Mineral Notes - 2005
MINERALOGY/MICROMOUNT January 8, 2005
Meeting was called to order by Chairman, Kathy Dedina promptly at 7:30 PM, since
we are now under a time constraint for the use of the meeting room.
Jim Daly announced that there will be no Keweenaw Week this year. John Good
suggested that we consider Bancroft, Ontario for a summer field trip.
The study group case for the March show will be on zinc minerals. If this
doesn’t work out, we will go with yellow and orange minerals.
Assignments for February’s meeting on native elements are:
Iron- Kathy Dedina
Lead- John Good
Nickel- Phil Smith
Bismuth- Sheila Bergmann
In March we will study the minerals of China.
This month’s program was a video on the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado, provided by
Dave Bergmann. This is an old silver mine that was operated for specimens of
rhodochrosite from 1990 to 2004. It produced during that time the finest
rhodochrosite specimens ever seen.
The first Mystery Mineral of the Month was revealed as muscovite. There were
three correct identifications, and Kathy Dedina’s name was drawn as the winner.
Refreshments were provided by John Good.
Submitted by Jim Daly
MINERALOGY/MICROMOUNT February 12, 2005
Meeting was called to order by Chairman, Kathy Dedina at 7:45 PM. Next month’s
meeting on China Minerals was discussed. Dick Ade will do Geology and Geography.
Sheila Bergmann will do mining and dealers. John Good will do fluorite. Kathy
Dedina will do other topics.
IRON – NICKEL by Kathy Dedina and Phil Smith
Most Iron-nickel is extraterrestrial, and known as meteorites. There are,
however some natural deposits of terrestrial Iron-nickel, but they are rare and
limited. Crystals are basically unheard of, although some meteorites show etched
crystals on polished faces.
Meteorites come from outer space, but their original source is questionable.
Hundreds of meteors fall toward earth every day, but most of them burn up in the
atmosphere. The few that make it to earth usually land in water, and the few
that land on the ground are generally small.
Meteorites usually contain a crust, which forms when they
are partially molten (from the heat of their speed) in the atmosphere, and
solidify when they cool down by landing on earth.
Iron-nickel (terrestrial or extraterrestrial) develop a coating of rust if
washed or kept in moist area. If a specimen must be washed with water, it should
be thoroughly dried. In addition, specimens should be kept in rice or with
silica gel to absorb moisture.
Localities Some areas, such as the famous Barringer Crater
(also known as Meteor Crater) in Coconino Co., Arizona have been struck by a
gigantic meteor, which scattered meteorite fragments throughout the surrounding
area. Meteorites are easily found in Antarctica and other regions permanently
covered with snow, as the white background provides easy spotting for dark
Meteorites.
Terrestrial Iron-nickel is found sparingly in only a few localities; the most
famous are Kassel, Germany, the Kola Peninsula, Russia, and Disco Island (also
known as Qeqertarsuaq), Greenland, where the Iron/Iron-nickel was once thought
to be of alien origin. Small waterworn nuggets were found in the Fraser River,
near Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada, and in the Gorge river, New Zealand.
Terrestrial Iron/Iron-nickel was also found in Josephine Co., Oregon; Smith
River, Del Norte Co., California; Cameron, Clinton Co., Missouri; and St.
Josephs island in Lake Huron.
BISMUTH by Sheila Bergmann
Bismuth is about as rare as Silver. Bismuth has a metallic-white color with a
slight reddish or pinkish hue. Such a color will only be present on an
untarnished (i.e. freshly broken) surface, since Bismuth tarnishes yellow to
dark-gray.
Bismuth rarely occurs in decent crystals. Most marketed Bismuth specimens are
man made, and exhibit a very interesting shape. They have hopper-like growths in
pseudocubic crystals, and are usually coated with chemicals to prevent tarnish,
thus maintaining the silver-white color.
Uses: Bismuth is an ore of the element bismuth. Much of the poor quality Bismuth
specimens are artificially regrown to produce interestingly shaped hopper-like
Bismuth specimens.
Bismuth expands when solidifying. Bismuth has a very interesting property: This
property, and the fact that it is very diamagnetic, offer it numerous uses in
the electronic field.
Striking Features: Color, tarnish, sectility, and striations on cleaved surfaces
Complex Tests: Becomes slightly malleable when heated, expands when solidifying,
and is strongly diamagnetic
Localities: Probably the best specimens were taken from
Schneeberg and Saxony, Germany. Excellent specimens were also found in Fahlun,
Sweden, and at San Baldomero, near La Paz, Bolivia.. In Canada, it has been
found at Cobalt, Timiskaming District, Ontario, and at Great Bear Lake,
Mackenzie District, Northwest Territory. It occurs with Bismuthinite in the El
Carmen Mine in Durango, Mexico. No U.S. locality is really noteworthy, although
small amounts have been found in California, South Carolina, and South Dakota.
LEAD by John Good
Lead is extremely uncommon in a native state. It is limited to very few
localities, and even there it is hard to find.
Lead is used in batteries, paint pigments, glasswork, and in sheathing electric
cables. Its great mass enables it to be used as a shield for radioactive
materials. Much lead is being replaced with other metals, particularly in
piping, paints, and glasswork, due to its serious ability to cause brain damage.
Striking Features: Light-gray color, heaviness, and softness (can be scratched
with a fingernail)
Complex Tests: Dissolves in nitric acid
Localities: Franklin and Ogdensburg, both in Sussex Co., New Jersey, and the
Harstig Mine in Sweden are basically the only known localities for Native Lead,
although small amounts have been reported to be found in the state of Vera Cruz,
Mexico, and in the Ural Mountains in Russia.
Web Sites of Interest
http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity
http://neon.mems.cmu.edu/cramb/Processing/history.html
http://www.minerals.net/mineral/elements
Meteoritical Society
http://www.meteoriticalsociety.org/
Geology Discipline Home Page
http://geology.usgs.gov/index.shtml
Minutes by John Good
Lead
http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Pb/key.html
http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Pb/geol.html
http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Pb/uses.html
http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/elements/82.html
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lead/
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lead/lead_mcs05.pdf
http://neon.mems.cmu.edu/cramb/Processing/history.html
MINERALOGY/MICROMOUNT March 12, 2005
Meeting was called to order by Chairman, Kathy Dedina at 7:45M, since the
meeting room wasn’t opened on time.
John Good announced that a field trip to Hamilton, IL for geodes is being
planned for the second weekend in April.
The April meeting of our study group will be on the 3rd Saturday instead of the
2nd.
Future programs were determined: April will be Indian zeolites, May will be on
the minerals of Madagascar, and June Pakistan.
Assignments for April:
Jim Daly- the zeolite minerals
Frank Pransche- mining and field collecting
Sheila Bergmann- geology
Kathy Dedina- other minerals from India.
This month’s program was on China.
Dick Ade described the geology of China, using maps to show how the palaeoplates
have moved to form what is now China. Coordinating the various maps id difficult
because different transliterations result in different names for the same place.
There are 168 major commercial mineral deposits in China: chromite in the west,
copper & nickel in the south, etc.
Sheila Bergmann discussed dealers and mining in China. Most dealers in China are
not very knowledgeable, although that is improving somewhat. Therefore, locality
information is suspect- often the location of the dealer, rather than the mine-
and fakes abound. The better specimens are all exported, mainly to Europe, while
the local dealers only have the poorer specimens, but at high prices. Mining
dates back to about 3000 years ago, and mining methods have changed little in
that time. Most mines are small, with little mechanization. The are operated by
hand labor, which is plentiful and cheap. There are about 200,000 registered
mines. Most are shallow vertical shafts, since wood for timbering is scarce,
making horizontal adits impractical. The Geological Survey of China was only
founded in 1922. Much prospecting is done by looking for certain plants that
supposedly indicate the presence of certain minerals.
John Good talked about fluorite from China. Many localities produce octahedral
crystals, rather than the more common cubes. The best specimens come from Goju
and Fujan in Hunan Province. Many of the specimens are oiled or otherwise
altered to enhance their appearance. Fluorite is found everywhere in China,
which leads the world in production with about 4 million tons per year.
Kathy Dedina spoke of other minerals from China. It has been claimed that every
known mineral is found in China. 98 minerals have been found first in China,
most of them in the 1960s through the 1990s. The rarer species aren’t often
seen, since the Chinese dealers prefer to handle the showier specimens, rather
than the rare species.
The Mystery Minerals for the Month for February and March were revealed.
February was celestine. All guesses were wrong, since they said celestite. The
celestite guesses were accepted, though, and Judy Dedina’s name was drawn as the
winner. March was fluorite. All submissions were correct, and Doris Ade was
drawn as the winner.
Refreshments were provided by Sheila Bergmann: a birthday cake for Dave’s
birthday.
Submitted by Jim Daly
MINERALOGY/MICROMOUNT April 16, 2005
Meeting was called to order by Chairman, Kathy Dedina at 7:30 PM.
John Good reminded the members of the Chicagoland Show on Memorial Day weekend.
He also discussed the possibility of a field trip to Bancroft, Ontario in July,
since this year it will not conflict with Keweenaw Week.
Assignments for May (Madagascar):
Dick Ade- geology and geography
Sheila Bergmann- fossils
Kathy Dedina- minerals
Assignments for June (Pakistan):
Jim Daly- minerals
Sheila Bergmann- geology
Kathy Dedina- history and mining
This month’s program was on India.
Sheila Bergmann described the geology and geography of India with the use of
maps from various sources. The Indian plate broke off from the African plate
about 80 million years ago. Volcanism during this rifting produced the Deccan
basalt, which hosts the zeolite mineralization. The Indian plate drifted
northeast until it collided with the Eurasian continent about 10 million years
ago. This collision caused the formation of the Himalaya mountains.
Jim Daly described the zeolites of the Deccan basalt area and showed pictures of
many of them.
Kathy Dedina spoke of the other minerals from India. India is the world’s
largest supplier of ruby, but most is of poor quality. From the 4th century B.C.
until the 17th century India was the primary source for diamonds. India has also
produced many semi-precious stones, such as agate, since about 3000 B.C. It must
be remembered, though, that the various reports from the past that cite “India”
as a locality may not refer to the India we know today. Prior to 1947, India
included what is now Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and more. In addition,
many cut stones represented as being from India may not have originated there.
For example, most emerald is actually from Colombia, but was cut in India.
The Mystery Mineral of the Month for April was Chrysocolla. Only one
identification was submitted, by Kathy Dedina. She was correct, and won the
prize.
Refreshments were provided by Kathy Dedina.
Submitted by Jim Daly
Madagascar
347 minerals are found in Madagascar.World class specimens of quartz,titanite, celestite andrhodizite occur here. The island is richer in gemstones than most other areas. Gemstones were reported as early as 1547. Systematic study of the minerals began with the French takeover of the island in the 1890 period. New laws passed in 2000 opened the area to foreign study and investment. The harsh climate and inaccessible terrain plus lack of roads, security and low cost transportation make mineral searches difficult. The oldest rocks are 3.5 billion years old. From ancient volcanoes gold deposits formed as did the banded iron formations. The formation of Gondwanaland contributed to mineral deposition. The same can be said of metamorphic events between 845--480 million years ago. The weathering of the Karoo sediments resulted in the gemstone rich placer deposits of the island. Marine deposits occur after the Karoo formation. From these the world class celestite are mined. The gemstone wealth of Madagascar includes ruby, sapphire, topaz. tourmaline, alexandrite.spinel, beryl,garnet and quartz in various forms. Crystals of blue celestite, titanite, befatite and rhodizite are exceptional.
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Number Of Visitors Since 2/12/2005