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New Mexico Collecting - (27)
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Tobi
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PostPosted: Apr 24, 2017 03:11    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Thank you so much, Philip, browsing this is a pleasure!
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Philippe Durand




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PostPosted: Apr 24, 2017 11:00    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

thank you for sharing this field report.
a dream for only money pick collectors
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Philip Simmons




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PostPosted: May 07, 2018 21:34    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Wow! It's been a whole year since I last posted any New Mexico adventures. Time really does fly. Much has happened in the past year, and I have had the pleasure of finding some good specimens. However, I will start off with collecting adventures from the past, including some of my most exciting finds in over 30 years of field collecting.

I am going to talk about collecting in the Carlsbad Potash District in the SE corner of New Mexico.
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Philip Simmons




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PostPosted: May 07, 2018 22:34    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

All of the History, Production and Geology comes from the article I wrote for the Mineralogical Record in January/February 2013.

The Carlsbad Potash District was first located in 1925 about 35 kilometers east of Carlsbad when an oil/gas well intercepted beds of a soluble reddish mineral. Analysis was performed on the mineral, and it was discovered to be almost pure sylvite (potash). More exploratory drilling revealed the presence of extensive beds of potash, and by 1930 the first shaft was sunk (U.S. Potash Mine) to develop the ore bodies. A boundary known as the KPLA (Known Potash Lease Area) was set aside in 1934 specifically for mining the important commodity used in fertilizer. More mines were soon developed, and by the early 1940's, eight large mines were operating in the District. The Kerr McGee mine, where spectacular blue halite is found, was first opened in 1965.

Mining peaked in the 1960's when typical yearly production amounted to more than 23 million ore tons. The Carlsbad District was the world's leading producer of potash from the 1930's through the 1960's. Production slowed by the 1970's and huge mines in Canada and Russia were opened that dwarfed production from Carlsbad. However, companies still managed to mine the extensive ore bodies and production is still ongoing today. Two major mines are currently operating in the District. Overall, the Potash District has produced greater than 900 million tons of ore and driven more than 16,000 kilometers of tunnel.



2..jpg
 Description:
Location of the Carlsbad Potash District
 Viewed:  23907 Time(s)

2..jpg



6..jpg
 Description:
The U.S. Potash mine in 1932. Photo from Kern, 1984 (You and U.S. Potash).
 Viewed:  23884 Time(s)

6..jpg



7..jpg
 Description:
The KPLA, from Simmons, 2013. The U.S. Potash mine is labeled as the Intrepid West mine, and the Kerr McGee mine is labeled as the Intrepid East mine.

The Carlsbad Potash Basin, Mineralogical Record , vol 44, no. 1.
 Viewed:  23954 Time(s)

7..jpg



10..jpg
 Locality:
Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Description:
Cross section of the Delaware Basin (Permian age). The Basin was formed by the cyclic evaporation of a shallow sea, leaving behind beds of evaporite minerals such as halite, gypsum, anhydrite and carnallite. Subsequent compaction and dehydration of the beds as more layers were deposited led to formation of sylvite in the McNutt member. The Delaware basin is bounded by the carbonaceous Capitan Reef. The final stage was deposition of the Dewey Lake red beds at the end of the Permian age.
 Viewed:  23901 Time(s)

10..jpg



14..jpg
 Description:
Also present in the District are a large variety of higher temperature sulfates, although the source for the Sulphur is not well understood. It is possible that the sulfate came from gypsum/anhydrite, but alteration of these minerals to liberate SO4 has not been studied.These minerals include kainite, kieserite, aphthitalite, leonite and langbeinite. In the photo, langbeinite is cream to pale pink, kainite is pale yellow, leonite is white, sylvite is white with red rims and halite is reddish-orange.
 Viewed:  23883 Time(s)

14..jpg


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Philip Simmons




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PostPosted: May 07, 2018 23:51    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

I started working in the District as a mining engineering intern in the summer of 2007. My boss, the Chief Mine Engineer (Tom), had a few cleavage fragments of dark blue halite in his office from the underground workings which piqued my interest. I had not really expected to do much collecting in the mines because of the evaporitic nature of the deposits, and seeing beautiful halite was quite the surprise, even if it wasn't complete crystals. I eventually convinced Tom to take me to the area that produced the wonderfully colored halite, and the resulting trip was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

When I graduated from college in 2008, I was offered a position by the mining company as a planning and ore control engineer, and I accepted the position without hesitation. The mining company was fine with me collecting on my own time, and I spent many weekends exploring the blue halite zone, and came up with many great specimens and memories. Unfortunately collecting was halted in 2014 as the area became inaccessible through the ever present converging ceiling (known as the "back" in mining terms). The mines are relatively deep (500 meters) and all openings are slowly squeezing shut due to the soft nature of the rock.



Gator.jpg
 Description:
The first step once getting to the bottom of the shaft was to pick up a mantrip to make the drive out to the collecting area. The collecting area is over 10 km from the bottom of the shaft, so walking the distance was out of the question.
 Viewed:  23870 Time(s)

Gator.jpg



Saltsicles.jpg
 Description:
After driving for a few km, the turnoff to the collecting area was evident by the formation of what I like to call "saltsicles", of stalactites of halite formed by the percolation of groundwater through drill holes in the back.
 Viewed:  23905 Time(s)

Saltsicles.jpg



20..jpg
 Description:
Evidence of blue halite begins to appear in pure white sylvite seams. All of the blue and purple halite formed in sylvite seams such as this. The dark blue halite crystals in this photo are about 15 cm.
 Viewed:  23857 Time(s)

20..jpg



25..jpg
 Description:
The sylvite seams start to widen, and the halite crystals get bigger and bigger. 1.5 kg hammer for scale.
 Viewed:  23918 Time(s)

25..jpg



22..jpg
 Description:
Working on a large halite crystal frozen in sylvite. Almost all of the large crystals were fractured and fragmented because of the immense lithostatic pressure from being 500 meters underground. Tom McGuire photo.
 Viewed:  23886 Time(s)

22..jpg



26..jpg
 Description:
Eventually the sylvite seams got so large that they included the entire working face. In cases where this happened, the halite crystals grew to over 2 meters on a side. This particular crystal is nearly 1.2 meters across.
 Viewed:  23938 Time(s)

26..jpg



21..jpg
 Description:
Nearly all of the tunnels ("rooms") in the collecting area were no greater than 1.2 meters in height, and some were less than 0.6 meters tall. This particular photo shows a "big" tunnel. Most of the rooms were over 2 meters tall when first mined. Tom McGuire photo.
 Viewed:  23877 Time(s)

21..jpg



Working big blue 1.jpg
 Description:
Working on a large halite crystal in-situ. Jerry Simmons photo.
 Viewed:  23876 Time(s)

Working big blue 1.jpg



Working big blue 2.jpg
 Description:
The large crystal nearly extracted. FOV 2 meters. Jerry Simmons photo.
 Viewed:  23901 Time(s)

Working big blue 2.jpg



Working big blue 3.jpg
 Description:
Unfortunately, the crystal fell apart once the encasing sylvite had been removed. Note the crack on the right side of the crystal caused by the huge pressure applied by the slowly converging rock. Jerry Simmons photo.
 Viewed:  23910 Time(s)

Working big blue 3.jpg



28..jpg
 Description:
A good day's haul at the bottom of the shaft. Countless five gallon buckets of cleavage pieces were collected from the larger crystals that had been broken apart. The early years of collecting produced mostly these fragments, but another area was soon discovered that started producing complete crystals.
 Viewed:  23868 Time(s)

28..jpg


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Pierre Joubert




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PostPosted: May 08, 2018 02:16    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Thank you Philip. Fascinating stuff!
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Philip Simmons




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PostPosted: May 23, 2018 22:35    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Now that I'm back from a great trip to Dallas to give a presentation and visit with many friends, I will continue to post about the Carlsbad Potash District.


_DSC7322.jpg
 Mineral: Halite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 7.0 cm
 Description:
I will start with the cleavage fragments that were commonly found the first several years of collecting. I took all photos unless otherwise noted.
 Viewed:  23512 Time(s)

_DSC7322.jpg



Halite_Pur.jpg
 Mineral: Halite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 8.8 cm
 Description:
Another purple cleave. Purple of this hue was the rarest color found in the mine.
 Viewed:  23522 Time(s)

Halite_Pur.jpg



Figure 45..jpg
 Mineral: Halite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 4.5 cm
 Description:
A great banded cleave with a dissolution line running down the middle. Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  23469 Time(s)

Figure 45..jpg



Figure 43..jpg
 Mineral: Halite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 10.4 cm
 Description:
Probably the best cleave showing multiple colors based on crystallographic orientation. A very cool specimen. Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  23472 Time(s)

Figure 43..jpg



Figure 47..jpg
 Mineral: Halite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 15.2 cm
 Description:
A very fine cleave with the best purple color. Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  23466 Time(s)

Figure 47..jpg



Figure 48..jpg
 Mineral: Halite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 30 cm
 Description:
A very large cleave showing great color variation between the blues and purples. Jerry Simmons photo.
 Viewed:  23485 Time(s)

Figure 48..jpg



IMG_4778.JPG
 Mineral: Halite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: ~ 45 cm
 Description:
The finest large cleave that I'm aware of. Getting specimens this large out was next to impossible with the convergence pressure and access issues.
 Viewed:  23480 Time(s)

IMG_4778.JPG


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Chris Rayburn




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PostPosted: May 24, 2018 06:25    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Philip, you may be coming to this, but what is the current thinking on the source of the color in these specimens? The explanation I've heard most often is radiation from trace isotopes in the halite, but I also understood that this was not yet definitive, at least as of several years ago.
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Philip Simmons




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PostPosted: May 24, 2018 15:16    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Chris, I'm glad you asked! Tonight I am planning on posting pictures of the crystals we found, and then I will cover the topic of coloration in the halite. It is a very fascinating process, and we now understand in greater detail what causes the color compared to even a few years ago.
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Chris Rayburn




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PostPosted: May 24, 2018 16:09    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Always happy to tee 'em up...and I'm not even a golfer.
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Philip Simmons




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PostPosted: May 24, 2018 22:56    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

We spent about 5 years (2007-2011) collecting the areas with the large cleaves until those areas became inaccessible due to mine convergence. With these areas no longer available, we had to find somewhere else to collect.

Several exploration trips in mid 2011 led to another location that had potential about 400-500 meters away in another stoped out area (Area 2). This stope (or "panel" as it is called in a room and pillar mine) had once been mined to over 2 meters in height, but after 30 years of convergence, had been reduced to less than 1 meter tall in many places. It did not have the large cleaved crystals, but a few smaller ones were evident in the ribs (walls) of the drifts. Most of the crystals had been cut in half by the previous mining, but smaller crystals meant better chances of surviving without being damaged. A couple of more trips were required to find a good area to collect, but when we did, the experience was a field collectors dream.

On the far side of the panel, the miners had cut through two pure sylvite seams ranging from a few centimeters to about a meter thick which contained numerous halite crystals encased in the sylvite. In what was to become known as the "Blue Ice" and Frozen Blue" seams, large sections of the ribs (walls) had spalled off of the main rock and had fallen down in the drifts. After crawling through a 40 cm pinch point during the discovery trip, I began to notice dark blue cubes frozen in the ribs and the fallen segments of the spalled rock. The second thing I noticed was that there were blue crystals lying all over the ground! The first few trips to these two seams we barely had to use collecting tools at all: all we had to do was walk (or in many cases crawl) along the drifts and pick loose specimens off of the floor and wrap them up for safekeeping. I'm sure collectors have often heard or dreamed of finding a locality for the first time where specimens were just lying everywhere waiting to be collected. This discovery was a realization of that dream!

Not only were the specimens plentiful at first, but the quality of the crystals were many orders of magnitude better than anything found previously. Many of the cubes less than an inch had survived the convergence pressures, and were associated with a nice contrast of white or colorless sylvite. In exceptional cases, crystals as large as 25 cm were collected without damage. Even after the easy material had been collected, most of our collecting time was spent crawling along the drifts and breaking apart the spalls to find the crystals inside. In my 30+ years of field collecting, this was my most exciting, memorable and productive adventures ever. The panel continued to produce exceptional specimens until 2014 when the whole blue halite area became inaccessible with mine convergence. Unfortunately, no specimens will ever be collected here again, but I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to collect so many great specimens while the chance was still present.
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Philip Simmons




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PostPosted: May 24, 2018 23:49    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

I will start with early photos and progress to the later specimens after the Blue Ice and Frozen Blue seams were discovered.


Halite on sylvite and sylvinite.JPG
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 20 cm
 Description:
This is one of the few matrix specimens with complete crystals to have come from early collecting before mid 2011. Jerry Simmons photo
 Viewed:  23247 Time(s)

Halite on sylvite and sylvinite.JPG



Frozen Blue Seam.jpg
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Description:
Here is a photo of the Frozen Blue Seam as it looked immediately after discovery. Nearly all of the dark forms along the floor and ribs are crystals waiting to be collected. The height of the drift is less than 1 meter, where it had originally been over 2 meters tall.
 Viewed:  23202 Time(s)

Frozen Blue Seam.jpg



Working the FB seam.jpg
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Description:
My collecting partner working the Frozen Blue seam.
 Viewed:  23208 Time(s)

Working the FB seam.jpg



FB 1.jpg
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: FOV ~75 cm
 Description:
One of the large crystals we extracted. Crystal is about 15 cm across.
 Viewed:  23164 Time(s)

FB 1.jpg



FB 2.jpg
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: FOV ~2 meters
 Description:
Another photo of the Frozen Blue seam. Note the larger blue halite crystals on the left side of the photo, and the smaller crystals encased by sylvite near the center of the photo.
 Viewed:  23181 Time(s)

FB 2.jpg



_DSC7242.jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 7.3 cm
 Description:
One of the specimens that prompted the "Frozen Blue" name. This specimen has a blue halite cube completely encased in sylvite.
 Viewed:  23143 Time(s)

_DSC7242.jpg



Figure 37..jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 14.9 cm
 Description:
This was the other specimen that inspired the "Frozen Blue" name. Only a small corner of the halite crystal is exposed.
 Viewed:  23149 Time(s)

Figure 37..jpg



A good day's haul.jpg
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Description:
Once the specimens had been collected, they were transported back to my house for prep work. This is a photo of one of the first collecting trips to the Frozen Blue seam. In most cases I had to remove sylvite from around the halite crystals to expose the nice blue crystals. Many of these specimens were collected by just picking them off of the floor.
 Viewed:  23200 Time(s)

A good day's haul.jpg



JPG_8014.JPG
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: ~ 15 cm
 Description:
This exceptional specimen was collected from the ground just like this. All it needed was to be wrapped and placed into a wheeled crate for transport back to the mantrip.
 Viewed:  23147 Time(s)

JPG_8014.JPG



JPG_8016.JPG
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 18.7 cm
 Description:
Another exceptional specimen just after prep work has been completed. Most of the halite crystals were completely encased in sylvite, which had to be mechanically removed. It's now in the Lyda Hill collection.
 Viewed:  23168 Time(s)

JPG_8016.JPG


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Philip Simmons




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PostPosted: May 25, 2018 19:24    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Now for some photos of many of the great specimens we found.


Figure 15b..jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 18.2 cm
 Description:
This is the finest specimen that has been collected from the mine. It's named the "Royal Passion", and it was on the cover of the Jan/Feb 2013 Mineralogical Record. It's now in the MIM collection. James Elliott photo.
 Viewed:  22964 Time(s)

Figure 15b..jpg



Figure 14..jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 8.1 cm
 Description:
Another famous specimen, from the Blue Ice seam. It was on the cover of the German magazine Lapis in December 2012. Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  22982 Time(s)

Figure 14..jpg



Figure 21..jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 9.5 cm
 Description:
A great specimen with superb balance that shows a nice contrast between the blue halite and the white sylvite. Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  22935 Time(s)

Figure 21..jpg



Figure 17a..jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 8.0 cm
 Description:
Joe Budd photo.
 Viewed:  22947 Time(s)

Figure 17a..jpg



Halite-Sylvite-14cm.jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 14.0 cm
 Description:
One of the finest specimens collected. Crystal is 7 cm wide. Joe Budd photo.
 Viewed:  22934 Time(s)

Halite-Sylvite-14cm.jpg



Halite-Sylvite-108mm.jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 10.8 cm
 Description:
A large crystal completely floating on sylvite, which was very uncommon. Joe Budd photo.
 Viewed:  23007 Time(s)

Halite-Sylvite-108mm.jpg



Halite-Sylvite-68mm.jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 6.8 cm
 Description:
A large crystal with brilliant electric blue color. Joe Budd photo.
 Viewed:  22959 Time(s)

Halite-Sylvite-68mm.jpg



Figure 19..jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 8.2 cm
 Description:
Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  22951 Time(s)

Figure 19..jpg



Figure 20..jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 7.3 cm
 Description:
Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  22919 Time(s)

Figure 20..jpg



Figure 16..jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 5.0 cm
 Description:
Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  23096 Time(s)

Figure 16..jpg



Figure 24..jpg
 Mineral: Halite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 11.1 cm
 Description:
A very large crystal showing many different hues of blue and purple. Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  22973 Time(s)

Figure 24..jpg



_DSC7256.jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 5.5 cm
 Description:
This is a very unusual crystal by the fact that it has a colorless zone on the outside of the blue zone. This is the exact inverse of almost all of the other crystals. It was found in a pool of water, and in my thinking, the colorless halite crystallized over the blue halite as it was sitting in the pool. Phil Simmons photo.
 Viewed:  22930 Time(s)

_DSC7256.jpg


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Philip Simmons




Joined: 24 Feb 2011
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PostPosted: May 25, 2018 20:16    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Not only were we able to collect blue halite, we also found a good number of other types of halite along with some rare evaporite minerals at the Kerr McGee mine.


_DSC6782.jpg
 Mineral: Halite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 9.3 cm
 Description:
A group of colorless halite crystals that formed in the brine pools near the Frozen Blue seam. Post mining.
 Viewed:  22864 Time(s)

_DSC6782.jpg



Figure 62..jpg
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 14.5 cm
 Description:
Another post-mining specimen found in a saline pool near the Frozen Blue seam. This has both halite and sylvite crystals intergrown ,and the easiest way to distinguish between the two minerals is to look for octahedral modifications on the cubes which is sylvite.
 Viewed:  22887 Time(s)

Figure 62..jpg



IMG_6477.JPG
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 7.1 cm
 Description:
A halite stalactite found in a different area of the mine that exhibits a faden-like growth through the stacks of individual crystals. There are a few small sylvite crystals attached to the sides of the larger halite crystals.
 Viewed:  22915 Time(s)

IMG_6477.JPG



IMG_6480.JPG
 Mineral: Halite, Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 8.8 cm
 Description:
A double faden-like stalactite from the same area as the previous specimen.
 Viewed:  22929 Time(s)

IMG_6480.JPG



Figure 59..jpg
 Mineral: Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 10.2 cm
 Description:
A rare euhedral sylvite crystal that has been highly modified.
 Viewed:  22858 Time(s)

Figure 59..jpg



21.jpg
 Mineral: Sylvite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 12 cm
 Description:
A very large sylvite crystal found in the early days of the mine (1960's-1970's).
 Viewed:  22902 Time(s)

21.jpg



46.jpg
 Mineral: Carnallite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 5.3 cm
 Description:
A nice euhedral crystal found on the upper levels of the mine.
 Viewed:  22941 Time(s)

46.jpg



Carnallite_7.6 cm.jpg
 Mineral: Carnallite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 7.6 cm
 Description:
Virgil Lueth photo.
 Viewed:  22892 Time(s)

Carnallite_7.6 cm.jpg



Figure 10..jpg
 Mineral: Carnallite
 Locality:
PCA Mine (Intrepid Potash Mine; HB Potash Mine), Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 12.9 cm
 Description:
From the HB Potash mine. Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  22838 Time(s)

Figure 10..jpg



Figure 9..jpg
 Mineral: Carnallite
 Locality:
PCA Mine (Intrepid Potash Mine; HB Potash Mine), Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 8.0 cm
 Description:
An old find from the HB Potash mine, a few km north of the Kerr McGee mine. Jeff Scovil photo.
 Viewed:  22845 Time(s)

Figure 9..jpg



_DSC5103 (2).jpg
 Mineral: Langbeinite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 9.3 cm
 Description:
A rare potassium-magnesium sulfate found on the lower levels of the mine. This was one of the two primary ores mined for potassium in the district. Unfortunately, the mineral has a tendency to alter to white, chalky leonite after exposure to air for a few months.
 Viewed:  22900 Time(s)

_DSC5103 (2).jpg



_DSC6515.jpg
 Mineral: Langbeinite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 7.7 cm
 Description:
A well-defined crystal of the rare sulfate. Colors of langbeinite include white, salmon, pink, orange, beige, green and red.
 Viewed:  22912 Time(s)

_DSC6515.jpg



_DSC7129.jpg
 Mineral: Langbeinite, Halite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 6.7 cm
 Description:
Lang crystal on a matrix of halite. The langbeinite had to be etched out of the halite with water.
 Viewed:  22936 Time(s)

_DSC7129.jpg



_DSC7177.jpg
 Mineral: Langbeinite
 Locality:
Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad Potash District, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA
 Dimensions: 1.5 cm
 Description:
A gemmy crystal that is highly modified.
 Viewed:  22941 Time(s)

_DSC7177.jpg


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KJ Seraph




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PostPosted: Jun 28, 2020 02:35    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Very beautiful! Are you going to keep it for display only?
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Tobi
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PostPosted: Jun 29, 2020 05:42    Post subject: Re: New Mexico Collecting - (27)  

Thanks again, Philip, I have never seen so many superb halite specimens! Really awesome!!!
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