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GeneralMost minerals from a single specimen?

29th Jul 2013 16:43 UTCAlex Homenuke Expert

I saw the thread "Minerals known by a single specimen" and thought it would be interesting to know the maximum number of minerals that has been identified in a single specimen. This has probably been done before on Mindat, but would be fun to revive. I would assume it would be from some place like Mount St Hilaire.

29th Jul 2013 18:46 UTCWayne Corwin

Alex

Is there a size limit to the specimen ?

Can it be Really Big ?

;-)

29th Jul 2013 18:52 UTCAlex Homenuke Expert

Nothing larger than one person can lift would be reasonable;-)

29th Jul 2013 19:28 UTCLeor Goldberg

Tsumeb pieces come to mind..

29th Jul 2013 20:43 UTCSpencer Ivan Mather

I have a large specimen from Langesund, Norway, with 11 different minerals in and on it, and all can be seen with the naked eye..

Spencer.

29th Jul 2013 22:26 UTCPeter Andresen Expert

I think the one I have had was from Gjerdingselva (Norway), where these minerals was present in a ca 8cm x 4cm x 3cm sample:

Gagarinite-(Y), ralstonite, gearksutite, gjerdingenite, elpidite, kupletskite, monazite-(Ce), pyrite, aegirine, arfvedsonite/riebecite, albite, microcline and quartz.

29th Jul 2013 23:35 UTCKeith Wood

I have some with ten: microcline, quartz, almandine, chlorite, adularia, epidote, pyrite, prehnite, babingtonite, and calcite, from 11th Ave Quarry, Hickory, NC. Not a record setter, but not bad either. With luck I might make twelve because I have found magnetite, and fluorite in the same environment, just not on the very same piece. I should probably comb through those more carefully to check.

30th Jul 2013 06:00 UTCDean Allum Expert

I have had this 6x4x2cm SPD specimen sitting at the base of my microscope since December, hoping that this subject would come up again:

quartz, muscovite, microcline, limonite, fluorite, zircon, pyrochlore, rutile, galena, angelsite, pyrite, prosopite, thomsenolite

Now it seems so ordinary compared to Peters'.

30th Jul 2013 19:48 UTCMark Willoughby Expert

Alex, I think you really need to put some parameters on this one!

Size of specimen, visible or not to naked eye, what magnification if any used to view etc.

I have plenty of specimens with 10+ species on them, most are micro's yes, but they are there.

I'm sure if I look hard enough I could find at least one in my collection with 15+

31st Jul 2013 00:39 UTCPeter Andresen Expert

Mark, dont't say you have a 15+ without telling about it! Of course the minerals on my sample was micros, and I don't belive there is so many samples with 10+ on a macroscopic level - not before you start to list them and hopefully if large, take some pictures! :-)

31st Jul 2013 02:26 UTCModris Baum 🌟 Expert

Specimens at MSH and STA (Demix/Vareenes) routinely have 10 or more clearly distinct and mostly well crystallized minerals.

Micros of course - but often many of the minerals are naked eye visible (even at STA).

For example, I was just looking at an STA specimen with villiaumite, zakharovite, nenadkevichite, eudialyte, yofortierite, sérandite, astrophyllite, aegirine, natrolite, sphalerite, microcline and probably a couple of others. Not to mention two unidentified minerals.

Going by memory, I think that László Horváth has reported more than 50 minerals from a single block - roughly 1 meter across - of sodalite xenolith at MSH.

I would guess that Clara Mine and Lavrion specimens are equally prolific.

And if you look at the description of almost any new mineral from anywhere these days, you will see a list of 10 or more associated minerals. Of course most of these are not readily discernible or identifiable even with a scope. That's not the case at MSH and STA.

31st Jul 2013 03:43 UTCDean Allum Expert

I think Mark does have a point. Someone equipped with an electron microscope could easily find 100's of varieties 10 micron wide crystals. Why not put a limit of 1mm on the individual mineral sizes and make them optically visible with a loupe. This knocks out limonite and microcline from mine.

My 10+ mineral SPD specimen is free the first poster who newly sponsors a mindat site or species.

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