hoppered growth, skeletal crystals with rounded edges that make them look like they melted.

Note the many small cavities visible throughout the galena.

Size overall: 16x11x6.5 cm

5X0-CVMGalena : PbS

Borieva mine, Madan ore field, Rhodope Mts, Smolyan Oblast, Bulgaria

Solution cavity in galena that was exposed when a galena crystal cleaved. The undercut and irregular shape of the cavity is evidence that the cavity was caused by natural dissolution of the galena, not by man-made microabrasive blasting.

Field of view approximately 6 mm.

TUC-X84Quartz : SiO₂

Broken Bow area, McCurtain Co., Oklahoma, USA

Dimensions: 33 mm x 18 mm x 17 mm

Doubly-terminated transparent colorless quartz crystal with flat basal pinacoid termination face (rare) on one end that has complex crystallization patterns on the surface. Many smaller quartz crystals are scattered around the sides.
33x18x17 mm

Mindat.org Photo of the Day - 1st Dec 2010

RMK-561Quartz : SiO₂

Bessemer Ridge, Green Mountain, North Bend, King Co., Washington, USA

6.4cm long pseudomorph after epidote.

29H-GWDTourmaline : A(D₃)G₆(T₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃X₃Z

Alakamisy-Itenina gem deposit, Alakamisy Itenina Commune, Vohibato District, Haute Matsiatra Region, Fianarantsoa Province, Madagascar

Slices are 4 cm.
[Originally uploaded as liddicoatite. May be fluor-liddicoatite, liddicoatite, elbaite or other species. Single xl XRD and WDS analysis are needed to confirm which species that are present in the slices].

05G-NYUDiamond : C

Diavik Mine, Lac de Gras, Northwest Territories, Canada

Dimensions: 7 mm x 7 mm x 5 mm

Overall size of mineral specimen: 7x7x5mm
1.88 carat brown octahedral crystal.

L2R-RTWQuartz : SiO₂

Upper Montclair, Montclair Township, Essex Co., New Jersey, USA

Dimensions: 15 mm x 10 mm x 9 mm

Classic Babel-Quartz specimen, a variety of quartz so named because the crystal formed in layers resembling the ancient Tower of Babel. Overall size: 15x10x9 mm Ex Ex. John A. Manley ca. 1890s

JNU-XQ0Lead : Pb

Långban, Filipstad, Värmland, Sweden

23 mm high

XCC-84XSkutterudite : CoAs₃

Aghbar Mine, Aghbar, Bou Azzer District, Tazenakht, Ouarzazate Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region, Morocco

Dimensions: 8 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm

Heavy mass of solid skutterudite with low-relief crystals on the surfaces that were open to cavities allowing for uninterrupted growth. Overall size of mineral specimen: 8x5x3 cm. Size of individual crystals: 1-5 mm.

709-KV9Copper : Cu

Dzhezkazgan, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan

Dimensions: 9 cm x 5 cm x 1.5 cm

Sculptural formation of native copper crystals that formed inside a thin fracture that restricted growth to a narrow width. The crystals are sharp and well defined, exhibiting spinel-law twinning. No damage. Overall size of mineral specimen: 9x5x1.5 cm. Size of individual crystals: 1-4 mm.