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Identity HelpIdentification help please from Cerchiara Mine

16th Nov 2013 12:01 UTCAlois Lechner Expert

Hello.

Has anyone an idea what are this crystalls from Cerchiara mine in Italie ??

lois

18th Nov 2013 19:58 UTCAlois Lechner Expert

Hello

Here another one piece from the Cerchiara Mine .

lechner Alois

19th Nov 2013 19:20 UTCDonald Peck

Alois, I have been looking at your photos for a couple of days. And no one seems to be attempting an answer. I have no idea what your mineral is; so, I believe we need more data. one of the crystals in your last photo appears to be orthorhombic. Can you confirm that? Also, can you try the tip of a steel needle against one of the crystals to test its hardness. Will the needle scratch the crystal? If you have any hydrochloric acid. Try to dissolve a small crystal in diluted acid ( 1:3 acid to water ) If it dissolves, what color is the solution?

20th Nov 2013 07:27 UTCCorrado Balestra Expert

Hi Alois,

In all probability in pics #1 and #3 you have orientite.

UK in pic #2 is more problematic to be identified but in my opinion it is a K-Mn-(+/- Mg)-Si phase currently under investigation.

Corrado

20th Nov 2013 07:50 UTCRoberto Bracco

Agree with Corrado, brown crystalline silicates are orientite 90% of times but who knows... These minerals are a little nightmare and we are far from giving a name to each and every one of them!

The second pic is reminescent of the phase under study bit I wouldn't exclude radiating globules of macfallite/orientite. The needle test will tell - the UK thing is a very soft phyllosilicate.

20th Nov 2013 14:47 UTCAlois Lechner Expert

Hello all.

Thanks for your opinion

I had tested the picture 2 ( the brown radial balls) with a steel needle and it is not soft , its hard !!

It is on a piece with yellow cerchiarait and with orientit !

greetings

Lois

20th Nov 2013 15:05 UTCRoberto Bracco

... yellow cerchiaraite? You mean, cerchiaraite-(Fe)? If so, the balls could simply be hematite!

21st Nov 2013 16:13 UTCAlois Lechner Expert

Hello.

here i think the yellow needles are cerchiaraite ( Fe) and in the backround are the brown balls with radial structure from the picture 2 !!

the second photo are clear crystalls with sharp cisel endings , can be this serandite, or caoxite ??

and the 3. photo are brown balls with phyllite structure with the clear crystalls , can be this ganophyllite ??

thanks for your ideas !!

Lois

21st Nov 2013 16:20 UTCAlois Lechner Expert

here is the 3. photo

Lois

26th Nov 2013 06:37 UTCAlois Lechner Expert

Hello.

Had no people an idea with this minerals ?

Lois

30th Nov 2013 12:44 UTCRoberto Bracco

Hello,

I didn't check back for some days... yes, the yellow felt could be cerchiaraite-(Fe) on microcrystalline hematite, did you get it as such?

The clear prismatic crystals are definitely pectolite - quite common in this association, sérandite is pink and caoxite very sparse and fragile - while the light brown balls are one of a zillion Ca-Mn silicates we are still scratching our head about... too tiny crystals for serious analysis, I could say ruizite but you'd have at least to see the terminations - in a SEM image!

30th Nov 2013 19:32 UTCAlois Lechner Expert

Hello Roberto.

Thank you for your help !!

I think the manganium silicates are most hard to analyses !!

Thats the fact !!

Alois

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