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MI-1409

MI-1410

MI-1411

SAMARSKITE-(Y) 
Burroughs Mine (Burroughs Pegmatite), Kerr Gulch, South Platte District, Jefferson County, Colorado
The Burroughs Mine has produced very good, rich specimens of Samarskite-(Y) as well as several other rare earth-bearing minerals.  The South Platte District contains over 50 pegmatites, many of them known since the early 1920’s when they were first prospected for Feldspar.  See the accompanying photo of this locality, supplied by Rudy Bolona, a Colorado mineral collector – nice looking place to go field collecting!  The three specimens available from the Burroughs Mine consist of solid black massive Samarskite-(Y), without rock matrix or associated minerals. On a fresh surface, the Samarskite-(Y) exhibits the characteristic, very shiny glass-like luster and conchoidal fracture.  Several flat faces on the back of item C. suggest that this specimen may have formed in contact with crystallized Quartz or Feldspar.

     Burroughs Mine

MS1391

MS1392

MS1393

MS1394

MS1395

MS1396
 

CUPROSKLODOWSKITE
Musonoi Mine, near Kolwezi, Shaba Province, Zaire
The Musonoi Mine is famous for its world-class specimens of Cuprosklodowskite, a uranium and copper-bearing silicate.  Cuprosklodowskite usually forms bright apple-green acicular needles – most often found as compact intergrowths, and fairly infrequently as intergrown aggregates of terminated crystals where voids occur within the matrix.  The most spectacular examples are large specimens which display open vugs in the matrix, completely lined with needle-like terminated crystals – these are extremely rare!  The specimens offered here are of good, to very good quality, with compact, tightly intergrown, acicular Cuprosklodowskite needles filling former open voids  in the matrix, and as veins composed of tightly intergrown needles within the matrix.  For background information on Cuprosklodowskite, see the special Katanga issue of the “Mineralogical Record” magazine, Vol. 20, No. 4, July-Aug 1989, P. 265-288.  The Nov-Dec 2002 issue (Vol. 33, No. 6) of the “MR”, P. 484-485 has current information on the status of the Musonoi Mine --- along with a photo of the now abandoned mine.  Two photos of exceptional Metatorbernite and Cuprosklodowskite specimens, which were previously collected at Musonoi, also accompany the article.  Associated minerals noted on the specimens below include one or more of the following:  Malachite (dark green masses and veinlets), and/or Sklodowskite (yellow-golden to yellow-brown acicular).  Small amounts of Kasolite (yellow-golden micro crystals) and Metatorbernite (green, platy masses,) are associated on item MI-1403.  Items MI-1393 and MI-1399 have light apple green massive Cuprosklodowskite (with little to none of the acicular form) in/on matrix – these are good reference specimens, and very good for demonstrating the radioactivity of the mineral, but the Cuprosklodowskite is not crystallized.   The matrix for items MI-1394 and MI-1398  have very rich amounts of compact, acicular to massive yellow-golden color Sklodowskite associated.  This explains the extremely high readings on the geiger counter, with only modest amounts of visible Cuprosklodowskite.  Sklodowskite is also very hot!  The golden-yellow to chocolate brown “rings” around the Cuprosklodowskite on items MI-1401 and MI-1405 are composed of Sklodowskite partially colored brown by iron oxide.

 NOTE: The special Katanga issue of the “Mineralogical Record” magazine is available for sale – see the bottom of this page for additional information.

MS1397	MS1398	MS1399	MS1400
MS1401	MS1402	MS1403	MS1404
MS1405	MS1406	MS1407	MS1408

NEW TITLE

“KATANGA! … URANIUM DEPOSITS”, By G. Gautier, A. Francois, M. Deliens, and P. Piet, 11” X 8”, 63 pages, with 19 color photographs, 12 crystal drawings, several maps and tables, soft cover.  The primary article of interest in this special issue of the “Mineralogical Record” magazine is entitled “Famous Mineral Localities: the Uranium Deposits of the Shaba (Katanga) Region, Zaire”.   Since the days of Stanley and Livingstone, the Shaba region has been known as one of the world’s great mineralized areas.  A crescent shaped deposit about 300 km in length and nearly 50 km wide extends from the town of Kolwezi in the west, to the city of Lubumbashi in the east.  This area is the location of several very important Uranium mines, including familiar names like Shinkolobwe, Swambo, Kamoto, Mashamba-West, Luiswishi, and Musonoi.  The mining history is given in some detail, including notes on the production of Copper and Uranium ores in the Katanga region.  The general geology of the district is given, including a stratigraphical map of the Katanga System.  Four of the most important mines are then discussed in detail, accompanied by geological maps and black & white photos of the mine sites.  Data is then given on each of the important minerals – primary minerals, then secondary Uranium minerals.  This section is accompanied by 19 exquisite color photographs illustrating many of the secondary Uranium-bearing minerals, along with a dozen crystal drawings.  The color photos and crystal drawings will be of prime importance to anyone studying and / or collecting secondary Uranium-bearing minerals, as an aid in visual identification of the minerals from the various mines of the region.  Four tables accompany the text, each containing a list of the minerals found at one of the following mines: Shinkolobwe, Swambo, Musonoi, and Kamoto.  The authors have included a large list of references, for further reading.  Two other articles are included in this special issue of the “Mineralogical Record” magazine – “Rome Delisle and His Bibliography”, by W. Wilson, and “Additions and Corrections to the Glossary of Mineral Species", 5^th Edition (1987)” by M. Fleischer.  Published by the Mineralogical Record, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, as the special issue on Katanga, Volume 20, No. 4, July-August 1989.

Shipping weight:  2 pounds
Order Item MR20-4
Price:  $20.00