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Riccardo Modanesi
Joined: 07 Nov 2011
Posts: 631
Location: Milano
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 Posted: Sep 05, 2012 08:02 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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Hi Vic and hi to everybody!
The last one you show is a very nice crystal! Inclusions should be very beautiful! If you have the possibility of showing us any photo about, don't hesitate to let us see it!
Greetings from Italy by Riccardo.
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Hi! I'm a collector of minerals since 1973 and a gemmologist. On Summer I always visit mines and quarries all over Europe looking for minerals! Ok, there is time to tell you much much more! Greetings from Italy by Riccardo. |
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Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 5071
Location: Barcelona
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Dec 03, 2012 23:42 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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A few from the bench.
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Quartz
Fonda, New York, USA
A 14 cm. main crystal with a bit of dolostone matrix. Collected this season. |
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69769 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Fonda, New York, USA
6 cm. quartz with a fracture induced rainbow. |
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69727 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Fonda, New York, USA
6 cm. complex smokey crystal |
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69781 Time(s) |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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| Posted: Dec 04, 2012 02:32 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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Nice find Vic! I especially like IMG_0750.JPG.
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Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Dec 05, 2012 08:43 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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Work on the bench.
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| 30 tons of hydraulic push exploit an eroded area. |
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69591 Time(s) |
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| Aluminum blocks allow flexibility at the jack point, as the jack has only a 4 inch lift. |
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69587 Time(s) |
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| 8 cm. quartz in a small pocket. |
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69619 Time(s) |
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| Druzy quartz, the other part of the pocket. |
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69603 Time(s) |
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| A tidy work place will soon be a mess. |
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69641 Time(s) |
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| Part of a old stone wall at the site. Moss seems to love the dolostone. |
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69612 Time(s) |
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| The moss was fat and happy on this December day, with late afternoon sun, waiting on the first snow. |
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69622 Time(s) |
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69613 Time(s) |
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69628 Time(s) |
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Dec 05, 2012 08:53 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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| Thanks for the comments Pierre. Your collecting adventures are exciting and filled with a variety of possibilities. It looks like you have much ground to cover, good luck and keep the posts coming.
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Elise
Joined: 22 Dec 2009
Posts: 243
Location: New York State
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| Posted: Dec 05, 2012 16:58 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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| vic rzonca wrote: | | For a while now, off and on, we've found some rather odd floater quartz crystals at the site. This one qualifies as the oddest. After showing it to John White, I thought I'd have a good image taken to share with the forum. These fine shot's were taken by Jeff Scovil, at the East Coast show, far better than anything I could take, and much more informative than trying to explain an inferior photo. I would be interested in what you folks think might be the process that produced this form. Much of the quartz we find is associated with anthraxolite, a compact hydrocarbon that was present with the silicified fluids that grew the quartz. Many of the crystals found are the classic Herkimer form, no point of attachment, but this one is really something else. It would be interesting to know if anyone has ever seen another crystal of any species with a similar form. We have found a few of these. This, the best so far. I look forward to your input, and thanks for viewing. |
Hi Vic!
I'm so happy to see that you posted the portraits of this specimen - I had seen this when Jeff was imaging it -- what a fascinating crystal!
In Frondel under growth hillocks and spiral dislocations, (my hasty summary of it here) it describes surface features which are closely related to vicinal growth surfaces and which are found on both natural and synthetic quartz crystals. They can be several cm and equant or oval to elongate, can be small or overlapping or a single large hillock can occupy most or all of a face. Relatively flat on the r and more numerous, overlapping and steeper on {0001}. Under magnification (?x) the hillocks may show spiral terraces.
I am thinking of the pebbley surface of synthetic quartz bars - I've seen them quite large (I believe that is the c face or {0001} ) . Anyway, this rushed synopsis is all that comes to mind. I started thinking about it again today trying to figure out raised circular patches overlapping several faces on a topaz crystal I'm trying to understand. Some questions I have about your quartz include whether those very flat circular glassy areas on the domes are crystal faces and what are the optical properties of the specimen? It would be fun to study your quartz enigma!
Cheers!
Elise
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Elise Skalwold |
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Dec 13, 2012 09:45 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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Elise, thanks for keeping it simple. Being a rank amateur in these matters I'll try to keep up. The flats you mention are, I think, indeed crystal faces and goniometric measurements would confirm them to be consistent with the quartz ideal. But I haven't done the work. I see the similarity to the lab grown quartz, but those growth features are concave in the specimen in 1152 and 1153, where as the collected natural piece is convex and quite regular. As to the optical properties, I wouldn't know where to begin. It seems as though the silica was pressed into a smooth mold and left to grow to an incomplete sphere leaving the uncontacted portions to form the faces. The involvement with the anthaxolite globs, now solidified, may have something to do with this molding process. But, again this is from the point of view of a carpenter, not a scholar. I would consider lending it out for further investigation. Hand delivered, I'd hate to get it lost in the mail. Thanks for the interest Elise, see you in Tucson?
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30611 Time(s) |
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30630 Time(s) |
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Elise
Joined: 22 Dec 2009
Posts: 243
Location: New York State
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| Posted: Dec 13, 2012 11:36 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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| vic rzonca wrote: | | The flats you mention are, I think, indeed crystal faces and goniometric measurements would confirm them to be consistent with the quartz ideal. |
Hi Vic!
Yes, it would be fun to try to figure it out on the goniometer. For those not familiar with the instrument or who would like to see a classic model, we had a thread here from a project I am involved with: https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?t=1601.
This instrument is far too heavy for me to even pick up (ie: no house call possible), but if you find yourself in the area of Cornell, it would be fun to take a look at the crystal together. Also, we have often thought the goniometer might be a fun demo/exhibit to have at the Rochester Mineral Symposium someday - so perhaps that would be where we could all put our heads together on this oddity !
One other idea brought up has been the dolostone - does the crystallography of the dolostone affect the growth of the quartz? There are other occurrences of spheroid crystals found in that type of environment (I don't have all the facts in front of me, but maybe someone else can explain or I can add more later).
| vic rzonca wrote: | | ...Being a rank amateur in these matters I'll try to keep up...But, again this is from the point of view of a carpenter, not a scholar. |
I'm not a mineralogist or crystallographer; this is just a point-of-view from another carpenter (amateur, but I built my house) ;-) !
Cheers!
Elise
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Elise Skalwold |
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Dec 26, 2012 09:17 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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A couple more from the dolostone. Some of the largest yet. We must wait for spring.
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30375 Time(s) |
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| 18 cm., with calcite and dolostone, not particularly nice, but large. |
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30353 Time(s) |
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Dec 26, 2012 09:51 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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A few more smaller ones from the site.
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30345 Time(s) |
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30368 Time(s) |
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30363 Time(s) |
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| 10 cm. wide field of view. |
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30322 Time(s) |
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Jul 05, 2013 21:49 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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What follows is a part inventory of our endeavors from last season on the Little Falls dolostone. This year, so far, has been kind of a wash out. Days of rain or dodging thunder storms makes for soggy collecting. Not even a mucked up drift to hide in.
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Quartz
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
5 cm. |
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29434 Time(s) |
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Quartz scepter
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
7 cm.
Our lab in the background. |
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29474 Time(s) |
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Large quartz in dolostone matrix
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
Compound crystal 21 cm. |
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29460 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
8 cm, top to bottom
Another compound crystal |
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29415 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
5 cm.
Sick of looking at quartz yet? |
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29481 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
Center crysal is @ 10 cm.
A pile of quartz |
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29541 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
Crystal is 12 cm.
We are lucky to have a bit of ground at the site that gives up quartz on matrix. |
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29449 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
13 cm. Top to bottom.
More quartz on dolostone. |
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29469 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
Smokey and clear cluster to 13 cm. wide. |
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29460 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
6 cm.
A smokey and a cluttered partner. |
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29447 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Fonda, Mohawk County, New York, USA
Pocket contents 1 cm. to 5 cm. with anthraxolite inclutions. |
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29448 Time(s) |
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Jul 06, 2013 08:57 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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Nice quartzes Vic; I for one don't get sick of looking at them ! Your 'lab' looks interesting and very well stocked !!
How do you reckon that some specimens show smoky and clear crystals adjacent ?
Thanks for sharing. Cheers, Mike
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Jul 06, 2013 09:25 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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Intrepid field collectors Laura Delano (not just a pretty face, standing center) and Don Davis (right), you might recognize them from their work at various shows around the country.
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29382 Time(s) |
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| At school. Pay attention Don, if you want to find the big ones. |
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29368 Time(s) |
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| Don Davis, a long time member of the Connecticut Valley Mineral Club. Don is eighty seven years old, and he can kick the crap out of me and five other men or boys when it comes to moving rock. He puts us to shame, the old goat. |
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29327 Time(s) |
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| The object of his attention. He finds while we jawbone. |
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29313 Time(s) |
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Jul 06, 2013 09:52 Post subject: Re: Collecting quartz on the Little Falls dolostone |
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Thanks Mike. I'm a better field collector than field geologist, but if you believe that the smokiness comes from included anthraxolite, then the dark one was closer to the atomization of the anthraxolite (?). If the smokiness is caused by background radiation, perhaps the radiation was highly directional, and the clearer one was in the shadow (?).
Just the thoughts of a fevered carpenters brain.
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