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.

More specimens coming soon

     Burroughs Mine

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CUPROSKLODOWSKITE

Musonoi Mine, near Kolwezi, Shaba Province, Zaire (Dem. Republic of the Congo)
The Musonoi Mine is famous for its world-class specimens of Cuprosklodowskite, a uranium and copper-bearing silicate.  Classic examples are composed of bright apple-green Cuprosklodowskite most often found as acicular needles, compact radial intergrowths, and fairly infrequently as intergrown aggregates of terminated crystals where voids occur within the matrix.   With the ongoing embargo against importing radioactive minerals from outside of the USA, it has been very difficult for us to find specimens to offer on the web site.  The specimens illustrated here are from a dealer’s stock imported from Zaire more than 25 years ago.  The Cuprosklodowskite on these specimens is present as bright apple green masses, without rock matrix.  These are very good reference specimens, and are excellent for demonstrating the radioactivity of the mineral.  Most specimens do not show any evidence of crystallization. 

All examples have apple green massive Cuprosklodowskite present, very occasionally accompanied by micro acicular Cuprosklodowskite.  The associated minerals are abbreviated and described below.  A list of the associated minerals found on each specimen is incorporated into the table, below.
 

NOTE REGARDING PRICING:  The gram weights of the specimens are given in the table below, simply as a measure of specimen size.  The specimens are not sold by the gram.

 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. 

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


 

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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

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