Zeolite specimens


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I know this is a gold forum but the gold we are finding is a six hour hike through a forest that is on fire right now. Between home and the gold are some really incredible areas of mineralization. I thought I would share some of our finds with you until the forest cools off enough for us to get back to the placers.

If you would rather not have these mineral postings here feel free to remove them Rob. If you like them I can post more. :)

First up are a few members of the zeolite group. Zeolites are a large group of aluminum silicates that have some very interesting properties. The area Ruby and I have been exploring may be one of the best zeolite mineralizations in the world. This first specimen has several members of the zeolite group all in one vug.

The brownish crystal sprays are Mesolite. The white cubes in the middle are Chabazite. The base is a combination of Natrolite, Heulandite and Thomsonite.

Mesolite.jpg

This is a close up of the Mesolite sprays. The hair like crystals laying on the Mesolite sprays are Natrolite crystals and the clear crystals sprinkled in among the Mesolite sprays are Pollucite.

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I know this is a gold forum but the gold we are finding is a six hour hike through a forest that is on fire right now. Between home and the gold are some really incredible areas of mineralization. I thought I would share some of our finds with you until the forest cools off enough for us to get back to the placers.

If you would rather not have these mineral postings here feel free to remove them Rob. If you like them I can post more. :)

First up are a few members of the zeolite group. Zeolites are a large group of aluminum silicates that have some very interesting properties. The area Ruby and I have been exploring may be one of the best zeolite mineralizations in the world. This first specimen has several members of the zeolite group all in one vug.

The brownish crystal sprays are Mesolite. The white cubes in the middle are Chabazite. The base is a combination of Natrolite, Heulandite and Thomsonite.

Mesolite.jpg

This is a close up of the Mesolite sprays. The hair like crystals laying on the Mesolite sprays are Natrolite crystals and the clear crystals sprinkled in among the Mesolite sprays are Pollucite.

Close.jpg

Clay:

Thats actually pretty cool!

I know im always picking up rocks and crap when im out detecting. Then after about 6 months I look at them and say "why did I pick this up?"

Tks for sharing.

Tom H.

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Nice one Clay!  I was fortunate enough to have a very nice zeolite (natrolite) specimen on display at the Arizona Department of Mines & Mineral Resources before it closed. Probably stored on a box somewhere today.

Thanks Adam, that means a lot coming from you!

I think I remember your Natrolite specimen, it really bites that the collection isn't being shown. :(

These Mesolite fans are incredibly delicate. A friend was hunting with us that day and he did the newbie thing of touching the one he found. He said it looked like brown smoke drifting away in the wind.

Do you have any suggestions for safely storing these delicate specimen? We travel a lot so they will get jostled.

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Other than the usual stuff Clay, I wouldnt really know. I used to keep Natrolite thumbnails with cotton balls in film cannisters, but even that was risky., Egg cartons would work too..... Sounds lke there are some good minerals to be had in New Mexico :)

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Clay,

Those are WAAAAY cool. I have never seen anything like that before so they are real intriguing to me. Thanks for sharing them.

Chris

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