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GeneralZippeite from the Jackpile Mine, New Mexico

10th Jul 2020 17:47 UTCRolf Luetcke Expert

I was taking photos of zippeite and have a specimen labeled Jackpile Mine in Cibola Co. New Mexico. Looking at the mindat pages, I see that the zippeite from the Jackpile Mine has been crossed off.

Looking at the Laguna subdistrict in the area, there are two specimens, just like the one I have and both are listed as from the Jackpile Mine.

Anyone have an idea what has happened here and why it has two on the larger area but still labeled as Jackpile Mine. Where these found to be from elsewhere? I would like to post but would like to post to the correct location.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

10th Jul 2020 19:48 UTCRolf Luetcke Expert

Here is the specimen in question. The piece is 11 by 6mm in size.

10th Jul 2020 21:24 UTCKevin Conroy Manager

There's a note regarding erroneously reported zippeite from here: Mineral does not contain potassium. May be uranopilite.

10th Jul 2020 21:41 UTCRolf Luetcke Expert

Hi Kevin,

Will certainly check on the uranopilite possibility.

I just wonder about the one specimen on the Jackpile page from the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources from the Mineral Museum? Has anyone contacted them to see if the material which has their label on it was actually analyzed? Seems like a fairly legit. museum that the one specimen comes from. I would certainly be curious if they were ever contacted about this?

Thanks for the uranopilite steering direction.

Rolf

11th Jul 2020 02:54 UTCRolf Luetcke Expert

On checking in the Jackpile Mine there is no uranopilite listed for the location at all?

Still would like to know more.

16th Jul 2020 02:20 UTCWilliam Moats

I have a similar specimen from the Jackpile mine. The person that collected it said that back in the old days it was easy to collect such specimens, and a lot was. I labeled mine as zippeite based on appearance, at least the yellow stuff that is. A lot of the zippeite from sandstone deposits is natrozippeite. There are a number of different zippeite species. Probably would need to do XRD for a positive identification.

16th Jul 2020 03:11 UTCRolf Luetcke Expert

Hi William,

I am hoping that some time down the line the museum in NM will check the specimen they have, I am sure they have analysis equipment they can use. I too thought about natrozippeite but seems that location is not that well studied.

As I had noted, mine was a gift and so for me, with no analysis I can easily get, it is a cost thing.

Glad to hear others out there also have some of the same material with the same label of zippeite. Some time down the road I am sure we will get this figured out. Thanks for adding the comment.

Rolf

16th Jul 2020 04:50 UTCWilliam Moats

I may dig my specimen out of storage and send a sample to Kelsey at the museum in Socorro. She can xray the sample. If it comes out to be zippeite based on XRD, it would likely take an EDS analysis to determine which exact zippeite specie. Of course, with Covid, the museum is closed. I don't know if Kelsey is working at the museum or at home or both. There was a recent study of the mineralogy of the Jackpile deposit. I saw several years ago a verbal presentation at a NM Geological Society spring conference. Hunting down the abstract might be informative.

16th Jul 2020 09:37 UTCHerwig Pelckmans

Unfortunately, yellow U-minerals like these can not be identified (=ID-ed) visually.

Even well crystallized yellow U-minerals are still hard to ID.

If they are fluorescent, they MIGHT eventually be ID-ed by their spectrum.

A lot of work is being done in that field recently.

Of course, XRD and EDS is a more reliable way.

Attard Minerals (San Diego, CA) offers XRD for USD 50.00 and is very reliable and fast.

Cheers, Herwig

ACAM & MKA

8th Oct 2020 01:20 UTCWilliam Moats

Here is my specimen. About 6 inches across. Just unpacked it yesterday. I plan to scrape off some of the yellow "zippeite " as well as the black shiny material, which may be coffinite, and have the samples analysed by XRD.

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