[Rockhounds] Crystal Puzzle Much Closer to Solution
Carolyn Reynard
sunstone33 at verizon.net
Mon Jul 13 10:37:04 PDT 2009
Thank you Larry, Pete R. , Axel, Earl & Pete M.,
The one face of broken partial crystal in question is 2 inches long, another face is 1 7/8 inches wide.
I have thought about all you have mentioned. I rechecked the hardness with metal hardness points, but this time studying the scratch under the microscope. I certainly was wrong about the 7.5..Clearly it is in the feldspar hardness range 6-6.5. The texture is finely perthitic without much doubt. I am very familiar with the texture of apatite and I don't believe it is an apatite.. I have tried to measure the angle of the crystal with my antique paper and plastic Penfield Contact Goniometer. The one angle I believe I can determine is 44 degrees. Certainly not hexagonal.
I have posted two scanned images on http://rockhounds.ning.com
Please go my page; Carolyn C. Reynard.
I do intend to photograph the crystal this afternoon and post the images. They should be better.
I believe I fell into the trap of quick ID. I listened to several who identified it as beryl, all along I thought it must be feldspar with the texture and fluorescence. I doubted.
Most likely that is why I was trying to put the two together in a pseudomorph.
I feel quite comfortable now that it is a feldspar. What say all?
Carolyn Reynard,
amateur geologist
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