FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[KDF-TX]

I'll start this out by posting a couple calcites.
This first one is from Iron County, Missouri. A very nice calcite from the Viburnum Trend, probably the Magmont or Buick mine. Nice clean, translucent, undamaged crystals, many doubly terminated with associated small chalcopyrites.
8 x 5 x 4 cm

[KDF-TX]

Another from the Viburnum Trend District. Sweetwater Mine, Reynolds Co., Missouri.
Two 4 cm Calcite xls on limestone matrix with Chalcopyrite and Galena. Sprinkling of bright Chalcopyrite over most of the matrix, and there is a small octahedral Galena crystal on the face.
10 x 8 x 5 cm

[KDF-TX]

A razor sharp magnetite from the US . . . not Bolivia! Much rarer, and the quality is superb, though the crystals may not be as big as those Bolivian crystals.
Columbia Mine, Iron Co., Utah
5 x 4 x 3 cm

[KDF-TX]

Fluorite from T & G Prospect, Grant Co., New Mexico
Octahedral crystal group with scalloped faces and a great color. Largest crystal about 2 cm across.
5.5 x 4.5 x 2.2 cm

[Pete Modreski]

I think those are some of the nicest U.S. (Utah) magnetite crystals that I have seen.
Cheers, Pete

[KDF-TX]

Thanks Pete. Coming from you with your background and respect I really appreciate it (both your comment and the specimen).
I like to collect specimens from either/and/or classic, obscure, or closed locations with unusual crystal habits and associations... I imagine many people do too. I've only been seriously collecting/buying for ten months or so although I have many that I purchased in the late 1970s to middle 1990s that I've found out recently are all of the above.
I need to add that the above photos aren't by me, but by the people I bought the specimens from. Since I bought the specimen is the photo mine? I'm sure they wouldn't mind, but...
Most of my sources are retired geologists as I can't afford museum quality specimens, but I am looking to adding a Jordi Fabre piece one day, both for the outstanding quality and appreciation of the man.
More photos to follow.
Kevin

[KDF-TX]

BTW: I like metallic and black mnerals too. I have brookite from Arkansas and pyrite from Austin and Dallas, Texas. Marcasite from Austin. I'm working on my photograhic technics...

[Gail]

Nice to see you posting your collection on here Kevin! The Texans are surely showing their passion for minerals these days.
And I agree with Pete on his appreciation.

[KDF-TX]

Hey thanks Gail.
One of these days, when your're passing through Huntsville, we would definately enjoy having you (attend/talk) at a meeting of the PWGMS.
Missed you at the Houston show in Humble.

Shameless plug follows:

The Piney Woods Gem & Mineral Society (a not-for-profit educational organization) meets the 4th Wednesday of each month (except December- Banquet), 7:00 p.m., at the Carriage Inn, 2805 Lake Road, Huntsville, Texas. All who are interested in the earth sciences, rocks, minerals, fossils, artifacts, and the lapidary arts are invited to attend. Presentations, discussions, and activities for family members of all ages will be offered. Education, show-and-tell, door prizes, raffles, and refreshments at every meeting. For more information: email KDF(at)TexasRockhound(dot)net. Visit our website at www(dot)pwgms(dot)org.

[KDF-TX]

Babingtonite and calcite with pyrite and chalcopyrite.
Prospect Park, Passaic Co., New Jersey
5 x 7.5 x 1.25 cm

"Babingtonite is a mineral that was unknown to science before the start of the twentieth century. It is an unusual mineral in three respects. It contains both divalent (+2) and trivalent (+3) iron ions and this causes a very weak magnetism that could turn the needle of a compass. It is opaque and brilliantly vitreous. It also is the only black mineral found with the typically white or pale colored zeolites. This sets it off and makes it easy to see the normally small crystals among the other minerals in a zeolitic pocket. Babingtonite is somewhat scarce and its presence in a specimen tends to raise the value of the specimen considerably. Babingtonite, although scarce, is found in almost all rare mineral collections."
Named for Dr. William Babbington (1757 - 1833), Irish physician, and mineralogist.

[Jordi Fabre]

Hi Kevin,

Thanks to share with us the "precursor" of the enormous Chinese Babingtonite. As far as I know, before the Chinese ones, the Babingtonite from New Jersey and India were the only ones collectable.

Thanks too for the scientific text, it makes your specimens still more interesting.

Jordi

[Tony L. Potucek]

Hi, Kevin,
You may add Pine Canyon to the T&G prospect label. Most likely mined by Ray Demark and Mike Sanders, the former claim holders. This is the infamous Dick Jones locality that was at one time placed in Catron County to throw other diggers off the trail. Nice piece and thanks for sharing pictures of your nice collection. I am a geologist but not retired yet, so I can't give you anything : )

[John S. White]

Let us not forget the famous Lane (or Lane's) quarry, Westfield, Massachusetts, which has produced many fine specimens of lustrous black babingtonite on lovely green prehnite. It is, I believe, still capable of producing such specimens.

[Andreas Gerstenberg]

[Pete Richards]

Kevin,

Sorry to say it, but I don't see any babingtonite on your specimen. What I've seen from Prospect Park is typically thin platy in habit, and if not weathered it is brilliant black.

If it is in fact there, look at it carefully to see if it has a silky coating on the two flat faces which "lights up" when the light hits it in the right direction. This would be hedenbergite growing epitactically on the babingtonite, i.e. the hedenbergite forms many tiny crystals all oriented the same because of the influence of the babingtonite on its growth.

This is actually a fairly common association; I have examples from at least six different localities including Prospect Park. The one attached here is from there; it's not the best photo but it was taken at 40x, which is a bit challenging.

[KDF-TX]

Hi Peter,
Are you saying you don't see the babingtonite because of the epitaxial film (or epitaxial layer) of hedenbergite?
I only have a 10x loupe but I don't see what is in your photo.
I would be interested in getting someone to take a closer look (pun intended) at this specimen.
Kevin

[KDF-TX]

[Pete Richards]

[GneissWare]

[KDF-TX]

Thanks GneissWare!

Peter, I've looked up babingtonite and hedenbergite:
hedenbergite is black, dark green, green-brown; brownish green in thin section.
babingtonite is dark greenish black.
I don't see hedenbergite listed on Mindat in Passaic Co.
I realize it would be a guess by a photo... what is the black in the middle photo?
It's dull black and I don't see a green tint.
Thanks, Kevin