FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[rockbottom]

Greetings, has anyone out there heard or seen of a Rhodochrosite & Covellite occurance at the Campbell shaft mine in Bisbee, Arizona some time ago?

Also, I'm interested in finding and purchasing a Stibnite with lavender color Fluorite combo piece from Kyrgyzstan, if anyone is selling, i'm buying.

[Jordi Fabre]

As far as I know, Rhodochrosite is not mentioned on this mine:

https://www.mindat.org/loc-3300.html

but please wait until the return of John White and / or Peter Megaw from Denver. They would answer better than me.

Jordi

[lluis]

Good afternoon.
I have an stibnite with lilac fluorite from Kyrzigistan....But I fear that I do not sell....
I will keep an eye for another piece (they are oooooolllllllddddd, more than I....)
If so, I will let you know (by the way, they are not exactly spectacular...Just and odd locale for fluorites (and my wife like them so :-) )

With best wishes

Lluís

[rockbottom]

Thanks for your reply, too bad you are not selling it, don't blame you. do you have a picture of it?

Igs


lluis wrote:
______________________________________________________________________

> Good afternoon.
> I have an stibnite with lilac fluorite from Kyrzigistan....But I fear that
> I do not sell....
> I will keep an eye for another piece (they are oooooolllllllddddd, more
> than I....)
> If so, I will let you know (by the way, they are not exactly
> spectacular...Just and odd locale for fluorites (and my wife like them so
> :-) )
>
> With best wishes
>
> Lluís
______________________________________________________________________

[Jordi Fabre]

Here you have a picture. Not available, unfortunately.

Jordi

[rockbottom]

Oh man, why you tease me like that? LOL!! It's gorgeous, thank you!


Jordi Fabre wrote:
______________________________________________________________________

> Here you have a picture. Not available, unfortunately.
>
> Jordi
______________________________________________________________________

[John S. White]

Back from Denver, quite a show!

Covellite yes, rhodochrosite no, according to Anthony, Williams and Bideaux, Mineralogy of Arizona, 1977.

[Tony L. Potucek]

Second time around for this reply, as I got caught in the Server melee yesterday. Jordi had asked me to respond to your question since he knows that Bisbee is my favorite collecting locality. I also corroborated my information with my former underground digging partner, who is the authority on all mineral-related items on Bisbee--Richard Graeme.

Like many Western US copper deposits, particularly the porphyry Cu systems, covellite is everywhere in the Bisbee deposits, but it is usually relegated to scummy supergene coatings on other minerals. And it is usually an alteration product of chalcocite or bornite. Thicker, more nearly pure specimens have come from the Lavender pit, Junction, Gardner, Campbell and Cole mines. Richard's article in the Min Record mentions a couple of actual occurrences of crystallized covellite, I think, but I don't have the article in front of me. They were pretty small in size.

Rhodocrosite has been found in Bisbee as well, but to be honest, it is very ugly. It occurs in association with another fairly unspectacular mineral--alabandite. If there is such a thing, Richard said that the best (most attractive?) rhodocrosite came from the 2300 and 2400 levels of the Junction mine, again with alabandite. The occurrence of rhodocrosite from the Campbell mine is relegated to the very unattractive category, but it occurred on sphalerite. So, this may be more diagnostic to identify the specimen as being from the Campbell. Specimens have come from the Higgins shaft as well--it is more massive and with alabandite.

I hope this information is useful. Happy hunting!

[rockbottom]

It did! Thanks to everyone.

[schmallen]

I have one Bisbee Covellite with 1/4" cystals on pyrite, so they do occur. Unfortunatly the label does not show the mine. Not for sale as it is the only crystalized specimen that I have seen in all my years looking for Bisbee specimens.

allen

[Les Presmyk]

Rhodochrosite does come from Bisbee. The material came out before 1970 and is a thin somewhat botryoidal crust on a sulfide rich ore. I do not recall if it was covellite, one of the other copper sulfides or a mixture of several.

Do you have a specimen you would like to sell?

[Les Presmyk]

I have a couple of reasonable crystallized chalcocites from Bisbee. As rich and as much sulfide ore as was produced from both Bisbee and the Magma mine at Superior, there is a dearth of even good, crystallized copper sulfide specimens. The manto replacement orebodies at the Magma mine just did not lend themselves to many open cavities, at least in the 9 years I worked there. My impression is that the Bisbee orebodies were much the same way.

[Jordi Fabre]

Hi Les, welcome here!

We have a question from an specimen from Arizona, Probably you could help:

https://www.fabreminerals.com/forum/Message-Board/viewtopic.php?t=141

Maybe from Bisbee? Morenci?

Jordi

[ILIKEROCKS]

Thank you Jordi, for mentioning my question to Les.

Les, if it's ok with Jordi I would like to post my email here. And if you wouldn't mind contacting me that would be awesome! I have quite a few different minerals, I would greatly appreciate some assistance with identifying them.
Regards,
Sarah


Jordi Fabre wrote:
______________________________________________________________________

> Hi Les, welcome here!
>
> We have a question from an specimen from Arizona, Probably you could
> help:
>
> https://www.fabreminerals.com/forum/Message-Board/viewtopic.php?t=141
>
> Maybe from Bisbee? Morenci?
>
> Jordi
______________________________________________________________________

[Les Presmyk]

Sarah,

It is fine with me since we are almost neighbors. Just look me up in the phone book.

Les