[Rockhounds] "D'ever Wonder?" - Wondering about
mountainleather... and looking for pictures.
Lanny R
lanny.r at roadrunner.com
Thu Jan 15 16:04:41 PST 2009
Kris,
"Mountain Leather" is one of the terms applied locally referring to
the nature of the beast. I'd always known it as referring to
palygorskite, later also to richterite and then also to matted pieces
of "byssolite" (the fine needle-like actinolite). Most likely, it's
been applied to any other mineral in leather-like pieces.
One of the best sources of palygorskite had been the Pend Oreille Mine
in Metaline, Washington (presently in the process of shutting down
again because of the low zinc prices). There, palygorskite occurs in
large cavities in limestone and dolomite. Reportedly, in some of these
cavities (and some were larger than "walk-in" size), palygorskite hung
down in large sheets, like big drapes. The sheets of palygorskite were
often studded with calcite crystals (acute rhombs, for which the mine
is also known for). I never saw any of those sheets or large pieces of
palygorskite, the cavities I was able to visit only had small sheets,
clumps and masses. The palygorskite in the mine comes in a lot of
textures from hard lumps to very soft doe-skin like or chamois-like
sheets. The thick pieces are mostly hard and rigid when dry. It is
amazing how soft some of the fine, thin sheets can be when dry. To
really get grossed out, put a bunch of the softer material in a jar of
water; after it has soaked up, reach in and squish it around with your
hands... . The best specimens I've seen are string-like pieces hanging
down with a calcite crystal on the end, sort of your natural gemstone
pendants. Wish I had some of those.
Regards,
Lanny
On Jan 15, 2009, at 2:30 PM, Kris Rowe wrote:
> Hey, y'all! Thanks for the great replies to my question, and the
> great links
> to check out. I had the feeling that this was one of those names
> that seem
> to be applied to a plethora of materials.
> If you have a different or local material that this name is used
> for, please
> give us a comment. I'd love to get a specimen of whatever material
> you have
> as mountain leather, and have many California materials for trade.
> Just drop
> me a note.
>
> Thanks again for the great answers!
>
> Be Well!
> Kris
> Lapidary Specialties
>
> P.S: That anomalous post professing love was actually a midnight
> note from
> my lovely partner Laura. Our apologies to any reader who was
> nonplussed or
> ended up blushing! *grin!*
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 10:12 AM, Carolyn Reynard <sunstone3 at hvc.rr.com
> >wrote:
>
>> Hello Stuart, your description fits what we here in Dutchess
>> County, New
>> York have been calling "mountain leather" instead of doubly
>> terminated
>> quartz crystals we have very nice calcite crystals. The vein of
>> mountain
>> leather is in marble with diopside. It looks like the pictures you
>> posted.
>> When collected it is a wet fibrous material with the marble-sized
>> calcite
>> crystals. When dry it looks like stiff chamois and could mistaken
>> for very
>> old road kill.
>>
>> Carolyn Reynard
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Stu Schmitt" <stu at arcrystalmine.com>
>> To: "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem
>> collectors"
>> <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 11:55 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] "D'ever Wonder?" - Wondering about
>> mountainleather... and looking for pictures.
>>
>>
>>> 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
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
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