[Rockhounds] Puzzle

[Pmodreski at aol.com]

Hi Carolyn,
 
Read your post and the various responses.  As with the others, I hope  you 
can post some pictures (perhaps from a couple of angles, and give the size  
of the crystal too) for us--it's hard to know how to resolve the dilemma 
between  appearance and the hardness.  Looking forward to hearing (seeing)  
more,
 
Pete M.
 
 
 
In a message dated 7/12/2009 12:45:43 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time,  
sunstone33 at verizon.net writes:

To the  List: I have and interesting puzzle.

I collected the specimen at the  Havey Quarry, Oxford Maine.

It is a crystal that appears to be common  beryl as you can determine the 
hexagonal crystal shape.  The hardness  is
7.5.  The color is a warm light tan.  The matrix is  feldspar.

What doesn't quite convince me it is a  beryl is a  texture that looks 
likes like perthite and runs the complete length of the  crystal into part of 
the matrix and is at right angles to the C axis. The  feldspar matrix 
fluoresces at bright light blue with red perthitic texture as  does this crystal..

I am wondering if this specimen is a pseudomorph,  with perthitic 
microcline after beryl.   Would the microcline  replacement still retain the hardness 
of the beryl?

I believe this is  the important question.  Certainly the crystal 
fluoresces like the  microcline  but there is the problem of hardness being too great 
for a  feldspar.

Nice specimen, just wish I could figure it  out!

Carolyn Reynard



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