Bill Baker Barr's Photo Gallery

L2C-H24Fluorite CaF₂

Zuni Mountains Mining District, Zuni Mountains, Cibola County, New Mexico, USA

Dimensions: 8.3 cm x 4.8 cm x 3.0 cm
Largest Crystal Size: 12.5 mm
Weight: 112.3 g

This specimen was collected by Rex Nelson of the Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club. It came from one of the many old fluorspar mine dumps in the pine forests of the beautiful and highly mineralized Zuni Mountains. Zuni fluorite is typically deep blue, green and/or purple; the crystals on this specimen have faded because of exposure to sunlight. The child photos show the fluorescence under longwave 365 nm and shortwave 254 nm UV light. The near-white shortwave fluorescence is quite unusual. The crystals also phosphoresce dimly in blue.

Thrombolites in Lake Clifton

Thrombolite locality, Lake Clifton, Mandurah Shire, Western Australia, Australia

This photo was taken August 6, 2017 during my Aussie geo-epic. The thrombolites are completely submerged because of high water levels near the end of winter, the wet season. Scale can be inferred from the size of the weathered 2x4 boards at the bottom of the photo.

Mindat.org Photo of the Day - 19th Aug 2021

VVX-822Quartz SiO₂ , Chalcedony (Var: Agate) SiO₂

Washtenaw County, Michigan, USA

Dimensions: 70 mm x 40 mm x 6 mm
Weight: 24 g

This small oolitic agate was collected in an unknown glacial gravel deposit in Washtenaw County sometime prior to 1990 by the late Lillian Moore, a member of the Huron Hills Lapidary & Mineral Society in Ann Arbor. She was dedicated to finding, cutting and polishing many types of locally collected glacial erratics. I acquired this specimen at a club sale. This type of agate occurs across southeastern Michigan; I have self-collected it occasionally, once while playing golf when a piece somehow fell into my bag while I was waiting to tee off.

RTV-35DGahnite ZnAl₂O₄ , Quartz SiO₂

Davis Pyrite Mine, Rowe, Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA

Dimensions: 6.7 cm x 5.3 cm x 4.2 cm
Largest Crystal Size: 18 mm
Weight: 176.2 g

Lots of deep blue-green gahnite crystals in milky quartz from this old-school New England locality. Many of the crystals are broken, but a significant number, especially among the larger ones, show good faces with interesting striations. Acquired at the Jackson MI show from Dan & Shelley Lambert; ex Ted C. Johnson collection, East Hampton CT.

2FT-EVQFluorite CaF₂

Stoneco Maumee Quarry, Maumee, Lucas County, Ohio, USA

Dimensions: 6.3 cm x 6.2 cm x 4.7 cm
Largest Crystal Size: 6.3 cm
Weight: 275.7 g

A 2-1/2 inch cube of intensely yellow fluorite from a great old Ohio quarry that has been surrounded by businesses as the city grew up all around it. I only got to visit on a field trip once; nice celestines and sphalerites were found. From the collection of Pat Rutkowski, Taylor MI, Midwest Mineralogical & Lapidary Society.

15W-JR1Pollucite (Cs,Na)₂(Al₂Si₄O₁₂)·2H₂O

Shengus, Roundu District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

Dimensions: 4.2 cm x 3 cm x 2.8 cm
Weight: 34.9 g

Broken piece of milky to clear Pollucite with some etched surfaces and VERY sharp fracture edges. Fluoresces medium blue under shortwave UV (254 nm).

1UN-HRUFluorite CaF₂

Fourmile Creek Area, Fremont County, Colorado, USA

Dimensions: 10.2 cm x 7 cm x 5.5 cm
Weight: 378 g

Hemispherical aggregates of translucent, plum-colored microcrystalline Fluorite on both sides of unidentified red matrix. Fluoresces bright green under shortwave UV (254 nm), dimmer green under midwave (312 nm), and medium blue under longwave (368 nm). Note white-fluorescing caliche crust in longwave closeup photo.

13W-H0CQuartz SiO₂ , Chalcedony (Var: Agate) SiO₂ , Chalcedony (Var: Plume Agate) SiO₂

Richardson Ranch, Madras, Jefferson County, Oregon, USA

Dimensions: 55 mm x 40 mm x 3 mm
Weight: 14.7 g

Polished slice of a thunder egg from the Priday Plume beds, showing the famous multicolor plumes. Acquired from Doris Snyder, polished by the late Roland Snyder of the Midwest Mineralogical & Lapidary Society. Imaged at 1200 dpi on an Epson Perfection V39 scanner.