[Rockhounds] "D'ever Wonder?" - Wondering about mountain leather... and looking for pictures.

[Stu Schmitt]

Hi Kris,

Rectorite is also called "Mountain Leather" when it dries.  My geologist 
friend wrote this about that:

"Now this Jeffrey Quarry Quartz grows in this "Rectorite" named after a 
lawyer that lived in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a jelly when in the rock 
fractures. The quartz grows in this jelly and that is why every crystal is 
double terminated, unless it grew on the sandstone. When you dig the quartz 
out of the fractures, the rectorite hits the air and turns to what is called 
"Mountain Leather". It's some neat stuff and is a clay mineral. It is 
flexible just like leather. If you look at it close, you will usually see 
small double terminated quartz crystals."

I have more information about the source on this web page:
http://arcrystalmine.com/crystals_results.php?category=17

If you would like a piece of it please contact me off line.

With appreciation & gratitude,
Stuart Schmitt
Clear Creek Crystal Mine
www.arcrystalmine.com
60 Mary's Eagle Trail
Mount Ida, AR 71957
(870) 867-2443

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kris Rowe" <lapidary.specialties at gmail.com>
To: <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 9:02 PM
Subject: [Rockhounds] "D'ever Wonder?" - Wondering about mountain leather... 
and looking for pictures.


> Howdy, y'all!
>                     I was sitting (shivering) on the back porch last
> evening, reading a Lapidary Journal (from 1968, if I remember correctly)
> with a great article on 'Amethyst of Korea.' Amongst the many materials
> written of was something that was unfamiliar to me, called
> "mountain leather."
> So, lacking any underground (at least deeper than 8 feet) mining 
> experience,
> I googled it and found "TEM observations of a 30 million
> year old mountain leather nanofiber mineral composite" on ScienceDirect.
> However, they want my money before letting me read the
> paper, and my Queen of Reciepts says "$31.50 for a research paper? for
> FUN?", at which point I slunk back to my Laz-e-Boy and
> decided to ask y'all ... what the heck IS mountain leather, what does it
> look like, and have any of you found any?
>
> The Intro to the research paper makes mountain leather sound like 
> something
> Dupont wishes it would have made, and brought a smile
> to my face with the amazed comment that it was 30 million years old, the
> same wry smile I get when someone marvels at how amazing
> it is that Nature could create something so complex!  *lol*
> Warning to you search wizards (like me) there's almost nothing readily
> available online about this material, other than the mentioned paper.
> So, dear miners with letters behind your names, help me if you can. I 
> don't
> want to wake up at 4 am wondering about this question. My
> sanity is in your hands (sorry it's so sticky, the kids were plaaying with
> it.)
>
> Be Well!
>              Kris Rowe
>              Lapidary Specialties
>
>