View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
Scott LaBorde

Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 104
Location: North Carolina



|
Posted: Feb 14, 2010 03:20 Post subject: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Research of the tessin habit quartz that we often find here in Wake County, North Carolina led me to Amir's website. There I was educated on the phenomenon of alpine-type fissures. His work was so rich in detail with pictures and descriptions, that I have been able to identify and locate them in my area. I find tessin habit quartz crystals, also sometimes present are rutile, schorl, or goethite pseudomorph after siderite. Please also post your alpine type fissure contents here too. Here is one of the goethite pseudomorph after siderite specimens I found just last week.
Description: |
goethite pseudomorph after siderite Raleigh, NC 3 x 2 x 2 cm |
|
Viewed: |
23276 Time(s) |

|
_________________ Scott LaBorde |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Scott LaBorde

Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 104
Location: North Carolina



|
Posted: Feb 17, 2010 21:26 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Here is a fissure I recently found and documented.
Description: |
Here you can see the vertical fissure running perpendicular to the foliation. The layers of segregation quartz are visible -possibly the source of the silica that re-crystallized inside the fissure. Unless of course unless the fissures and the segregation were happening at the same time. |
|
Viewed: |
23062 Time(s) |

|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
23072 Time(s) |

|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
23076 Time(s) |

|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
23085 Time(s) |

|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
23075 Time(s) |

|
Description: |
crystal cluster from the above fissure. |
|
Viewed: |
23090 Time(s) |

|
Description: |
tessin habit crystal from the above fissure |
|
Viewed: |
23080 Time(s) |

|
Description: |
Another tessin habit crystal from the above fissure |
|
Viewed: |
23065 Time(s) |

|
_________________ Scott LaBorde |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Jason
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Posts: 254
Location: atlanta



|
Posted: Feb 17, 2010 21:30 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Fantastic pictures, scott...those alpines can hold some great surprises and the type is not common..only found in a few select places in the world..very nice
|
|
Back to top |
|
 |
John S. White
Site Admin

Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1298
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA



|
Posted: Feb 17, 2010 21:55 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Really neat photos Scott. Rarely do we get to see these occurrences as they appear when first exposed, Keep it up!
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Scott LaBorde

Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 104
Location: North Carolina



|
Posted: Feb 17, 2010 21:57 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Thanks amethystguy, I never take for granted how lucky I am to live in an area where I can dig in the soft dirt and find these uncommon crystals. Understanding this has been a tremendouse source of motivation for me, and is why I am always hard at work in the field any chance I get ;-)
Description: |
This was an unsually shaped crystal pulled from a fissure last year -- perhaps muzo, or just a slender tessin habit, or combination of. . . |
|
Viewed: |
23050 Time(s) |

|
_________________ Scott LaBorde |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Matt_Zukowski
Site Admin
Joined: 10 Apr 2009
Posts: 737
Location: Alaska



|
Posted: Feb 18, 2010 00:20 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Very cool. Interesting to see the xtals and where they come from.
|
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum

Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 5024
Location: Barcelona



|
Posted: Feb 18, 2010 04:37 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Great job Scott. Thanks to share it with us!
Jordi
|
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Scott LaBorde

Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 104
Location: North Carolina



|
Posted: Feb 18, 2010 08:39 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Thank you all for your support. I have notice from my online research that there is very little information especially photos that show minerals in situ as opposed to information on minerals already extracted. There is so much information that can be learned from seeing them in place such as geology, matrix, trend, associated minerals, etc. As they say "a picture is worth a thousand words".
_________________ Scott LaBorde |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Scott LaBorde

Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 104
Location: North Carolina



|
Posted: Feb 21, 2010 22:20 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Here's another specimen as it was before extraction.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
22906 Time(s) |

|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
22895 Time(s) |

|
_________________ Scott LaBorde |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Scott LaBorde

Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 104
Location: North Carolina



|
Posted: Feb 21, 2010 22:58 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Reticulated rutile I found in this same spot.
Description: |
reticulated rutile on a smoky quartz crystal |
|
Viewed: |
22890 Time(s) |

|
_________________ Scott LaBorde |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Scott LaBorde

Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 104
Location: North Carolina



|
Posted: Sep 03, 2010 09:33 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Here's couple of my finds from this summer.
Description: |
My best find at this location was this crystal. Joe was there when I uncovered the fissure containing it. It was quickly apparent that something good was going to come out of this fissure when while extracting the quartz it suddenly became glassy. It was as if the quartz exploded into crystals in a zone within the fissure. The sunlight now directly overhead reflected shiny faces on the nearly black quartz as it lay half buried in the ground. I saw one edge of the crystal above and knew immediately it was going to be killer. After quickly brushing the dirt off and holding it up in the sun Joe and I stared in awe. "Damn!", Joe exclaimed. This was a huge burst of motivation for us. Exhausted and drenched in sweat in the burning sun we suddenly found a second wind knowing that the surrounding area must contain more goodies. Joe exemplified this by promptly finding another fissure six feet away in which he extracted two or three nice crystals and some facet grade smoky quartz material. |
|
Viewed: |
21870 Time(s) |

|
Description: |
We settled in at the lowest part of the construction site, a small bit of mica on the top layer of dirt prompted me to scrape the surface in search of a fissure beneath. Clank! My mattock scraped and ricocheted off of a large quartz filled fissure about 10cm in width. Further, scraping revealed the length of the fissure at roughly one meter. Excited, I commenced to excavating the fissure. Through the whole length of the fissure I found mainly garbage quartz until out of nowhere this crystal (above) popped out next to the mattock. Words can't explain how it feels to find something this rare and beautiful, so I will have to leave it to you and your own experiences to relate. |
|
Viewed: |
21839 Time(s) |

|
_________________ Scott LaBorde |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Harjo

Joined: 04 Nov 2009
Posts: 32
Location: Vessem



|
Posted: Sep 04, 2010 16:11 Post subject: Re: Alpine type fissure contents |
|
|
Very nice Scott! Congratulations.
|
|
Back to top |
|
 |
|