Mineral Gallery 2
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TZ10-1 Topaz $975
Mimoso do Sul Mine, Mimoso do Sul, Espírito Santo, Brazil
13.5 cm x 7.0 cm x 8.8 cm
To give you an idea of how much Topaz (Al2SiO4(F,OH)2) is present in this specimen, it weighs in at 1087g! This Topaz is a complex amalgam of several smaller, doubly-terminated crystals, each of which also seems to be made up of smaller, doubly-terminated crystals; it would not be wrong to call it a fractal Topaz. It probably grew very fast, and along the way, gobbled up a lot of small, tan Amphibole inclusions.
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HAP10-1 Hydroxylapatite and Quartz on Orthoclase $125 SOLD
Sapo mine, Conselheiro Pena, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
13.5 cm x 8.0 cm x 3.7 cm
These chains of Hydroxylapatite (Apatite - (CaOH) : Ca5[OH|(PO4)3]) made their debut at the 2009 "Mineral Oddities" Tucson with a huge, off-matrix specimen called "the snake" being exhibited by Luiz Menezes. Here we have a Y-shaped chain on a matrix of Orthoclase (K[AlSi3O8]), the identity of which was confirmed by Jordi Fabre, who also confirmed the Hydroxyl nature of the Apatite. Under SWUV, the Hydroxylapatite fluoresces dull orange.
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0.5 mm black
Uranmicrolite crystal 5-mm
peach-colored Stokesite ball
STOK9-2 Stokesite, Stannomicrolite and Uranmicrolite on a Matrix of Cookeite, Albite and Muscovite $250
Urucum
mine, Galiléia, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
5.2 cm x 3.7 cm x 2.5 cm
Carpets of clear yellow, sub-millimeter, octahedral crystals of ultra-rare Stannomicrolite ((Sn,Fe,Mn)2(Ta,Nb,Sn)2(O,OH)7) surround a perfect peach-colored ball of Stokesite (CaSn[Si3O9] · 2H2O) crystals. Scattered amidst the Stannomicrolite are a few black Uranmicrolite ((U,Ca,Ce)2(Ta,Nb)2O6(OH,F)) octahedra. The matrix consists of mounds of gray Cookeite (LiAl4(Si3Al)O10(OH)8) with colorless blades of Albite (Na[AlSi3O8]) and an occasional dark Muscovite (KAl2AlSi3O10(OH)2) section. Altogether an extremely rare ensemble piece.
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VS9-1 Tantalite-Mn on Elbaite with Clevelandite and Quartz $750
Chhappu, Braldu Valley, Skardu District, Baltistan, Pakistan
specimen size: 7.0 cm x 6.8 cm x 5.5 cm
Elbaite: 5.9 cm x 2.3 cm x 2.1 cm
This piece features stacked plates of reddish-brown Tantalite-Mn (MnTa2O6) on an Elbaite (Na(Al1.5Li1.5)Al6(OH)3(OH)(BO3)3Si6O18) that is doubly-terminated. The Elbaite is deep green fading to light, translucent green near the end with a beveled termination. The other end has a flat termination, and shows some blue color. The matrix consists of Albite variety Clevelandite (Na[AlSi3O8]) and Quartz crystals. The location is uncommon, and the association is a good one.
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APA10-1 Fluorapatite $68
Oakssaung Hill, Mogok, Sagaing Division, Mandalay, Myanmar
2.1 cm x 0.8 cm x 0.5 cm
A gemmy cluster of three blue Fluorapatite (Ca5(PO4)3F) crystals from a very small find. The top terminations are perfect. There is a contact that curves across the bottom of the two smaller crystals.
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bottom image is 4.5 x 1.2 cm
QL10-2 Quartz (DT) Modified by Lightning $58
Diamantina,
Minas Gerais, Brazil
10.5 cm x 1.5 cm x 3.7 cm
From Luiz Menezes: "This is a quartz that was submitted, inside the rock where it was formed, to a high electrical voltage created by lightning hitting the rock (not the quartz crystal). Due to its piezoelectrical properties the quartz crystal, submitted to this high voltage, expands or contracts (depending on the signal of the electrical field, positive or negative), and on both possibilities the result is a weird crack pattern that develops on the crystals faces of the quartz. [There is] a paper about this matter published by Prof. Joachim Karfunkel et. al., from University of Minas Gerais, who found the explanation for these weird crack patterns."
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QL10-4 Quartz (DT) Modified by Lightning $42
Diamantina,
Minas Gerais, Brazil
6.9 cm x 1.3 cm x 1.3 cm
This is a doubly-terminated clear quartz with multiple terminations on one end. The modifications induced by the lightning strike form a chain of marks and indentations mostly on one face.
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SID6-2
Siderite $85
Nikolaevskiy Mine, Dal'negorsk
Primorskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region, Russia
4.5 cm x 2.8 cm x 2.8 cm
This bizarre, pear-shaped specimen of Siderite (FeCO3) covered with smaller, spherical Siderite rosettes elevates a usually ignored species to the center of attention. It has no apparent points of attachment, so perhaps it grew as a strange type of stalactite. Under SWUV, a few small patches fluorescence red, so there is probably some Calcite (CaCO3) present as well. An oddity for people who appreciate the unusual.
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ACAN9-1
Acanthite and Silver $78
Cobalt, Coleman Township, Ontario, Canada
5 cm x 4.2 cm x 3.4 cm
A heavy, curiously-shaped piece of Acanthite Ag2S grading to Silver in places. The vugs exhibit fossil-like arborescent imprints from the Silver crystals that the camera had difficulty in picking up. This is an excellent example of the species, a fine Canadian mineral, and way different from what is ordinarily seen for Acanthite specimens.
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HEM8-1
Hematite $75
Mt Ouichane, Ségangan, Nador
Nador Province, Oriental Region, Morocco
5.2 cm x 3 cm x 0.4 cm
Very difficult to photograph, this Hematite (Fe2O3) is tabular and shiny, only 4 mm thick. Much of the structure apparent in the photos is actually the edges of extremely thin, often circular, growth hillocks. The piece looks like a flat rabbit’s head, and the 60°–separated ears have hoppered side faces. An unusual habit for Hematite, this piece was collected in the 1970’s. Although flat Hematite is known from a few localities, none of those specimens appear to be quite as large, as well-formed or as completely flattened as the pieces from this particular find in Morocco.
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WLG8-1
Weloganite (TL) $68 SOLD
Francon quarry, St. Michel District, Montréal
Jacques
Cartier Co., Québec, Canada
1.2 cm x 1.5 cm x 1.2 cm
A photo of this charismatic Weloganite (Sr3Na2Zr(CO3)6•3H2O) is already on www.mindat.org posted by John Betts, and it is indeed a very fine example. The resemblance to a stack of hexagonal dinner-plates seems to have earned Weloganite a bit of a fan club as an unusual (found in only three localities worldwide), but still readily recognizable, mineral. This relatively large, well-formed specimen fluoresces yellow-cream under SWUV. The Francon quarry - the type locality - was closed in 1981, and according to mindat.org, will never be active again.
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