Minerals and Rocks

I have a BSc in Geology Honors from University of Alberta, currently working on my MSc. Mineralogy and Geology have been my passion since I was a toddler. Though it has escalated from picking up gravel from the road to spending hundreds at auctions, this has never really changed and never will. If you have any questions or comments, ask away, I love to see things in my inbox. All images are my own, unless reblogged or otherwise stated. Most of the minerals are my own pieces as well, though some are from collections I had the privilege of working with at the University of Alberta.

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Native Copper psuedomorph of Aragonite

Locality: Corocoro, Pacajes Province, Pa Paz Department, Bolivia

Native copper with partially oxidized, green surface which has replaced prior aragonite, perfectly preserving the hexagonal crystal shape.

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Pirquitasite on Matrix

Locality: Oploca Vein, Pirquitas Mine, Rinconada Department, Jujuy, Argentina

*Pirquitasite Type Locality*

Fine, black, striated crystals of Pirquitasite (left side of sample) in a brown matrix (potentially sphalerite) associated with colloform-esque banding of a black mineral (potentially cassiterite)

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Potassic-magnesio-fluoro-Arfvedsonite with Eudialyte, Vlasovite, and Fluorite (+/- Gittinsite)

Locality: Kipawa alkaline Complex, Sheffield Lake, Les Lacs-du-Témiscamingue, Témiscamingue RCM, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada

Black, glossy Potassic-magnesio-fluoro-Arfvedsonite in light pink Eudialyte matrix, associated with minor honey-yellow grains of Vlasovite, deep purple Fluorite, and potentially white, chalky Gittinsite associatied with the Vlasovite. *Gittinsite Type Locality*

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Gustavite in carbonate matrix

Locality: Arsenic Mine, Lower Rotgülden Lake, Lungau, Salzburg, Austria

Thin vein of elongated, striated, bright silver crystals of Gustavite cutting through white carbonate matrix. There is also minor tarnished, grey Arsenopyrite.

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Tintinaite in Quartz

Locality: Mária Mine, Rožňava, Rožňava County, Košice Region, Slovakia

Sprays of elongated, very lustrous, metallic, silvery-grey Tintinaite crystals cutting through white Quartz matrix.

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Vikingite in Quartz

Locality: Siglitz adit, Siglitz - Bockhard Gold Mining District, Bad Gastein, St. Johann im Pongau District, Salzburg, Austria

Bright, metallic, silvery-grey crystals of Vikingite in a yellowish quartz matrix.

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Petrified Wood partially replaced by Fluorite

Locality: Chemnitz Hilbersdorf, Saxony, Germany

Flat, cut slab of milky-white petrified wood with worm-like vein of deep purple Fluorite partially replacing it. Chemnitz is the only known locality of Fluorite replacing petrified wood.

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Holubite

Locality: Staročeské Lode, Kutná Hora, Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic

Thin veins and small individual grains of bright, steel-grey Holubite in a white quartz matrix. Type, and only, locality for the recently discovered (2023) Holubite.

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Matildite on Chalcopyrite in matrix

Locality: Clara Mine, Oberwolfach, Freiburg Region, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Tiny, octahedral crystal of silver-coloured, metallic Matildite mounted on a larger crystal of brassy Chalcopyrite in a milky white Calcite matrix.

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Acanthite

Locality: Imiter Mine, Tinghir Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region, Morocco

Freestanding perfectly formed dendrite of silvery-grey Acanthite.

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Libethenite and Cornetite on matrix

Locality: Star of the Congo Mine, Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga, DR Congo

*Cornetite Type Locality*

Lustrous, deep green, euhedral crystals of Libethenite followed by a thin band of electric-blue Cornetite on matrix.

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Tučekite and Ullmannite in Quartz matrix

Locality: Adler Mine, Siegen, Siegerland, North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany

Bright, brassy-coloured Tučekite with silvery-grey Ullmannite in a milky-white quartz matrix.

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Nickeline (pink/peach) and Maucherite (pinkish grey) with a rim of Gersdorffite (bluish grey) overgrown by intergrown Parkerite (light grey, twinning) and Hauchecornite (dull pink), then overgrown by Matildite (darker grey, rough texture).

Locality: Easter-Duffy Deposit, East Arm Region, Greater Slave Lake, NWT, Canada

Reflected Plane Polarized Light, 200X Magnification

Quick laundry list of minerals most people will have never heard of!

[mineralsandsomerocks]

Native Silver (tarnished yellow) overgrown by Nickeline (pink) and Rammelsbergite (whitish grey rim on Nickeline) and Gersdorffite (light grey, euhedral crystals) and partially replaced by intergrown Acanthite (dull, scratched grey) and Stephanite (slightly lighter, "cleaner" grey)

Locality: Easter-Duffy Deposit, Greater Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada

Plane Polarized Reflected Light, 50X Magnification

Have not had time to take new pictures of my newer rocks, as I have been super busy working on my MSc, so I thought I would upload some reflected light images from my thesis! If it seems like these are something folks want to see, I have loads more where this came from. Plus tumblr has a lack of reflected light microscopy images anyways. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about this stuff!

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Crocoite

Locality: Dundas, Tasmania, Australia

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Native Iron in Basalt in epoxy mount

Locality: Bühl, Weimar, Ahnatal, Kassel Region, Hesse, Germany

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Faceted Tri-Colour Axinite (1 Carat)

Locality: Jumair Ali Mine, Parachinar, Kurram District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan