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Jean Sendero
Joined: 20 Dec 2009
Posts: 270
Location: Hudson Heights, Quebec
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Posted: Jul 16, 2016 19:48 Post subject: Re: New finds out of Mexico - (10) |
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What’s new in Mexico……I just realized that it’s been one year since I posted something in this column. May be because we did not see many really new finds coming out of Mexico or now that I am based out of Santiago Chile, I am further remote and not as much in the loop. Tom Moore, in the Mineralogical Record following the Tucson Show, reported new digging activities at some classic localities: Los Lamentos, Milpillas and the mention of kobyashevite from Mapimí. But over the past 6 months, I, and others, came across some very interesting finds, although small, these are mineralogically significant for Mexican localities.
At the time of the Tucson show in late January-early February, El Potosi mine in the West Camp at Santa Eulalia delivered some pale green adamite mixed with botryoidal looking smithsonite. The adamite is spectacularly fluorescent. Really amazing fluorescence. I am aware of at least three dealers marketing this material.
Mineral: | Adamite with smithsonite |
Locality: | Potosí Mine, Santo Domingo (Francisco Portillo), Santa Eulalia District, Municipio Aquiles Serdán, Chihuahua, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 7.5 x 7.5 cm |
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Jean Sendero
Joined: 20 Dec 2009
Posts: 270
Location: Hudson Heights, Quebec
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Posted: Jul 16, 2016 19:53 Post subject: Re: New finds out of Mexico - (10) |
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It is not often that we see other minerals than chalcopyrite from the Bolivar mine in the Piedras Verde district. On occasion, it has yield some interesting specimens such as the cosalite find of late 2007, early 2008. The operation is currently mining the “El Gallo Superior” orebody and in April 2016, a small lot of approximately 25-30 specimens of datolite surfaced and are mainly miniature in size. Originally thought to be calcite, these were analyzed by Dr. Peter Megaw and confirmed to be datolite. The bladed disc shape morphology of the crystals is deceiving. Some specimens will have fine chalcopyrite dusted on top or as larger “chunks” at the back.
Mineral: | Datolite |
Locality: | El Bolivar Mine, El Gallo Superior orebody, Piedras Verdes (Triguito), Municipio Urique, Chihuahua, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 4.5 x 3.5 x 2.8 cm |
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Mineral: | Datolite |
Locality: | El Bolivar Mine, El Gallo Superior orebody, Piedras Verdes (Triguito), Municipio Urique, Chihuahua, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 5.5 x 4.5 x 3.5 cm |
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Jean Sendero
Joined: 20 Dec 2009
Posts: 270
Location: Hudson Heights, Quebec
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Posted: Jul 16, 2016 20:06 Post subject: Re: New finds out of Mexico - (10) |
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More recently in June 2016, the Ojuela Mine at Mapimí delivered the unexpected. Due to the lack of rains, the water is exceptionally low in the mine and the miners have been able to access the deeper levels. We have seen over the past year a very small lot of gemmy looking small legrandite and more cerussite of much better quality than the ones from 2014. The cerussite is often associated with remnants of sulphides such as massive galena. So in mid-June of this years, the miners, while working on pisos 13 or 14 (aka levels 6 and 7) below the legrandite find, encountered a small pocket of sulphides. Approximately 100 specimens were produced ranging in size from miniature to small cabinet. The specimens consists of either 1) gun powder grey, simple modified cubes or spinel twins crystals of galena with little to good luster, some with a fine dusting of white carbonate or protruding masses of fine native silver and/or silver wires and 2) more complex lustrous crystals with associated arsenopyrite and fluorite and 3) nice purple partially gemmy fluorite forming cubes and modified cubes on which the carbonate matrix or remnant of arsenopyrite resides. I am told that the lot was split amongst three dealers.
Happy hunting. I have seen specimens from these finds on the market with the exception of the datolite.
Mineral: | Cerussite |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, level 6, San Juan Poniente, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 14 x 6 cm |
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Mineral: | Galena |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 7 x 5 cm |
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From piso 13-14, aka level 6 and 7 |
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Mineral: | Fluorite on Galena |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 5 x 5 cm |
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From piso 13-14, aka level 6 and 7 |
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Mineral: | Native silver on galena |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 5.5 x 5.5 x 3 cm |
Description: |
From piso 13-14, aka level 6 and 7 |
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Mineral: | Native silver on galena |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 5.7 x 3.8 x 4.0 cm |
Description: |
From piso 13-14, aka level 6 and 7 |
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Mineral: | Arsenopyrite on galena |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 5 x 3 x 3 cm |
Description: |
From piso 13-14, aka level 6 and 7 |
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Mineral: | Fluorite with arsenopyrite |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 5 x 5 cm |
Description: |
From piso 13-14, aka level 6 and 7 |
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Tobi
Site Admin
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 4110
Location: Germany
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Posted: Jul 17, 2016 01:54 Post subject: Re: New finds out of Mexico - (10) |
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Jean Sendero wrote: | Galena
Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico
7 x 5 cm | Very interesting structure. I love galena, it's one of my most favourite minerals, and I don't remember to have ever seen such a specimen from Ojuela Mine.
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Jean Sendero
Joined: 20 Dec 2009
Posts: 270
Location: Hudson Heights, Quebec
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Posted: Jul 17, 2016 07:11 Post subject: Re: New finds out of Mexico - (10) |
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Tobi,
these are very new and nothing equal to these had surfaced before. Morphology and mineral associations are different from what we have seen from the higher part of the Ojuela where secondary minerals prevailed. These are from the deeper areas. The fluorite are seen with either a dusting of the white carbonate or with arsenopyrite. The galena can have the moderate luster grey gun powder color with a dusting of the white carbonate or have a better luster. They are then associated with fluorite arsenopyrite and on occasion native silver. I suspect, these associations, morphology, luster etc... is dependent if the specimens are from the top or bottom of the pocket.
Hope that more will come out as long that access to piso 13-14 (level 6-7) remains above the water table.
J
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Jean Sendero
Joined: 20 Dec 2009
Posts: 270
Location: Hudson Heights, Quebec
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Posted: Jul 17, 2016 07:38 Post subject: Re: New finds out of Mexico - (10) |
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The cross section of the mine will give everyone a general idea of the depth of the new galena-fluorite-arsenopyrite-silver find occurred.
Mineral: | Galena Find |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | NA |
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MOORE, T. & MEGAW, P.K.M. (2003) The Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Durango, Mexico. Mineralogical Record Vol. 34, No 5, p 31. |
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Turbo
Joined: 30 Sep 2009
Posts: 260
Location: Delaware
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Posted: Mar 23, 2018 07:11 Post subject: Re: New finds out of Mexico - (10) |
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One of the more recent calcite twins from the Palmarejo Mine. Feb of last year was when I first began to see them at shows.
Ed Bayley
Mineral: | Calcite, Palygorskite, Romanechite, Chalcophanite |
Locality: | Palmarejo Mine, Palmarejo, Municipio Chinipas, Chihuahua, Mexico | |
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Dimensions: | 10.3x9.4x8.4cm |
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13553 Time(s) |
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_________________ Edward Bayley |
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Brent Lockhart
Joined: 25 Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Location: Larkspur, Colorado
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Posted: Mar 25, 2018 00:37 Post subject: Re: New finds out of Mexico - (10) |
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Does anyone have information on the associated minerals seen with the recent batch of Legrandites from the Ojuela Mine?
_________________ Member of the Colorado Chapter, Friends of Mineralogy |
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