Buckwheat dump mineral collecting site, Franklin Mine, Franklin, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA

The goethite “bush” is a bit < 2 mm tall (total). Via John Cianciulli. MOB coll. Updated with a full res image Dec 2012 (parent photo only). There is a stereo child photo.

Sony Alpha 7R ii, bellows, Mitutoyo M Plan 20x, aperture, Raynox DCR-250 retro, Stack-Master linear actor, stack shot control. Brown Flinkite plates with white Cahnite. Alice Kraissl find and former collection. Collection and photo Stephan Wolfsried

© Stephan Wolfsried 5/2016

Partially doubly terminated striated black brookite crystal with white to gray rhombohedral dolomite crystals.

© Vandall King

FOV 1.4 x 1.9 mm. Via John Cianciulli. Probably from the 1960s. MOB coll. A good example of the elusive Buckwheat brookite. Updated Nov 2012 with full res image. There is a stereo child photo.

The specimen is about 4 mm. The large "ball" is about 1 mm. Bob Rothenberg specimen and photo.

Dolomite rhombs ~1⅛ mm on edge. Found 1970s. MOB coll. Typical Buckwheat dolomite with some small gemmy sphalerite xls (and one tiny “peanut” calcite plus itty bitty pyrite xls). Updated with a full res image Dec 2012 (parent photo only). There is a stereo child photo.

FOV 6.7 x 4.5 mm. Gift of John Cianciulli. MOB coll. The child photo is a stereo view. Nov 2012: Updated with full res (but compressed) image. This particular specimen seems to have found another home so I can't redo the photo from scratch. The goethite from this find is mostly golden/brown with some very dark brown exceptions. The colors ...

The xl is ~ 1.0 x 1.5 cm. Found in the late 1970s. MOB coll. The specimen was collected on the Buckwheat dump but is probably not from the Buckwheat pit. The matrix is (badly stained and non fluorescent) calcite. The photo is vertically foreshortened due to angle. There is a stereo child photo. Updated Nov 2012 with a full res (but ...

The golden/brown goethite spans ~ 1 cm top to bottom. Gift of John Cianciulli. MOB coll. Full res image uploaded Dec 2012. Stereo child photo.

The pair of xls measures ~ 1.1 x 1.8 cm. Found in the late 1970s. MOB coll. The specimen was collected on the Buckwheat dump but is probably not from the Buckwheat pit. The tiny bit of matrix is (badly stained and non fluorescent) calcite. There is a stereo child photo. Updated Nov 2012 with a full res image.

Diameter ~2⅜ mm. MOB coll. An example of complex “peanut” calcite from the Buckwheat Dolomite. Most such xls have many selectively frosted faces. This one has some striations but not much frosting. Updated with a full res (but highly cropped) image Dec 2012 (parent photo only). There is a stereo child photo.

The xl is a bit > 2 mm long. Thank to Ralph Thomas. MOB coll. Another example of elusive brookite from the Buckwheat dolomite. Updated with a full res image Dec 2012 (parent photo only). There is a stereo child photo.

Goethite “fuzz balls” ~ ⅔ mm in diameter. Via John Cianciulli. MOB coll. The greenish background looks like some sort of clay or chlorite group mineral. It seems ubiquitous in the dolomite cavities but I can find no mention of it in Dunn or Palache. (Perhaps it is what people used to call nacrite. But actual nacrite is apparently not ...

Here is a very nice "fillet" of salmon calcite, found on the Buckwheat Dump, with an attractive red-orange color. The size of the specimen is 9.5 x 7 x 3.5 cm.

© Bruce T. Mitchell

About 7 mm of a 1 cm xl. Found Sept 1995. MOB coll. The green flaky stuff is ubiquitous in the Buckwheat Dolomite. Per Steve Kuitems, it is Probably clinochlore. Update Feb 2020: The olive green falky stuff has now been identifies as saponite. See [https://www.mindat.org/photo-920191.html] There is a stereo child photo.

This is another of several strange rocks I have found at the various Franklin collecting sites. It gives me the impression of a breccia of various dark "clasts" cemented by white dolomite. The "clasts" are mostly single grains or crystals of magnetite, clinochlore, maroon hematite, and pyrite (some pyrite rims hematite at upper left). I've even ...

© 2022 Harold Moritz

Green atacamite is in the center. Specimen contains andradite, microcline, rhodonite/ferrorhodonite, franklinite, hendricksite, and minor willemite as well as much willemite dust.

© Van King

Calcite crystals On Dolomite, from the Buckwheat dump. The field of view is 3.8 mm across. Henry Minot photo & collection.

© Henry Minot

Brownish-black twinned sphalerite crystals with white dolomite crystals.

© Van King

Via John Cianciulli. Probably from the 1960s, but original owner/finder is not known. This is a new parent photo posted to show the MW UV fluorescence. The original visible light photo and stereo pairs have been retained as child photos. I have also posted a side-by-side MW fluorescence and visible light image comparison. (The previous ...

This is a particularly interesting piece of the two-color fluorescent calcite, described by Manuel Robbins (The Collector's Book of Fluorescent Minerals, 1983 - p.114), found on the Buckwheat Dump. Under Shortwave UV, it looks at first like the rather typical calcite (fl. orange-red) and willemite (fl. green) Franklin combination. Note, however, ...

© Bruce T. Mitchell

Graphite in calcite matrix. A large flake of graphite, with triangular markings on the face, in white non-fluorescent calcite, collected on the Buckwheat Dump. The graphite flake is 11 mm long x 5 mm wide. The overall size of the specimen is 4 x 2.5 x 1 cm.

© Bruce T. Mitchell

2 mm graphite crystal. P. Cristofono specimen and photo, field-collected on Buckwheat dump in 2007.

© 2007 Peter Cristofono

A 5.5 cm specimen of fluorescent bustamite. I collected this specimen at the Buckwheat Dump, Franklin Mineral Museum, Franklin, NJ. Associated minerals include calcite and hydrozincite. The golden area may possibly be clinohedrite. Gary Moldovany collection and photo.

Under Longwave UV, the specimen shows a very different violet-blue white fluorescence in large patches. This different type of fluorescence presumably is present also under SW, but partially masked by the orange-red, resulting in the pink patches. The size of this piece is 9.5 x 6 x 4.5 cm

© Bruce T. Mitchell

Xl spans 2 cm top to bottom. Found on the Buckwheat Dump Sept 1995. MOB Coll. Thanks to Steve Kuitems for the ID. (See the talk page.) One of two xls that didn’t just shatter to bits. It’s dinged but mostly there. A couple of smaller xls above it didn’t fare so well. These show no recognizable cleavage – or even a smooth parting. ...

About 6 mm of a 12 mm xl shown. Found Sept 1995. MOB coll. Small “rock crystals” are fairly common in the Buckwheat Dolomite. The largest ones that I have reach about 2 cm. Fragments indicate that considerably larger xls exist. Steve Kuitems reports a xl of 4 cm. There may well be even larger ones. Updated with a full res image Dec 2012 ...

Andradite crystals with very high luster 6cm x 4cm. Carefully excavated out of the enclosing calcite. Found on the Buckwheat Mineral Dump at Franklin, NJ.

This is the original parent image. See the new parent and sibling photos for UV images. FOV 4¾ x 4⅓ mm. Found on the Buckwheat Dump in the 1970s. Fluoresces bright pale yellow LW, paler SW (typical of Franklin smithsonite). Bubbles in HCl. Coating dolomite rhombs. Note July 2022; Like many other minerals (especially carbonates) that ...

This is a specimen of "salmon" calcite, although the actual color is more of a light coral-pink, with the added attraction of having two or three small but well-formed franklinite crystals attached. From the Buckwheat Dump. The overall size of the specimen is 5 x 4 x 2.5 cm.

© Bruce T. Mitchell

Pale green highly-reflective chloritoid (looks white) on dark-green hedenbergite with green epidote. The chloritoid is on cleavage planes of the hedenbergite. Chet Lemansky specimen.

© Vandall King

Twinned golden yellow sphalerite crystal on gray-white dolomite crystals.

© Van King

White analcime (probably with some white calcite) in lamprophyre matrix.

© Van King

Calcite Mass: 24.34 Secondary calcite crystals as coating 2 mm thick on a matrix of Franklinite, Andradite and red fluorescing Calcite. The Secondary Calcite fluoresces a weak pale blue in UV-SW.

Mass of white analcime and probably with some white calcite. Matrix contains visible black platy phlogopite.

© Van King

Pale brassy marcasite crystals clusters on the surface of light-gray dolomite crystals and with transparent calcite crystals. Dr. Steven Kuitems collection.

© Vandall King

FOV ~ 1.5 cm wide. Gift of John Cianciulli (but not collected by him). MOB coll. Golden/brown goethite on dolomite rhombs and matrix. The original price was $0.50 - down from $0.75 - with apparently no takers. Full res image uploaded Dec 2012. Stereo child photo.

Willemite - (EDS analysis) Under high magnification it is all tiny crystals in rosettes. This would be a second generation, pure, hydrothermal willemite like that found at Tsumeb or in Mexico.

© Christopher O'Neill

A large specimen of apatite, chlorophane, willemite, and fluorite. apatite - fluoresces orange chlorophane - fluoresces bright blue-green and has a long phosphorescence willemite - fluoresces green fluorite - fluoresces weak blue Self collected 2009 on the Buckwheat dump. Overall specimen size 15x15x8 cm. Photographed under 4 watt SW UV lamp.

© Andrew Kruegel 2009

A great rarity at Franklin,NJ is Anatase. Rutile and Brookite are common compared to Anatase. I collected this on the Buckwheat Dump from a Dolomite boulder. The blue, transparent, Anatase crystal is 1mm in a 1.5cm Dolomite crystal pocket. It is not my greatest picture being at the very back of a pocket.

A large crystal of franklinite (1.5 cm on an edge) in a matrix of calcite (fluorescent orange-red SW). The crystal is quite large and exceptionally well-formed: the octahedron predominates but is truncated on the edges with the faces of a dodecahedron. The overall size of the specimen is 6 x 4 x 3.5 cm, collected on the Buckwheat Dump in 2003.

© Bruce T Mitchell

FOV 6.5 x 4.5 mm. Found late 1993 on the Buckwheat Dump. MOB coll. Very black, lustrous, rosettes of stilpnomelane. Identified visually by John Cianciulli (then curator of the Franklin Mineral Museum). Update August 2014: At the EDS level, there is a reasonable match with stilpnomelane proper rather than with franklinphilite, or ...

Size ~ 7 x 7 cm. Found on the Buckwheat Dump. MOB coll. The SW response is an approximation. With the naked eye I just see green. But my camera thinks there is blue as well. Of course blue is not surprising for fluorite so maybe it’s really there. My UV source is weak so I need long exposures. Perhaps that explains why the camera sometimes ...

The specimen under visible light.

© Andrew Kruegel 2009

FOV 2.5 x 3.4 mm. Found on the Buckwheat Dump mid-late 1970s. MOB coll. Very well formed xls. The twinning is clearest in stereo - child photo. From a cavity in the Buckwheat dolomite. Updated with full res image Dec 2012 (parent photo only).

FOV 5.0 x 4.5 mm. Found on the Buckwheat Dump mid-late 1970s. MOB coll. Clear albite xls with a satiny surface on (somewhat stained) dolomite. Updated with full res image Dec 2012 (parent photo only).

This specimen, collected on the Buckwheat Dump during the 1990's, features sphalerite with fluorite in a dark-grained (franklinite -rich) matrix. The sphalerite is fluorescent bright orange LW, and in a few spots bright blue-white LW, with orange fluorescence. The fluorite is fl. blue (with a hint of green) LW, also fluorescent. The overall ...

© Bruce T. Mitchell

Another side of the specimen showing the main area of blue-green fluorescing chlorophane.

© Andrew Kruegel 2009

Hydroxycalciopyrochlore - close-up of brown sectors with greasy luster to 5 mm within a 5 x 3 cm quartz and microcline matrix. Radioactive. Self collected at the Buckwheat Dump. See additional photos.

© Christopher O'Neill

Hydroxycalciopyrochlore - close-up of brown sectors with greasy luster to 5 mm within a 5 x 3 cm quartz and microcline matrix. Radioactive. Self collected at the Buckwheat Dump. Initial EDS indicates caliobetafite. XRD found to be metamict. Microprobe results show it to be hydroxycalciopyrochlore.

© Christopher O'Neill

FOV 4.5 x 6.7 mm. This is a child photo. Updated Oct 2009. See parent.

0.8 x 0.4 x 0.3 cm. Chlorophoenicite is a rather rare Manganese, Magnesium, Zinc Arsenate that is only found at a handful of world localities, most notably in the Franklin Mining District. This specimen is from the type locality for the species, and features dozens of white to colorless "needles" on a minor amount of matrix. The piece is truly a ...

© Rob Lavinsky & irocks.com

Franklinite - a 2 mm modified dodecahedron within a 5 x 2 cm calcite matrix. I count about 12 faces with only about half the crystal exposed. Collected by C.O'Neill in 1991 at the Buckwheat Dump in Franklin, NJ. One additional photo.

© Christopher O'Neill

Willemite - another close-up

© Christopher O'Neill

Size ~ 7 x 7 x 7 cm (max). This is a stereo child photo.

Willemite - close-up of minute tan crystals.

© Christopher O'Neill

Dolomite rhombs ~1⅛ mm on edge. This is a stereo child photo.

Ferrokinoshitalite and “chloroferrokinoshitalite” were recently (Jan 2019) added to the species list for the Franklin Mining District on the basis of detailed chemical analyses by Tracy (1991) for Ba-rich micas from Sterling Hill. (See the Sterling Mine publication list.) Van King has now interpreted these analyses in terms of current mica ...

FOV 6.3 x 4.3 mm. Via John Cianciulli This is a photo of alleged “anthophyllite” from the Buckwheat dump. However, “anthophyllite” - while a perfectly valid mineral – is no longer listed for either the dump or, more generally for the “Franklin Mining District”. And, in fact, my first attempt to have this validated resulted in ...

A single crystal of dark-brown andradite garnet, in a matrix of white calcite and massive andradite. The crystal is in the form of a simple dodecahedron, and is relatively large (1 cm) and very well-formed. The overall size of the specimen is 6 x 3.5 x 2 cm and was self-collected: proof positive that the old Buckwheat Dump can still deliver the ...

© Bruce T. Mitchell

FOV 1.4 x 1.9 mm. This is a stereo child photo. The stereo is not particulary useful in this case but you do get another perspective on the striations.

Talc (EDS analysis) - red talc associated with black magnetite and white calcite. Specimen was analyzed because I originally thought it to be stilpnomelane. Self collected at the Buckwheat Dump.

© Christopher O'Neill

Xl is ~ 1½ x 1 x ½ cm. Found on the Buckwheat Dump Sept 1995. Thanks to Steve Kuitems for the uvite ID (which has now magically become fluor-uvite). Broken xls (on the right) have calcite inclusions and show no real cleavage. Even the parting is uneven. The matrix is dark gray calcite with bands of dark brown mica (phlogopite?) – ...

FOV 4.5 x 6.0 mm. Found Sept 1995 on the Buckwheat dump - but not in typical "Buckwheat Dolomite". This is a stereo view - or two different aspects in mono. The left hand image (rotated by 90 degrees) has been posted as a child photo.

FOV ~ 4⅓ x 6⅔ mm. This is a stereo child photo. This is essentially the same view as the other stereo child photo. But the lighting is different and in some ways this image works better. But in other ways it's worse. A very tough subject! But stereo does help make sense of this. Updated with a full res image Dec 2012.

Hydroxycalciopyrochlore - a 3 mm olive green section upon 4.5 x 3.5 x 3 cm quartz matrix and associated with minute zircons. Initial EDS analysis suggests caliobetafite. XRD found to be metamict. Microprobe results show it to be complex hydroxycalciopyrochlore.

© Christopher O'Neill

This is the original parent photo. See the new parent for Ma W fluorescence image. Via John Cianciulli. Probably found ca 1965. MOB coll. This just fills in one of the blanks for minerals from the Buckwheat dolomite. Hemimorphite is not rare here, but there is nothing like the large masses found in the Passaic Pit at Sterling Hill. The ...

Dark-brown fluorophlogopite plates and crystals on light-pink calcite, collected personally in 2003 on the Buckwheat Dump. Historically, these were originally thought to be common phlogopite. Size of the specimen is 8.5 x 5.5 x 2 cm

© Bruce T. Mitchell

This specimen features a well-formed octahedral crystal of franklinite, with the edges truncated by the faces of a dodecahedron, in light gray calcite. The franklinite crystal is 5-6 mm on an edge. The specimen comes from the Buckwheat Dump, which shows that good, attractive crystals and other treasures can still be found there with diligence. ...

© Bruce T. Mitchell

FOV ~3+ cm wide. Found on the Buckwheat Dump ca 1994-5. MOB coll. Found on the Buckwheat but not necessarily from the Buckwheat Pit. This isn’t typical gray Buckwheat dolomite. Instead, the matrix is massive quartz and dark gray calcite with lots of embedded pyrite cubes. (There is also a bit of pyrite on the dolomite.) In addition, there ...

Found on the Trotter dump “a long time ago”. MOB coll. Small but sharp arsenopyrite xls covering a surface in massive arsenopyrite etched from calcite. Associated with “pyroxene”. There is a stereo child photo which works much better.

Sphalerite in densely matted magnesio-riebeckite. (Called "crocidolite" by Palache.) When I first started to collect on the Buckwheat Dump (1970s), I found a much larger and better example of this mineral. But I left most of it for the “next guy”. But the “next guy” never seemed to leave anything for me. And over the years I lost the ...

FOV 4.5 x 5.0 mm. This is a stereo child photo.

Brown Diopside var Schefferite on the left side with zones of pink Rhodonite and dark green Gahnite.

0.8 x 0.4 x 0.3 cm. Chlorophoenicite is a rather rare Manganese, Magnesium, Zinc Arsenate that is only found at a handful of world localities, most notably in the Franklin Mining District. This specimen is from the type locality for the species, and features dozens of white to colorless "needles" on a minor amount of matrix. The piece is truly a ...

© Rob Lavinsky & irocks.com