Monthly
Mineral Chronicles Volume 1 | Issue 2 | Monthly Mineral Chronicles | September 2018
Contents of this Issue: • Oxford Show, UK • Tschermigite • Higgins & Twilight Mines • In Case You Missed It • On a Different Wavelength • Minerals Heritage Museum • Dealer Spotlight David Joyce • Buena Vista Contin-Tail Show • Třenice, Phosphate Locality • In Search of Barwoodite • Maine Trip • Franklin/New Jersey Book
Starting with this issue, some photos are clickable and will generally open up as a larger version. Top: Wavellite balls covered by thin layer of yellow cacoxenite, Třenice, Czech Republic. FOV 20 mm. Photo and specimen Zbyněk Buřival
Oxford Summer Show
The Oxford show, run by the UK Mineral & Fossil Events Company, is held four times a year in Kidlington, just on the outskirts of the city of ‘dreaming spires’.
The show is a popular collectors fair, aimed specifically at serious collectors, rather than the esoteric or beads and jewellery folk. Consequently, it attracts many museum curators; academics and rock club members as well as enthusiastic amateur collectors. The show actively encourages younger visitors, aware these are our collectors of the future.
Exeter Hall, Kidlington, Oxford, England, 29 July 2018 Colleen Thomson info@thomsonminerals.com
The Oxford shows happily coincide with dealers bringing new material and finds from larger international shows in Europe or USA. This summer show was no exception, with the latest material hot from the Ste Marie Aux Mines show in France, giving collectors an opportunity to snap up new treasures, or just gaze wistfully at the ones ‘that got away’!
As a relatively small show its always been a social hub and great opportunity for friends to get together and catch up over a bacon buttie and a cuppa. Not to mention a room full of quality fossils and minerals from Britain and around the world.
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Left: Colleen with Jolyon Ralph mindat.org
Below: Classic British and new finds from Thomson Minerals
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Martin Hicks, AKA the Fossil Dude
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Right: Paul Nicholson always has interesting minerals
Below: Christian Montebone with his French treasures
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I’m always pleasantly surprised at how many visitors from abroad we get at the shows. It seems there are those who go out of their way to ‘build a trip’ to the show into their vacations. On this occasion I was delighted to meet Joan Rosell and his wife from Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. He in turn, introduced me to some interesting septarian nodules with sparkling green interiors of micro Anapaite crystals from Vilella Stream, Leida, Catalonia. Wonderful!
Left: French axinite Below: Anapaite crystals from Vilella Stream, Leida, Catalonia
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Its been a long day! Martin Stolworthy; Andy Castleton; Richard Bell
Roy Starkey was also at the show promoting his new book, due for publication in October (see Monthly Mineral Chronicles volume 1, number 1). The book is on the Minerals of the British Midlands and after seeing the first pages, looks to be a fantastic reference book. Please do take a look at the previews and let Roy know if you’re interested. People can also follow periodic updates on Twitter here. Roy is also trying to encourage people to register an interest in advance via the contact form on his website, to help him gauge what sort of print run to pitch at (particularly hard back versions, which will be only a relatively small proportion of the total print run). Right: Johnny Morris with interesting treasures.
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Above: Borieva Mine, Madan, BulgariaQuartz with Galena – Bulgarian Minerals
Right: Galena and Chalcopyrite with Quartz - interesting morphology from Borieva Mine, Bulgaria
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Above: A large cabinet Spinel law twinned Galena from the Krushev Dol Mine, Madan, Bulgaria
Left: Ian from Rocks Galore
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Above: The sought after Irish fluorite, Rocks Galore
Right:
Interesting root beer coloured calcite with okenite inclusions, Rocks Galore
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Above: Archaeopteryx and ammonites (left). Craig Chivers explains about the Archaeopteryx (right).
Right: Chris Mavris shows probably the best Baryte I’ve ever seen from Sifnos. Below: Prehnite from New Jersey - again probably the best I’ve seen from this locality. Chris Mavris specimen
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Clockwise from above left: View of the hall Neil Hubbard (Midland Minerals) invariably has something I want to take home with me! Mike Brooke of Broadstone Minerals always has good British material
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Above: Midland Minerals specimens.
Right: Botallackite, Levant Mine, Midland Minerals.
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Clockwise from above: Scottish Agates from Ralph Sutcliffe. Ralph Sutcliffe usually has plenty to keep the classic British mineral fans happy. Here making Lizzie Whittaker smile. Faceted fluorite. Nic Holland of Taranis Minerals was featuring Fluorescents at the show.
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Top right and centre: UK Fossils had plenty on offer including petrified wood and large Trilobites. Lower right: Meanwhile Bryan Beveridge also had several trays of Neolithic; Neanderthal and other prehistoric artefacts.
Overall the show was reasonably busy, despite people going away, although numbers were down from May (which was exceptionally busy). We were all thankful the temperature had dropped ten degrees and we didn’t get boiled under the lights. Looking forward to catching up with more friends at the November Oxford Show, meanwhile I have a busy schedule including the British Micromount Society’s’ annual symposium in Leicester and the Bakewell show, followed by Haywards Heath -phew! Please DO pop by to a show if you’re ever visiting, you’ll get a warm welcome!
Photos and article by Colleen Thomson, Thomson Minerals.
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Tschermigite… While travelling through Russia in 2003 we stayed a few days in Irkutsk as part of a trans-Siberian rail journey. While there, we visited an excellent regional museum to absorb some of the flavour of Siberia. The museum had a small shop selling the usual brightly coloured Russian souvenirs as well as a selection of mineral specimens. One caught our eye. It was an assembly of dark red-purple octahedra on matrix (pictured), having a label in Russian with the single English word ‘tschermigite’. We were wary because a couple of years earlier while in China, we had seen similar assemblies of orange, green, pink ....octahedral alum crystals for sale and every one had a quite obvious thread on which the dyed crystals had been grown. The octahedra in the ‘tschermigite’ specimen had no such threads and because it was on matrix, appeared genuine. The salesperson (male) had a little English and we were assured that yes, it was genuine (would he say anything else?) and that it came from the Kamchatka peninsular in eastern Siberia where it occurred in volcanic fumaroles. What the heck, it was only 600 Roubles (AUD 30 at that time), so we bought it.
Subsequently, we found references to tschermigite on the internet, and although many photographs showed purple crystals similar to those in Figure 1, most of the authorative works listed the colour as white or clear together with the note that purple-coloured material had been laboratory grown. So, on the one hand it seems that we may have purchased an outstanding display, perhaps competition, piece for peanuts. But on the other, it could well be that we had purchased a very skillfully crafted fake. As an addendum, while in Turkey in 2004 we saw a very similar piece in a jewellery emporium, but labeled ‘amethyst’. We think not!! Ann & Noel Kennon, annoelk@gmail.com August 2018 Reference: Malcolm E. Back, Fleischer’s Glossary of Mineral Species 2018, The Mineral Record Inc., Tucson, USA Below: Tschermigite crystals on matrix from Kamchatka, Siberia(?). Specimen is 9.8cm across. Photograph: Noel Kennon.
A translation of the label, stated that the mineral is cubic with the composition (NH4)(Fe,Cr,K,Al)(SO4)2.12H2O which, excepting for the iron, chromium and potassium, is consistent with tschermigite as listed in Fleischer (2018). Those three elements are presumably present in only small concentrations and responsible for the colour. Additionally, it is described as a rare mineral found only in regions where there is volcanic activity consistent with the information provided by the salesperson.
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Collecting Minerals at the Higgins and Twilight Mines in Bisbee Article and photos by Rolf Luetcke Bisbee is a big place and the mines of Bisbee were very numerous but eventually all ended up under the control of Phelps Dodge. When I moved to Bisbee in 1971 the mines were still operating and a number of my neighbors worked at the mine in various jobs. The next-door neighbor, Ernest Zavala worked underground and the man up the street, Clemente Soto worked as a watchman and guard after he had an underground accident which didn’t allow him to work underground anymore. I learned from the friends that worked at the mine that their view of minerals was totally different than that of a collector. Most of the miners knew a little about minerals but not a lot. They knew turquoise had value but not much about specimens. The people who worked underground would occasionally bring me things they had found but most were of little value to a collector. As I started collecting minerals in Bisbee, I found that there was little of cabinet quality material lying on the old dumps that one could easily access. The hill above the street I lived on was Higgins Hill and there were several mines up on that hill. The lower mine is called the Higgins Mine and I accessed this mine by hiking up Quarry Canyon and then crossing the hill to the East and there were no fences or signs. I knew it was on Phelps Dodge land but I was not visible from town so hiked to this mine often. It was my access to the underground and I explored from this mine entrance often.
The photo below of the large black mine is the Twilight Mine and the large rock outcrop on the upper area of Higgins Hill. Escabrose ridge is above the mine and the talus below the mine show how steep the hill is.
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From my house I looked right at Higgins Hill with the mines, and above the lowest Higgins Mine was another big, black hole way up the hill. For many years I thought this was just another part of the Higgins Mine but later found it was a separate mine called the Twilight Mine or Twilight shaft. It has a large opening, which is visible driving the bypass road going into Bisbee from the West. Many of the locals called it the “black hole” and I hiked to it often. It was a dirty mine since it was iron and manganese and the rock was black and dirty.
There was one place on the West side of the property where a seam of hematite had been exposed. The hematite was made up of tiny platelets of a golden-brown material that rubbed off easily on one’s fingers and on one trip the friend and I who had hiked there did a nice job of face painting with the sparkly hematite. In today’s time it reminds me of the glitter they sell for the same purpose. The same hill had numerous smaller mine entrances and I explored many of them. The Twilight Mine followed a vein of manganese and went for several hundred yards along the upper part of the hill. From the Eastern most group of small diggings one could access Escabrosa Ridge and hike the upper areas of this part of the Mule Mountains.
There was one shaft about half way between the Higgins Mine and the Twilight that went straight into the hill. I took a flashlight along on a trip up the mountain to look into this mine. I was happy I did since a ways in the mine tunnel split and the one that was already in the dark had a shaft going down in the middle of the tunnel. It was not easily visible without light and went deep into the mountain at a nearly vertical angle. A fall into this shaft would probably be fatal. It was a good sign to always have good lights when going into mines. I later found that when the Higgins Mine below took over the Twilight claim, they used this tunnel to drop ore from the upper mine to the main Higgins tunnel where they had rail to take ore out. The hill with the mines was extremely steep and very hard to climb straight up and this was why they had put in the access tunnel to transfer the ore. Along Higgins Hill were areas that had been cut into the mountain to make shelves. This was not for mining but to keep rock from the steep mountain from falling onto the highway below. These shelves made for easy walking along the steep mountain and I took the shelves a few times to explore this part of the mountain.
The photo below of the Higgins Mine shows the trees where the mine entrance is and the talus slope right above the actual mine entrance not visible here. The ore chute was where ore was loaded and in the dumps here was where I found the galena and anglesite.
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The views of old Bisbee were quite nice from up here on the steep slope and I often sat and just watched the activity in town below.
Above Bisbee on one such hike along the shelf, after it stopped and went back to the steep hill, was another mine tunnel that went into the mountain. This tunnel had two interesting things. Fist was the cold air that came rushing out of the tunnel. I knew this meant it connected to underground mines that were more extensive than the small tunnel indicated. The second was that the first several meters of the tunnel went through a layer of banded limonite and hematite with nice white calcite. I had seen this material at other places and they locally called it ochre. It was very pretty material and I took tools one time to remove some for our collection. The ochre was soft but when in larger pieces held together quite well. Going into this mine tunnel was quite interesting since it had been one of the early hand-dug mines. It went in about 30 yards or so and there was a small side digging which was a dark green. When I first collected the material, it was just called serpentine and later this was determined to be antigorite. The small area had not been worked much and was quite moist from water inside the mountain. The material when wet showed its pretty color and some translucency. I only collected a few samples of this material but still have some today.
Just along the wall to the right was a tunnel that led into the mountain and a friend and I took this tunnel and after a short distance it entered a bigger worked area. We looked carefully at this room and it was the most unstable room I have ever seen in any mines I have entered. The remaining timbers were completely splintered to pieces and the whole chamber was full of blocks that had fallen from the ceiling. It was a very wet area and everything dripped water. We looked at everything from the tunnel we were standing in and then both looked at each other and said no matter what nice areas lay beyond it would be suicide to enter the chamber. I told the friend not even to cough or say anything loud or the whole room could come down. We never went back into this tunnel. This is where common sense comes in and one has to look at everything and decide whether an area is safe to enter. Many tunnels under Bisbee are in tough limestone and are as unchanged as they were when they were first dug over a hundred years ago. Going further to the East along the hill led one into the canyon right above the main part of Bisbee where the Southwest mine was located. Since access to this canyon was better from other areas I only took this route one time. Below: The green, massive material is serpentine or in this case antigorite.
Just beyond this spot the tunnel just fell off into a big open area that had been mined. The drop from the tunnel was about ten feet to the surface of broken rock below. It had enough hand holds that I went down into the open area. The worked-out room had tunnels leading off in several directions at the far side of the open area but the ceiling looked unstable and I didn’t want to cross this area.
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Up high on the mountain above and to the East of the Twilight Mine, just past the big exposed rock faces was one small mine that was all black manganese ores. It was here I collected a few times and this area had a number of interesting things. The main one was the beautiful green conichalcite that could occasionally be found in nice crystals. When first discovered this green material was thought to be a new mineral and was given the name “higginsite” until it was analyzed and found to be conichalcite. This was also the dump where I found my best single piece of pyrolusite that was made up of mostly crystalized areas. This mine also had a lot of braunite with some containing small but distinct crystals. There was one other thing I did find on the Higgins Hill and this was right below the actual entrance to the Higgins Mine and was in the dumps that the road to the mine went between and right below the ore chute. At this spot a bit of digging exposed the only galena and anglesite I had collected in the area. It was unusual material but I never collected more than a few pieces as examples.
Higgins Hill was right above where I lived so it was a place I often went to when I lived in Bisbee. Below top: The big piece of hematite and limonite is from the entrance to the one tunnel high up on the hill above Bisbee. Below centre: The silvery, metallic pyrolusite shows a bit of the crystallization on the piece, under magnification the crystals are quite nice.
The hill between the Higgins and Twilight was extremely steep and one time working my way up this steep talus slope with lots of bushes I found chunks of the overburden that contained some mineralization. On study of the material it had chalcocite, fluorite, malachite, calcite and more in some of the mineralized chunks. It was not well crystalized but I did collect a few pieces of the material.
Right: The green crystals are of the conichalcite which was collected at the Eastern and upper most dump of the Twilight Mine, on the other side of the big rock outcrop in the other photo but not visible in that photo.
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In Case You Missed It… Tourmaline!
Elements!
Interested in the tourmaline group of minerals? Then consider heading over to Jordi Fabre’s Friends of Minerals Forum where Roger Warin’s Mysterious and changing Tourmaline article can be found.
The British Broadcasting Company (the BBC) have been broadcasting a radio show on BBC Radio 4 called “In their element”. A number of series have been produced, with each episode focussing on a different element. Scientists tell the stories of different elements, explaining why these well-known substances matter for chemistry and also for the development of modern civilisation.
Originally written for the Association des Geologues Amateurs de Belgique, it has now been translated into English and posted as individual page images, or as a downloadable pdf. This 13 page article delves into the structural aspects of tourmaline, such as crystallography, chemistry and bonding, and includes 16 figures and photos. A bit of an interesting read.
You can (at the time of writing this) listen to each broadcast online. They are marked as to remain accessible indefinitely, but suggest you check them out sooner rather than later, just in case. You can also download them to listen to them later at your leisure.
Elbaite, Stak Nala, Pakistan. 25mm wide. Steve Sorrell photo and collection.
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Microorganisms in Garnets Abstract: Garnets from disparate geographical environments and origins such as oxidized soils and river sediments in Thailand host intricate systems of microsized tunnels that significantly decrease the quality and value of the garnets as gems. The origin of such tunneling has previously been attributed to abiotic processes. Here we present physical and chemical remains of endolithic microorganisms within the tunnels and discuss a probable biological origin of the tunnels. Extensive investigations with synchrotron-radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) reveal morphological indications of biogenicity that further support a euendolithic interpretation. We suggest that the production of the tunnels was initiated by a combination of abiotic and biological processes, and that at later stages biological processes came to dominate.
In environments such as river sediments and oxidized soils garnets are among the few remaining sources of bio-available Fe2+, thus it is likely that microbially mediated boring of the garnets has trophic reasons. Whatever the reason for garnet boring, the tunnel system represents a new endolithic habitat in a hard silicate mineral otherwise known to be resistant to abrasion and chemical attack. Full article, posted August 2018, available online by following the link below.
Intricate tunnels in garnets from soils and river sediments in Thailand – Possible endolithic microborings Authors: Magnus Ivarsson, Henrik Skogby, Bongkot Phichaikamjornwut, Stefan Bengtson, Sandra Siljeström, Prayote Ounchanum, Apichet Boonsoong, Mingkhwan Kruachanta, Federica Marone, Veneta Belivanova, Sara Holmström.
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On a Different Wavelength… I continue to have fun with my Convoy S2+ UV torch. I have been finding that quite a few mimetite specimens fluoresce. And zoning shows up quite nicely too. You can see that quite clearly in the images below. The top two images show a group of mimetite crystals from the South Mine, Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, and the bottom two images show mimetite crystals from Mt Bonnie, Northern Territory, Australia. The left-hand side are micro photos taken under normal light, and the right-hand photos under longwave using the Convoy. The exposure time for the UV photos is about 60 seconds. I must get better at cleaning specimens! The bluish-white specs are dust!
Steve Sorrell photos and specimens
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Update on the Minerals Heritage Museum The Minerals Heritage Museum mineral collection located within the Queensland Museum The Minerals Heritage Museum (MHM) display has been severely impacted since early 2018 due to renovations being undertaken at the Queensland Museum (QM), Southbank, Brisbane. Initially our collection had to be packed and stored so as renovations could occur within the Science Centre, located on the floor below. We had expected that mid year we would be allowed to redisplay the collection after renovations were completed. The MHM display has been well received by the public over the past four years, and our initial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with QM was to allow the MHM display into the museum until August 2018, when we expected another MOU to be negotiated. So it came as a big surprise to us when in June, the museum asked for the MHM collection to be removed at quite short notice. This was a difficult decision for us, as it meant not only moving and storing a number of large cabinets and hundreds of mineral specimens, but then we would be tasked with finding a new venue with which met our needs of security, public access and amenity. Due the short notice we received to remove our display (three weeks!) we decided that it was physically impossible for us to comply, and so I wrote to my local state member, Joan Pease, and the Queensland Minsoc patron and Trustee Bob Bryan, wrote to and spoke to the acting CEO of the Queensland Museum, Dr Jim Thompson, to emphasise the importance of keeping a high quality mineral collection on public display in Brisbane. After much behind the scenes work, it now seems that we have secured an undertaking from the QM to restore the collection to display at the completion of renovations, which are expected to take some months yet, and not probably into early 2019. In the meantime the bulk of the display collection will be stored at the QM warehouse at Hendra until such time as we are able to secure a place back in the QM next year. Although this is unfortunate, and means a whole year of the collection being off display, it is at this time our best option to move forward.
Tony Forsyth, Hon. Curator and Trustee, Minerals Heritage Museum, www.mineralmuseum.com.au
Dealer Spotlight: David K. Joyce… This issue, I talk with well-known Canadian mineral dealer, David K. Joyce.
Q. When did you first become interested in minerals? And what triggered that interest? Were you initially a collector? A. I first became interested in minerals when I found a gemmy garnet in rock at my Grandfather’s summer cottage, when I was 10 years old or so, I think. I stared at that thing for hours in wonder. Subsequently, my father started bringing home crystals, minerals and fossils that he somehow acquired from various people and they stimulated my interest further. Those became the first specimens in my collection. I joined the junior club of the Scarborough Gem and Mineral Club which facilitated learning and collecting and distributed lots of free minerals to us kids! As well, I visited the public library near our home and poured over the text and photos of the mineral and geology books stored there.
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Q. You are still a collector, yes? Do you target particular species/groups/localities? A. Yes, these days, I limit my collection to two groups, one very broad and one much more narrow.
The first is Canadian minerals. Although geology and mineralogy know no political boundaries, I am somehow drawn to the mineral specimens that come from the various nooks and crannies of my home country. I love the connections to famous mining areas, well known mines, historical developments, geographical oddities and world class localities within Canada. That gives me great scope! Canada is, politically, relatively small in the world but geographically and mineralogically it is HUGE, containing way more past and present great mineral localities than most countries of the world.
The second is native elements from anywhere. I have always been drawn to the element minerals that need not combine chemically with other elements to form more complex minerals. As it happens, Canada has an abundance of many native elements so my Canadian suite is well endowed with native elements. As well, my native elements suite is well endowed with Canadian specimens! Until recently, I also collected international sulphides and sulphosalts but now do not. To keep my collection under control size-wise, the physical space that my collection takes up is constrained. I was running out of room so it could not grow larger! I’ve reached that mark a number of times and that is when some specimens need to leave to make room for new additions. So the sulphides and sulphosalts had to go so that the other two categories could continue to grow and improve.
Collecting native copper at Mamainse Point, Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada Volume 1 | Issue 2 | Monthly Mineral Chronicles | September 2018
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Q. What attributes does a specimen need to go into your collection now?
Q. Does your dealer stock tend to reflect your collecting interests?
A. In the past, I was more species or locality driven, for sure. These days, a specimen has to have some photographically pleasing attribute to it. That might be a micro feature on a macro specimen, a nicely aesthetic macro specimen or just a portion of a piece that exhibits beauty or interesting features well in a photo.
A. Yes. Always has. When I started my minerals business 36 years ago, my modus operandi was to only sell minerals that interested me. No Uruguayan amethyst for kids. No ulexite “TV stone”, no Brazilian tourmalines, no Pakistani aquamarines. First of all, they hold little interest for me. Secondly, a high percentage of other dealers have those things. To enjoy the business and differentiate myself, I have always sold, predominately, Canadian minerals plus international sulphides, sulphosalts and native elements. I no longer collect international sulphides and sulphosalts but continue to acquire and sell them.
An historically interesting specimen might also fit. That is, a rich specimen from a famous mine, one owned by an interesting person or perhaps an ordinary ore specimen that was a gift from a well known explorer or mine developer. The story(ies) that go with any specimen are very interesting to me. I have developed a small sub collection of diamond drill cores that contains rare crystals, vugs of crystals or interesting paragenesis. Something about the glimpse of geology and mineralogy deep in the earth, revealed by such a diamond drill core, that I find fascinating.
Below: David Joyce emptying a calcite, quartz and pyrite vug at the Engineer Mine, Tagish Lake, British Columbia, Canada.
On occasion, when purchasing an old collection, they contain many excellent specimens that are not of my core interests. They still go onto my website and are offered to my customers. As well, my modus operandi has intentionally included specimens for a wide range of collectors, particularly mid-range collectors.
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I don’t want to have only the best or try to be the “mineral connoisseurs” dealer. I have tried to source good quality, unusual minerals that others do not have. Some are for beginners, some are for average collectors and some are for connoisseurs. Q. When and why did you start dealing in minerals?
By-the-way, when I started my minerals business thirty-six years ago, I typed (two fingers!) my lists out on a typewriter with detailed descriptions of each specimen –no photo’s, made copies, put each in an envelope and sent them out around the world. It usually took up to a couple of weeks for the envelope to reach customers.
Thirty-six years ago, the reason, originally, was to They would then send a letter with cash or cheque help “feed my habit”. By being a part time dealer I in an envelope and then I would send out the could theoretically develop a cash flow for specimen(s) to them. It often took a month or two minerals, to acquire batches of minerals, keep a to consummate a sale! good one for myself and sell the rest. My day-job Hard to believe in this time of rapid internet/esalary, working for an explosives company, in mail/PayPal and credit cards that we’ve become those days, was primarily for mortgage and family accustomed to! purposes. As the business grew, it became apparent to me that it could become a full-time job that I would love and take me to retirement. It worked! For many Silver, 6.0cm tall, Cobalt Lode Mine, Cobalt, Ontario, Canada years, my minerals business was a fun endeavour in the spare time and between mining-related jobs, that helped me build my collection. Eventually, it became a contributor to my income and, eventually, my sole income. I think it would have been difficult or impossible, in Canada, to execute my business model at mineral shows. Very few people at most mineral shows want to buy native elements, rare minerals, sulphides, etc. I realized from the beginning that it could only be accomplished by reaching out to like-minded people around the globe. Thus, I have never done mineral shows but have built my business, first, as a mail-order business, sending out lists of minerals all around the world, then adapting it to the internet and selling minerals through my website. Oh, I have done a very few shows but those were mostly one-off efforts to meet like-minded collectors in geographic areas and try to inform them about my mail order-internet business.
Millerite, 16.0cm across, Thompson Open Pit, Thompson, Manitoba, Canada
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Q. Without giving away trade secrets, can you tell us how you go about sourcing new material? A. Acquiring minerals that my customers will appreciate is an opportunistic endeavour. Here are the various ways, ALL of which have been important: 1. Personally collecting specimens. (THE most difficult and risky one but most fun!). 2. Purchasing surplus, good quality, appropriate specimens from people like me (New finds!) 3. Purchasing old collections. (A great way to get old classics) 4. Selling collections or parts of collections on consignment (great specimens and financially less onerous or risky) 5. Exchanges with institutions. (A great way to get unusual things) 6. Agreements with mining companies to sell unusual minerals from their mine. (I have had a number of exclusive agreements like this over the years)
The price that I pay for specimens is as important as the price I sell specimens for. To get the right combination, if I don’t collect them myself, I spend much time to acquire quality, unusual or rare specimens at the right prices so that I can offer them to my customers at reasonable prices. Q. If you could go back in time, would you do anything differently? A. If I could go back in time, I think I would have tried to launch my mineral specimen business larger and sooner. I stutter-stepped a few times relegating the mineral business to part time status, to return to interesting-sounding jobs in the mining business, only to return to minerals again after a period.
I found that being an entrepreneur in my minerals business was more interesting, freeing and fulfilling than working for companies.
Pyrite coated fluorite crystal on hematite coated amethyst, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
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Cubanite, 15mm across,T-1 Mine, Thompson, Manitoba, Canada This cubanite crystal was the model for David’s logo! Cubanite is, despite its name, a very Canadian mineral!
Ilmenite, 6.0cm across, Bentley Lake, near Bancroft, Ontario, Canada
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Q. And lastly, you have another talent! Want to share that with us? A. If you mean music and songwriting? I have always been a musician and mineral collector since early days. There is a picture of me 50 years ago sitting on the bumper of my Dad’s car at an outdoor mineral show swapping minerals and playing my first guitar. I have written songs, played guitar, banjo and harmonica at folk festivals, coffee houses and house concerts for many years as another part time undertaking. It was inevitable, I guess, that I would eventually write and perform songs about mining, mineralogy and mineral collecting. A few years ago, my repertoire of such songs were compiled into a compact disc recording entitled “Nuggets and High Grade”. It is a collection of songs, mostly light hearted or humorous that I often perform at mineral shows, symposia or late at night in hotel rooms (usually some beer and wine involved). Many have sing along choruses that people like to join in on.
So: • “Damn the Glaciers!” My bitterness about the ice sheets that scraped away the secondary minerals in Canada • “The Crystals that I’ve Known” –reminisces of an old dedicated collector • “Diggin’ in a hole” All about digging for crystals • “Crystal Systems” –The deficiencies of all crystal systems other than the Isometric System. • “Gold is Where You Find It” –Geologists seem to like this one! • “The Dealer” People think that all mineral dealers are wealthy beyond belief. It’s true!
And others. All may be listened to for free in the “Music” section of my website. Interested listeners can purchase a CD to listen to in their cars or home systems. Thank you David!
All Photos by David Joyce David metal detecting for electrum and stibarsen at the Engineer Mine, Tagish Lake, British Columbia
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Buena Vista Contin-Tail Show … The Buena Vista Contin-Tail (Continental Tailgate) Gem and Mineral show takes place in the beautiful valley of Buena Vista, Colorado the second weekend of August, annually. This year’s show hosted over 130 vendors from all over the county and even the world! Almost every vendor that attends the show has a fun story to tell about collecting or making their own inventory. Meandering in and out of every tent to view the available wares is always a fun time. Pretty much everything you could think of related to the lapidary arts, minerals, gems and even handmade jewelry is available for purchase at the show. It is by far the largest outdoor mineral show in Colorado and second only to Quartzite in the United States. With free parking and free admission, you are sure to have a fun time at the show. The phenomenal view alone makes the day enjoyable as you shop in a relaxed atmosphere. After a long day of walking and talking there are several hot springs nearby where you can soak your tired feet before returning for a second round of fun the next day. For more information about the show please go to the webpage www.BVRockshow.com or follow the Facebook page @BuenaVistaContinTailMineralShow Rachel Ford-Dingfield Chaotic2Creations
More photos on next three pages. All Photos by Rachel Ford-Dingfield.
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Wow! Large amazonite cluster.
More Amazonite.
Petrified Wood.
Jaspers.
Polished stones.
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Tent City.
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Really Old Rocks.
Carrots v Carats.
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Třenice Phosphate Locality… The Trenice (Třenice) phosphate locality is located just a few kilometers from highway D5, about 35 km NE from Plzen (Pilsen) and 40 km SW from Praha (Prag), Czech Republic. The collecting spot can be reached after 15-20 minutes of walking. The locality is situated in a long abandoned quarry. The host rock consists of ordovician graywackesandstone-silicite sediments with many tiny veins and fissures filled by phosphates. The origin of the phosphates is probably from abundant fossil shells. However, no fossils are present in the phosphate rich rocks. Wavellite is dominant, but also cacoxenite, strengite and variscite can be found. The quarry was abandoned and over the years, collecting activities ceased, and the quarry became a bushy forest. Recently, some photos and videos from this quarry were published online and it took just about a year before violent digging activities drew the attention of local officials. Digging in the forests is not exactly illegal, but it was tolerated for some time. In the early Spring of 2018, two new huge holes were too much. Unfortunately, quite a typical story about disrespect to nature and landowners. The most wavellite-rich layers were in coarse-grained yellow graywackes with a slightly greenish tint of glauconite. Wavellite is the most common phosphate, often forming up to a couple of millimetres thick radial aggregates filling fissures. Splitting graywacke often reveals fissures filled by wavellite sprays, and specimens reaching more then 10 cm are quite common. At certain spots, where the pressure produced wider fissures, rare wavellite balls up to 1 cm formed in the vugs. Much less abundant is gray-pink strengite, forming up to 3 mm balls. Teskov was previously well-known for nice cacoxenite specimens, which were very hard to find for years. New digging spots obviously hit some cacoxenite layers, which also contain the black manganese oxide, lithiophorite. Rarely, these specimens also include white-blue radial aggregates and small balls of variscite.
Below: Main hole reopened by the authors of the video. Later, a couple of more holes emerged around the whole quarry. Situation in February 2017.
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Above: Red circle highlights phosphate occurrence.
Phosphates occur also in the red sandstones and grayish quartzites, but rarely form pockets with nice phosphate balls. Usually only very thin and barely visible radial aggregates are present in fissures. There is no modern detailed study of the phosphate minerals from Trenice. Some interesting specimens were provided to the Natural History Museum in Prag by the author. Detailed study of the specimens (collected during the phosphate rush of 2016-2018) revealed some unknown phases and also an interesting sequence of the phosphate growth.
A visit to this locality can be easily coupled with visit to Prag, Pilsen, mining museums in Pribram or the collecting spot at Milina Hill (wavellite and variscite), or the active Teskov quarry (phosphates, quartz pockets). There are still plenty of wavellite specimens on the dumps, and with some luck, also decent cacoxenite can be found. Digging is not recommended, as it can quickly lead to problems with local authorities. Article and photos by Zbyněk Buřival, Brno, Czech Republic.
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Above: Typical fissure filled with radial aggregates of wavellite, size 10 x 10 cm. Below: Excellent piece of wavellite balls, specimen size 6 x 5 cm. Note the yellow color caused by the thin coating of cacoxenite on wavellite.
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Wavellite balls covered by thin layer of yellow cacoxenite, note the tiny balls of pink strengite. FOV 20 mm.
Yellow-brown cacoxenite with bluish variscite and black lithiphorite. FOV 20 mm. Volume 1 | Issue 2 | Monthly Mineral Chronicles | September 2018
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Another hole, freshly reopened in January 2018.
In-situ about 1 cm wide fissure with wavellite balls.
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Clockwise from top left: Radial aggregates of wavellite. FOV 40 mm. Radial aggregates of cacoxenite. FOV 15 mm. Typical sprays of wavellite with thin layer of yellow cacoxenite. FOV 30 mm. Radial aggregates of wavellite with yellow cacoxenite. FOV 40 mm. Balls of yellow cacoxenite, the pinkish coating might be another unknown phosphate. FOV 15 mm. Gray-pink strengite with wavellite balls. Note the yellow color caused by thin cacoxenite coating on wavellite. FOV 25 mm.
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Complex specimen with yellow cacoxenite, bluish variscite, black and rusty-brown lithiophorite, gray-brown balls of strengite, and big sprays of wavellite. FOV 30 mm.
Sprays of yellow-brown cacoxenite with cores of unknown phosphate. FOV 10 mm.
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In Search of Barwoodite… Article and photos by Steve Stuart In early 2016, Dr. Henry “Bumpi” Barwood notified his e-mail distribution list several times about a potential new mineral he was finding in material from the 3M Quarry, Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas. Preliminary analyses led him to call it a manganese niobium silicate. He distributed images, some of which were published in the CMMA MicroNews. At the SE Micromineralogists Symposium that Dr. Barwood organized at Troy University in Alabama in July 2016, much material was distributed to participants. The author brought several pieces back, rich in the “new mineral”. Dr. Barwood also gave a presentation regarding ongoing research to characterize the potential new mineral. Excitement about his discovery was tempered by word of Dr. Barwood’s passing in the fall of 2016. It was not until the fall of 2017 that his discovery was officially recognized and named barwoodite in his memory and honor. The author snipped off a small piece of the “new mineral” and sent it to Kerry Day for rudimentary EDS analysis. Here is a photo of the piece, sent to him in September 2016.
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Kerry returned the top spectrum. Note the major components of manganese, niobium and silicon, with a slight leavening of titanium. This sample was sent to Kerry Day in September 2016 before barwoodite was officially named, so his response was, “No idea!” Now, we can say that this spectrum is representative of the new mineral barwoodite from the 3M Quarry. To be sure, a second sample from 3M Quarry was sent to Kerry in early 2018 with the bottom spectrum returned. Exact match!
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Even in 2016, members of the SE Micromineralogists group were speculating that barwoodite might be found at the other syenite quarries near the 3M Quarry, most likely at the Granite Mountain Quarry No.1 (GMQ1). The 2017 SE Micromineralogists Symposium, the first after Dr. Barwood’s passing, was held in Little Rock Arkansas in late July 2017. It included field trips to 3MQ and GMQ1. The author only brought back a bucket from each quarry, not being an experienced field collector. Breaking down and searching through the GMQ1 material resulted in a few samples of what might be the elusive barwoodite from GMQ1. Here are some results.
Spectrum of Sample #114- PYROPHANITE
Sample #114
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Sample #115. Possibly hilairite or calciohilairite!! This result does not make sense.
Spectrum of Sample #115- POSSIBLY HILAIRITE or CALCIOHILAIRITE!!
Sample #115
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Again, this does not make sense. Barwoodite from GMQ1 remained elusive!
Spectrum of Sample #122- IRON SCUM!!
Sample #122
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Another more experienced collector, Jim Stoops, brought out copious amounts of material from the July 2017 visit to GMQ1. He was very generous in sharing a lot of it with other micromineral enthusiasts at the SE Micromineralogists Winter Gathering in February 2018. From the latter event, the author brought home a fair amount for exploration. One of the samples is shown below. This looked extremely promising, so a small piece was extracted, recovered and sent to Kerry Day for analysis. He returned the following spectrum.
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This matches almost exactly the two confirmed barwoodite spectra from the 3M Quarry. The next image shows what remains of the specimen after extracting a piece for analysis. The author has labeled and catalogued it in his collection. The bottom image shaws a orange plate of possible barwoodite from GMQ1. The author feels confident that barwoodite is indeed found at a second locality, the Granite Mountain Quarry No. 1, Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.
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Modern Crystalline Discoveries in Maine’s Pegmatite District… Article and photos by Paul Cyr, Deep Seeded Trading Post, eonphader@hotmail.com The state of Maine in the Northeast corner of America is a woodland treasure chest of minerals both rare and common. The area has been explored by the adventurous, the ingenious and the opportunistic with mineralogical purpose for roughly 200 years, in search of coveted gem materials and large deposits of “spar”. Maine became the 23rd state in 1820. In that same year, tourmaline was discovered at Mt. Mica by Elijah Hamlin. The discovery and early history is well documented in two books by Hamlin’s son, Augustus Choate Hamlin- The Tourmaline, and The History of Mt. Mica. A.C. Hamlin later spent most of his life exploring, digging and documenting Mt. Mica, solidifying Maine’s position in pegmatite history forever. In the early 1800’s, Maine granite was utilized in the Eastern American states and down into the Caribbean as building and dimension stone. Limestone and slate production were also among the early mining industries, with limestone used for fertilizer and slate used for roofing tiles. The industries of quarrying and processing mica and feldspar began early, with feldspar first being mined in Topsham in 1852. Feldspar was used in ceramics applications, and mica was used for wood stove windows and as an insulating material. Throughout the years, the Maine pegmatites and other mineral and stone producing bodies continued to provide valuable ore on an industrial scale for a multitude of applications. Below: “Crystal Pistol” tourmaline with blue cap. Easter Sunday Pocket, Coastal Pegmatite, Georgetown, Maine. 1.6 cm. Collected by B. Moose.
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In the 1920’s and throughout the second World War, the search for cesium ore, present as massive and crystalline pollucite, continued the hunt for rare elements in Maine’s pegmatite country. The cesium was used in the construction of atomic clocks and other complex technical devices. Beryllium was also mined during WWII for nuclear applications. Between the 1920’s and 1950’s, some very large crystals of beryl and spodumene were discovered, to about 10 meters in length! These finds took place in Oxford County, Maine, the most concentrated area of crystal bearing pegmatites in the state. On a recent digging and prospecting trip to Maine via New Jersey, I inquired with a few miners about modern discoveries of crystalline minerals. I am pleased to relay that there are several operations underway, aiming to satisfy both gemstone connoisseurs and mineral collectors around the world. Colton Hill in Stow, Oxford County, produced starting on September 4th, 2017, a series of 36 pockets in about 90 days. The largest of which was 1 m wide by 1.37 m long by 1 m high. The best pocket produced over 300 double terminated “grape jelly” amethyst crystals about the size of a jumbo egg or slightly larger (B. Moose 2018; personal communication). In 2018, the quarry is producing large and abundant blue beryl var. aquamarine crystals, with good color and defined crystal faces. Some of these have been the size of a human head upward. Also in Oxford County, high on top of Noyes Mountain in Greenwood, Maine, a major quartz discovery was made in 2017. Frank Perham discovered and collected the Mother Mary Pocket at Hayes Ledge. The pocket measured 17.37 m wide, and provided thousands of sharp, water clear quartz crystals (B. Moose 2018; personal communication). Below: “Inkblot” Elbaite tourmaline. Easter Sunday Pocket, Coastal Pegmatite, Georgetown, Maine. 1.5 cm. Collected by B. Moose.
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The Havey Quarry in Poland, Androscoggin County, was originally mined from 1910 to the 1970’s. The discoverer and mine’s namesake, Forrest Havey, began opening pockets of gem grade elbaite tourmaline crystals in 1910, and made a fortune on marketing the tonnage at $15USD per carat! These crystals represented some of the finest in Maine history for gem quality, crystal terminations and shear color. The Havey Quarry became known as the “type locality” for the watermelon variety of tourmaline, which was originally reported in newspapers in Lewiston, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts at the time. 100 years later, the mine has seen a resurgence in action, and has been producing sporadic pockets of gem grade tourmaline since 2010. The quality of the best of these crystals is quite frankly unmatched by any other domestic tourmaline source at this time. Each pocket found during the modern venture has been named and documented. Much of the material is being fashioned into luxurious jewelry, usually set in gold and accompanied by diamonds. The mine is also producing large smoky quartz crystals, and smaller ones with cathedral-like parallel faces; brilliant purple fluorapatite that sometimes grades into a teal color; massive or partially developed blue beryl; forest green feldspar; black schorl tourmaline, usually very wide and embedded in matrix rock; some of the richest purple lepidolite in the area; and even micro sized specimens of red rhodochrosite. The quarry has potential for much more, with a rare elemental assemblage present. The mine continues to develop in this exciting venture, hopefully to replicate the glory of the previous century’s finds. Below: Smoky quartz scepter crystal. Havey Quarry, Poland, Maine. 3.3 cm. Collected by Paul Cyr.
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Top: Amethyst scepter. Colton Hill, Stow, Maine. 3 cm. Collected by B. Moose.
Below: “Watermelon” tourmaline, from the “type locality” for this variety. Havey Quarry, Poland, Maine. 1.2 cm. Collected by Paul Cyr.
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Purple fluorapatite. Havey Quarry, Poland, Maine. 2.4 cm. Collected by Paul Cyr.
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Green elbaite tourmaline. Havey Quarry, Poland, Maine. 2.4 cm. Collected by Paul Cyr.
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Euhedral rose quartz crystals on colorless to smoky quartz. Plumbago Mountain, Newry, Maine. 2.2 cm.
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Renewed mining on Plumbago Mountain in Newry has seen the production of specimen grade samples of euhedral rose quartz crystals, which have a pleasing pink hue and appear to grade into a bright pink chalcedony at least occasionally. Recent communications with a specimen miner on the project revealed that some rudimentary blue tourmaline is being seen intergrown with the rose quartz. Unique associations include eosphorite and large columbite crystals. An interesting pegmatite occurrence in the coastal region of Georgetown, Sagadahoc County, Maine was fruitful in Spring, 2017. The Easter Sunday Pocket consisted of two tandem nearly parallel pockets that connected at one end .3 m wide by .6 m deep by .46 m high that yielded many spruce green tourmaline crystals with a closed C-axis, a few smoky quartz crystals on green tourmaline associations and many specimens of colorless to purple apatite in a variety of aesthetic forms and habits (B. Moose 2018; personal communication). The tourmaline crystals are very unique at this find- the spruce green color usually has a darker, amorphous “inkblot inclusion” of what appears to be another phase of tourmaline, perhaps even another species. More research must be done on this strange occurrence to solve the inkblot mystery. Most of the crystals are terminated and well developed, some also showing parallel growth and epitaxial cluster groups. Some of the tourmalines have a thin veil of blue at their basal termination. With such a rich cannon of geological history, the evergreen lined mountainsides of Maine still call out to be explored. These recent discoveries have shown us a glimpse of what still lies beneath the surface in these pegmatite deposits. The complex chemistry within the forest hills still has the potential for discovery, whether large, gem, metallic or micro.
An evening on the lake in Oxford, Maine.
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Mineralogy of Franklin and Ogdensburg… Mineralogy of Franklin and Ogdensburg, New Jersey. A Photographic Celebration. Edited by Vandall T. King, Philip Betancourt, Peter Chin, Tema Hecht, Nathaniel E. King, Steve Kuitems, Harold Moritz, Janet D. Nemetz, Tony Nikischer, Steve Sanford, James Van Fleet, Earl Verbeek. The Franklin book is in preparation and Van King advises it will include 23 chapters, run to about 850 pages and will contain about 3000 images. No final count, yet. All images are stacked including cabinet photos and fluorescent minerals. About 80% of the book is in final review and awaiting comments and approval by the Franklin Mineral Museum board. There is an off chance that it will be available by Tucson time. There are 23 chapters, the largest two are the white light minerals and the fluorescent minerals. There are chapters featuring minerals from major museums and from major mineral collectors. The Franklin Mining District has over 380 mineral species, 71 of which are Type Locality species, and mineral specimens have been continuously collected for more than 200 years. This comprehensive book will be a must have for any serious collector of minerals from the region. You may have to reinforce your bookcase though! For more information, including access to sample Franklin mineralogy pages (49 of them!), go to www.newryqs.com/Franklin.html.
Below: Brookite, Franklin, New Jersey, USA. Photo width approximately 3mm. Van King photo.
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Advertisements and Submissions… Interested in placing a full, half or quarter page advertisement in the Monthly Mineral Chronicles? Get in touch to learn more. I will be seeking articles of interest that have anything to do with minerals, from anywhere around the world. Examples might include: New Discoveries, Interesting Finds, Locality Reports, Show Reports, Club or Society News, Publications, Educational Articles, and anything else that is mineral-related. In upcoming issues, you can expect to see reports from around the world, including from the US, the UK, South America, Europe, Africa, the Asian Sub-Continent, and of course, the Australasian region. So, if you are interested in being a Monthly Mineral Chronicles Roving Reporter, please get in touch! The following Patreon Patrons are thanked for their support in producing this issue: • Philanthropist and Art Lovers: Keith Compton, Ed Richard, and Frank Ruehlicke
• Partners: Peter Manchester and Cordelia Moss. • Collaborators: Bob Beattie , Mark Willoughby, Graham Ogle, Peter Mostert, Maureen Pask, Paul Meszaros and Steve Speyer. • Supporters: William Mason, Malcolm R Uffelman Jr, Michael Stott, Mark Willoughby, Graham Ogle, Greg Andrew, Steve Stuart, Ed Johnson, Jan Osinga, Robert Santee, Zbynek Burival, Caitlin McCoull, Tony Forsyth, Wolf Noack, Marnie Pope, Carl Bjorklund, David Mustart, Suzie Ericksson, and Fred Kapteina. In addition, this issue would not be so wide-ranging without the input from: Colleen Thomson, Noel Kennon, Tony Forsyth, Rolf Luetcke, David Joycce, Rachel Ford-Dingfield, Zbyněk Buřival, Stephen Stuart, Paul Stephen Cyr, Van King, and Ed Richard.
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