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Photomicrograph of pink crystals from specimen below. Width ~7 mm.
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Although I sort of hobbled around the displays at
the recent Denver Show (see posting September 21, 2015), I was able to visit a
few dealers and make several small purchases.
I am always looking for some special minerals, especially those with
nice crystal form and color. Therefore,
I was excited to see some specimens collected from Bou Azer, Ouarzazate Province, Morocco.
A recent post (July 13, 2015) described several cobalt minerals that are
a bright pink in color. The minerals I
purchased ($5 or less per specimen) include: roselite [Ca2(Co,Mg)(AsO4)2-2H2O],
cobaltoan calcite [(Ca,Co)CO] and erythrite [Co3(AsO4)2-8H2O]. Although I had these minerals in my
collection, the newly purchased ones are larger and “nicer.” All are idiochromatic minerals whereby cobalt,
with its distinctive coloration, is included within the crystal lattices.
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| Colbaltoan calcite crystals width ~4 cm. Camera would not pick up the vibrant pink color. |
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| Another specimen of cobaltoan calcite. FOV ~1.3 cm. |
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| Nice crystals of fibrous erythrite from specimen below. Width of crystals 1 cm. |
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| Fibrous erythrite scattered across specimen. Width ~7cm. | | | | | | | | |
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| Streak of roselite crystals. Width ~4.5 cm. |
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| Photomicrograph roselite crystals from specimen above. Width ~ 1 cm. | |
It ain't over till its over. So long Yogi, I guess your earthly stay is over. You were my hero. RIP 1925-1915.
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| 1953 "baseball card." public domain. |
