[Rockhounds] ID help

[Jim Murowchick]

Larry-
    I guess it's time to offer to either run an XRD, or better, look at a
small grain with refractive index oils.  If there's a small chip (sand grain
sized) that you can send to me, I'll be happy to try to ID it from the
optical properties.  XRD would need at least a few hundred milligrams, but
I'd be happy to run it if you'd like, and I'm really curious as to what it
is.
Jim
Dr. James B. Murowchick
Associate Professor, Geochemistry and Mineralogy
Department of Geosciences
University of Missouri-Kansas City
5110 Rockhill Road  /  420 Flarsheim Hall
Kansas City, MO  64110
816 235-2979   murowchickj at umkc.edu




On 6/24/09 8:53 AM, "Lawrence Rush" <larryrush at worldnet.att.net> wrote:

> Good thought, Pete. The shape is "wedge" like, like Titanite, and the color
> fits...but this is too hard, over 7, Quartz won't scratch it (and my wife
> won't let me try her diamond...silly women!). Also too hard for Scapolite,
> Don.
> 
> An additional note for Axel...the termination is not a flat basal,  but is
> "tent-like" raised at a low angle with the ridge connecting the two widest
> spaced corners. (not very crystallographic language, sorry!)
> 
> Still leaning towards Topaz, (unless it is a new mineral; Obamaite...green,
> glittery, transparent, well formed, and too new to be judged!!)  (OK
> ,moderators...I apologize in advance!)
> 
> Larry
> 
> ================================================
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pete Richards" <rpr at heidelberg.edu>
> To: "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem collectors"
> <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 9:36 AM
> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] ID help
> 
> 
>> I'll try a different suggestion.  Could it be titanite? Alpine  titanite
>> is often green, sometimes light.  Some of the angles look  right, and I
>> imagine I see a groove in one view that might be a re- entrant region
>> caused by the common contact twinning.  I don't know  anything about
>> fluorescence....
>> 
>> Pete Richards
>> 
>> 
>> On Jun 23, 2009, at 12:50 PM, Lawrence Rush wrote:
>> 
>>> I just got a box of minerals from Pakistan which contained 2 pieces  of
>>> an unidentified material. These are unfamiliar to me, and I need  some
>>> help.
>>> 
>>> The color is a sea green, translucent. The crystals are well  formed,
>>> appear to be perhaps Tetragonal or Orthorhombic. They have  4 distinct
>>> sides, diamond-shaped in cross section, with  sharp low  angle edges on 2
>>> sides. The hardness is greater than 6. The matrix  is quartz, evidently a
>>> pegmatite mineral. No locality, but all of  the others from this supplier
>>> were from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and  Waziristan.
>>> 
>>> I suspect they are Topaz, but the shape and color have me  questioning
>>> this.
>>> 
>>> I posted photos on http://www.connroxminerals.com/temp.html
>>> 
>>> Any thoughts?
>>> 
>>> Thanks...Larry
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> "Noel Coward thought work was more fun than play,  but he never,  ever
>>> worked in the mines"
>>> 
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>> ___________________________________
>> R. Peter Richards
>> rpr at heidelberg.edu
>> Morphological crystallographer
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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