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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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 Posted: Jul 03, 2013 13:03 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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Thanks Antonio ! Please, feel free to educate me about feldspar twinning, I don't know much about it.
Sincerely, Mike
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Microcline
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
78mm x 31mm x 26mm
Rather large microcline crystal with odd termination. Self-collected. |
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29226 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Microcline
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
78mm x 31mm x 26mm
Same specimen as above |
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29217 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Microcline
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
78mm x 31mm x 26mm
Same specimen as above showing termination detail |
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29208 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Smoky Quartz
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
75mm x 40mm x 33mm
Nice sturdy smoky quartz crystal; the termination is a little chewed up (as found) probably from ice-action in the cavity where it originated from. The crystal had actually 'migrated' a short distance from the cavity and was wedged in a crevice. The crystal colour has lightened on one side due to exposure to the sky - best seen in the third photo. Self-collected. |
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29238 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Smoky Quartz
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
75mm x 40mm x 33mm
Same specimen as above |
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29225 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Smoky Quartz
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
75mm x 40mm x 33mm
Same specimen as above, showing lessening of depth of colour on right side, due to UV light exposure. |
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29222 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 11:30 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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I've got a feeling I've been calling these feldspar crystals orthoclase instead of microcline. Now I'm confused. It's a pretty poor state when a field-collector doesn't know what he's collected. I'm sorry about this; maybe I should change all my captions on the 'orthoclase' feldspars.
In the meantime, I'll post a few more photo's of things that aren't minerals from Arran, but are hazardous.. and from Arran.
| Description: |
| Cioch na h-Oighe (661m) viewed from Glen Sannox. Around the edge of Arran nearer sea-level the scenery is quite verdant and lush in the summer, but the summer months have added hazards. For example, this photo was taken in July, so it is quite likely there are millions of midges in the trees and undergrowth. They are everywhere if there is little wind and the weather is damp, even on the mountain tops. Sure, you can use DEET on yourself which stops 'em biting, but they still land on you briefly and they tickle. They don't like strong sunlight, thankfully. They don't like cold weather 12C or below. Midge season is usually mid-may to early october. |
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29111 Time(s) |
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| A large deer tick on the prowl. This one was about 4mm long (body) and the red part on it's abdomen indicates that it is mature and has fed on some thing. Mostly they are a bit smaller and can be very hard to spot when they are <1mm. They hang around in long vegetation (grass, heather, bracken, trees) and wait for prey to walk past. They have caused serious infection in some parts of the UK in the form of Lyme Disease. I've been getting bit by these suckers for twenty years or more but I'm still ok (I think). Tick season - probably april to october. |
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29055 Time(s) |
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| Horseflies, also known as Clegs, are nasty. They have a somewhat 'furry' appearance, sort of dusty-grey colour. You can't hear them flying. You can't feel them land. If you're quick and recognise the sensation you can swipe them off you just as they start to bite; then the bite will only itch a little ! Unlike midges these things are active in bright sunshine. They are about during the months of July and August when it's warm. It's best to keep moving when these are around, and keep an eye on them but they are very distracting. They are mainly living in the valleys; it is usual to have several following you as you walk. And they can bite through thin clothing !! |
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29032 Time(s) |
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GneissWare
Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Posts: 1287
Location: California
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| Posted: Jul 06, 2013 12:09 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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Mike,
As always, great pictures of minerals and stunning landscapes. The bugs I could do without!
Bob
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Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 5077
Location: Barcelona
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| Posted: Jul 06, 2013 13:48 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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| Mike Wood wrote: | | I've got a feeling I've been calling these feldspar crystals orthoclase instead of microcline.... ....maybe I should change all my captions on the 'orthoclase' feldspars... |
Done
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Jul 06, 2013 18:02 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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Thank you Jordi for correcting my mistakes.
Thanks Bob !
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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| Posted: Jul 07, 2013 03:36 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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Hi Mike. Nice specimens; especially the small smoky quartz. We have very similar problems with the insects; fortunately the midges here do not bite. They are just hugely annoying when it's their season.
_________________
Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Jul 08, 2013 13:33 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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Hi Pierre, yes, it's a shame the big smoky quartzes aren't as transparent as the smaller ones! I suppose that if they were, there would be none left to find, because everyone would have been looking for them for the last two centuries or so..
Do you have problems with snakes in South Africa on your collecting trips ? We have adders (a type of viper) in the UK though they aren't very common. I didn't see any on Arran for the first sixteen years of going there, then I saw four within one year ! Managed to get a photo of two of them (see below) but missed my chance of photographing the black snake (I think it was a melanistic form of adder) that I saw and was amazed by. I took it as a good omen...(!)
Mike ;-)
| Description: |
| Adder approx. two feet long (60cm). They can grow to three feet long (90cm). They are poisonous but very rarely bite - usually slither away and vanish when approached. Photo taken in July. |
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31952 Time(s) |
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Another adder, more green than brown, maybe recently discarded it's skin as it looks very 'fresh' and glossy. This one was sunning itself just next to the path - my boot missed it by <5cm ! Didn't see it until I almost stood on it; if I had it might well have bitten me. However, it stayed put so I took some photo's, from about 40cm away ! Good snake.
Photo taken in May. |
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31943 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Smoky Quartz + Microcline
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
12cm x 7cm x 6cm high
Rare combination specimen. The feldspar crystals are not complete, but the two smokies are pretty good; only the smaller one has a ding on it's termination. The larger smoky quartz crystal is 57mm tall.
Self-collected. |
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31988 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Smoky Quartz + Microcline
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
12cm x 7cm x 6cm high
The other side of the specimen (best side). |
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32035 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Smoky Quartz + Microcline
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
12cm x 7cm x 6cm high
Closer view of the two smoky quartz crystals on the specimen as above; the smaller one on the left is 35mm tall and slightly dinged on the termination. The larger one on the right is 57mm tall and undamaged. |
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31962 Time(s) |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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| Posted: Jul 08, 2013 14:58 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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Hi Mike. Snakes are becoming increasingly hard to see in our area, although we killed 2 Black-necked spitting cobras in our neighbour's yard last year. We have a very similar adder to the first one in our area, called a Night adder. Thanks for all the lovely pictures of specimens and scenery.
_________________
Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Aug 09, 2013 10:22 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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The biggest and best, and the smallest and rarest.
| Description: |
Smoky Quartz
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
11.5cm x 6cm x 5cm
The best smoky quartz crystal I have found. The termination is good ! |
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31834 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Smoky Quartz
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
11.5cm x 6cm x 5cm
Same specimen as above |
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31816 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Smoky Quartz
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
11.5cm x 6cm x 5cm
Same specimen as above |
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31822 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Smoky Quartz
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
11.5cm x 6cm x 5cm
Same specimen as above |
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31895 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Smoky Quartz
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
11.5cm x 6cm x 5cm
Same specimen as above, showing termination in more detail. As usual with the larger crystals there are a lot of bubble 'veils' included, though there is still some transparency. |
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31806 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Gadolinite
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
3mm crystal
A rare associate mineral, found only in one cavity in the granite; the same cavity as the large smoky in this post. The mineral has been tested. The matrix is composed of tiny feldspar and quartz crystals, and a few smaller gadolinite crystals. Self-collected (though when first spotted I thought it was sphene/titanite). |
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31838 Time(s) |
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Aug 17, 2013 08:38 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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...
| Description: |
Smoky Quartz + Microcline
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
105mm x 105mm x 57mm
Smoky quartz crystals to 20mm with microcline feldspar crystals. Slight damage to some crystals. Self-collected 2003. |
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31749 Time(s) |
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Aug 19, 2013 14:41 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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...
| Description: |
Smoky Quartz + Microcline
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK
13cm x 12cm x 7cm
Almost undamaged matrix specimen with transparent smoky quartz crystals to 2cm. Self-collected 2003. |
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31665 Time(s) |
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Nov 05, 2013 12:56 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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Hello again; I think it's about time I showed some photo's of the things I discovered on the Isle of Skye when I was there in March/April earlier this year, when the weather was very cold but very sunny. Hope you like them.
Cheers, Mike.
| Description: |
Stilbite + Chabazite
Moonen Bay, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK
9cm x 7cm x 4 cm
Stilbite crystals to 10mm+, and in aggregates of tiny transparent crystals, on a bed of small pink chabazites. One of the best specimens recovered from an almost pristine large cavity - in fact they were so clean they almost didn't need cleaning. The pink colour of the chabazite seems to be stable. I have found this combination of zeolites here before but nothing of this quality. |
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31378 Time(s) |
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Greg Lilly
Joined: 05 May 2013
Posts: 78
Location: Tauranga
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| Posted: Nov 05, 2013 21:37 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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Hi Mike,
that is a great stilbite & chabazite specimen, love the texture and contrast,
great find,
Greg
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Nov 06, 2013 18:41 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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Thanks Greg,
yes the colour combination and contour make a nice specimen, unusual in Skye zeolites.
Sorry for the poor photo; I've since realised I have two better ones..
Mike
| Description: |
Stilbite + Chabazite
Moonen Bay, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK
9cm x 7cm x 4cm
Stilbite crystals to 10mm+, and in aggregates of tiny transparent crystals, on a bed of small pink chabazites, on basalt rock. One of the best specimens recovered from an almost pristine large cavity - in fact they were so clean they almost didn't need cleaning. The pink colour of the chabazite seems to be stable. I have found this combination of zeolites here before but nothing of this quality. |
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31219 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Stilbite + Chabazite
Moonen Bay, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK
9cm x 7cm x 4cm
Same as above, but upside down |
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31245 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Stilbite + Chabazite
Moonen Bay, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK
57mm x 50mm x 35mm
Example showing one of the larger stilbite crystals, 34mm in length |
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31213 Time(s) |
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Nov 09, 2013 07:26 Post subject: Re: Collection of Mike Wood |
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Some heulandite from Moonen Bay
| Description: |
Heulandite + Chabazite + Mesolite
Moonen Bay, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK
50mm x 30mm x 35mm high
I was not alone on Skye on this occasion: my friend Dave found a small cavity full of 'mesolite' and when the 'mesolite' was washed off, some nice heulandite crystals appeared, accompanied by chabazite. A lot of the chabazite occurs as tiny crystals growing on the 'mesolite' needles, forming white globular masses. The main heulandite crystal measures 10mm x 8mm x 3mm thickness. Collected March/April 2013. |
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31115 Time(s) |
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| Description: |
Heulandite
Moonen Bay, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK
10mm x 8mm x 3mm crystal
Close up of the main heulandite crystal on the previous specimen. Remnants of 'mesolite' and tiny chabazite crystals are included within the heulandite. |
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31091 Time(s) |
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