COWLESITE
Burnt Cabin Creek, Spray, Wheeler County, Oregon
The Burnt Cabin Creek occurrence of Cowlesite has provided some of the best quality specimens found at any of the Oregon occurrences.  Vugs completely lined with translucent white micro spheroids of Cowlesite are present on each of the specimens listed below.  Close-up photos of the vugs are shown here.  The vugs are in/on dark charcoal gray color basalt matrix. All items, except E., have sawed bases.  Additional information can be found in “Zeolites of the World”, Rudy Tschernich, P. 126-127 (1992).  All specimens were collected and prepared by R. Tschernich.

All photos taken with the Dino-Lite Digital Microscope

TERLINGUACREEKITE
Perry Pit, Mariposa Mine, Terlingua Mining District, Brewster County, Texas (type locale)
Researchers have been working on characterizing this new Hg-bearing mineral since the late 1980’s, first found in very small amounts at the McDermitt Mine in Humboldt Co., Nevada.   About 5 years ago an orange to yellow-orange, crystallized, unknown mineral was encountered in the lower level of the Perry Pit at Terlingua.  It was determined to be identical to the massive unknown mineral that had previously been found in Nevada.  The general appearance of the Terlinguacreekite is as mm-sized crusts of variable thickness, on Calcite crystal sections.  Most Terlinguacreekite crusts are thin and almost cryptocrystalline, with no discernable crystal form.  Crystals are rare, and are up to 0.2 mm in length, subhedral and somewhat elongate with a maximum length:width ratio of 4:1.  Crystal system is orthorhombic.  Color is dark orange to reddish-orange, to yellow-orange with a yellow streak, vitreous luster, no obvious cleavage, and no fluorescence.  Terlinguacreekite is a mercury oxychloride with the chemical composition: Hg²⁺₃O₂Cl₂.  In the table below, the following abbreviations apply to the habit of the Terlinguacreekite present on each of the specimens:  MX = micro crystals, XN = crystalline, BO = botryoidal, and MA = massive.  Specimens are priced according to the richness of the Terlinguacreekite, not relative to the size of the Calcite matrix.  Magnification of 20-30X is required for best appreciation of the crystallization.  All specimens are co-type.  IMA approved # 2004-018.

MI-1171 SPECIMEN SIZE (INCHES) HABIT SPECIMEN PRICE A. 7/8 3/4 5/8 XN, BO $   25.00 B. 5/8 1/2 1/2 MX, XN, MA SOLD C. 3/4 5/8 1/2 MX, XN, MA SOLD D. 5/8 1/2 1/2 MX, XN, BO SOLD E. 5/8 5/8 1/4 MX, XN, BO, MA SOLD F. 1 1/2 5/8 5/8 MX, XN, BO, MA SOLD G. 1 1/4 7/8 5/8 MX, XN, BO, MA SOLD H. 1 3/8 1 1/2 MX, XN, MA SOLD I. 1 1/8 3/4 1/2 MX, XN, BO, MA SOLD J. 5/8 5/8 1/2 MX, XN, BO, MA SOLD K. 1 1/2 1 1/4 1 1/8 MX, XN, BO, MA $   85.00 L. 1 1/2 1 1/4 1 1/8 MX, XN, BO, MA $   95.00 M. 2 1/4 1 1/4 5/8 MX, XN, BO, MA $ 100.00 N. 2 1 1/2 1 MX, XN, BO, MA $ 125.00 O. 2 1 3/8 1/2 MX, XN, BO, MA SOLD P. 1 3/4 1/2 MX, XN, BO, MA SOLD Q. 2 1/4 1 1/2 3/4 MX, XN, BO, MA SOLD R. 1 1/2 3/4 1/4 to 1/2 MX, XN, BO, MA SOLD

Photomicrographs of Terlinguacreekite crystals

A.	B.	\ C.	D.	E.
F.	G.	H.	I.	J.
K.	L.	M.	N.	O.
P.	Q.	R.

COPPER, TSUMCORITE
Tsumeb Mine, Namibia
The specimens pictured at the left are a pair, cut from a single specimen of very high-grade ore containing rich masses and stringers of native Copper, associated with Tsumcorite, Tennantite, Cuprite, Mimetite, Goethite, Dolomite, Chrysocolla, and Duftite.  The yellow-ocher color Tsumcorite can be seen as veinlets along the edge of each cut specimen.  On the back of the larger piece, Tsumcorite has formed very rich botryoidal masses, associated with rich amounts of pale yellow crystallized-botryoidal Mimetite, and a druse of micro Dolomite crystals.  The cut surfaces of each specimen have been lapped and polished.  This pair would make an excellent addition to any collection of Tsumeb minerals, with so many minerals identified in this unusual assemblage.  This specimen was obtained from Walter Kahn in the late 1970’s.  Kahn was a German collector for whom the mineral Warikahnite was named, described from Tsumeb in 1980.  The gram weight of each specimen is given below, simply as a size measurement.  The specimens are not sold by the gram.

MI-1286 WEIGHT(GRAMS) SPECIMEN SIZE (INCHES) SPECIMEN PRICE A. 182.0 2 1/2 2 1/4 1 $90.00 / pair B. 352.1 2 7/8 2 1/2 1

TELLURIUM (native)
San Miguel Mine, Moctezuma District, Sonora, Mexico
Metallic silver-gray massive native Tellurium is in light colored matrix.  Pricing is according to the richness of the native Tellurium, as well as relative to the amount of associated minerals present.  Matrix is massive Quartz / Barite.  Associates on items G. and H. include various amounts of one or more of the following:  Paratellurite, Tellurite, Buckhardtite, all in massive form.
 

MI-1227 SPECIMEN SIZE (INCHES) SPECIMEN PRICE A. 3/4 5/8 3/8 $ 16.00 B. 1 1/2 1 3/4 $ 18.50 C. 1 7/8 1 1/2 3/4 $ 28.50 D. 5/8 1/2 3/8 $ 18.50 E. 1 1/4 7/8 3/4 $ 26.50 F. 1 1 1/2 SOLD G. 2 3/4 1 3/4 1 1/2 $ 48.50 H. 2 1/2 2 1 1/2 SOLD	A.	B.	C.	D.
	E.	F.	G.	G.

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