From the collection of Tom Mortimer
Go to New Hampshire Mineral Species List and photo gallery
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Notes on mineral identification NH unknowns gallery (coming!) Literature references (coming!) |
This site is dedicated to the documentation and confirmation of New Hampshire mineral species. Many states, particularly New England states, have mineral species lists that have evolved over the years. Typically these are an alphabetical listing of mineral species to be found within the borders of the state. Frequent updates to these lists have been necessary as the science of mineralogy has developed. New species names have been added, others renamed or deleted. The list on this site contains 288 New Hampshire species. Ideally, state mineral lists conform to the currently approved species definitions. This site was developed in conjunction with a display of New Hampshire mineral species. The display was designed to be permanent and self contained, with size and weight such that it could be easily transported. This display may be electronically coupled to these web pages, so that as each specimen is viewed on a web page, the physical specimen is illuminated in the display.
What's New
2-5-10, View New gallery photos
1-30-10, added ferrosilite, macaulayite, metazeunerite, whiteite. Total = 236.
1-19-10, added cookeite, copiapite, kulanite, pargasite, sicklerite. Total = 232.
Also added samuelsonite gallery and siderophyllite species.
Galleries added winter 2009-10: (select gallery link on species page, or use links below) Galleries added fall 2009: This New Hampshire mineral species display was exhibited
at the Capital Mineral Club show August 29 and 30, Everett Arena, Concord, NH.
(CMC display photo)
5-3-09, A presentation was given on my NH species display at the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium,
(RMS Abstract) and exhibited the display, (RMS display photo)
See (site history)
for a log of this site development. (back to top)
The species photo pages are best viewed with a display resolution of at least 1152 x 864. This resolution
allows each entire species page to be viewed without need for the right scroll bar. For PC systems using IE 6 or greater,
or Mozilla Firefox, the "F11" key eliminates the screen top tool bars, resulting in a less cluttered viewing experience,
(toggling the F11 key again restores the tool bars.)
The "Next" and "Previous" links on the right side of each species page allow easy navagation through the alphabetically
ordered New Hampshire species. The "species data" link provides additional information on the photoed specimen,
including identification method, literature references, and EDS plots when available. The "mindat.org" link connects
to the mindat data page for the current species.
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Coordination of this site with a fixed size physical display places constraints on specimen
example selection for the mineral photographs. Many NH mineral species occur in samples
of only a few millimeters or less. Magnification is required to observe and appreciate them. Modern
digital micro-photography provides a means to easily share micro-minerals with a large audience.
At the other size extreme, numerous New Hampshire species have
been found in excellent large specimens. However, the size and weight limits of my physical
display has limited species example selection to specimens that are "thumbnail" size and
smaller. A dimensional range scale photo is provided as an aid to
understanding the extremes of specimen sizes in the photographs. For many of the NH species, the
photos on this site will be the first web publication of New Hampshire examples of these minerals.
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Notes on Mineral Identification
Mineral species identification is based on chemistry, crystallography, and optics. Mineral chemistry
is the resolution of which elements are present in a sample and in what proportion. There are several modern
methods that can be used to determine the elemental content of a mineral. The most common method is Energy
Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS). This technique examines the X-Ray energy spectrum emitted from a sample that
is targeted by an intense electron beam. EDS analysis may be qualitative, semi-quantitative, or quantitative.
Qualitative or semi- quantitative EDS analysis will reveal which elements are present and give some indication
of their relative proportions. Most mindatnh data is from qualitative EDS analysis. Knowing the approximate chemistry of
a sample usually narrows the species definition to a few choices. A complete solution to the mineral ID puzzle
is aided with knowledge of the specimen crystal morphology, luster, hardness, specific gravity, solubility,
mineral environment, and associations. In many cases the EDS plots on this site did not originate from the specimen in the photo/display, but from
another specimen from the author’s collection. In some instances the EDS plot came from a similar specimen of
the same locality from a fellow collector.
It is appropriate to note that many members of the phosphate mineral group and the amphibole mineral group
(both abundantly represented in New Hampshire) are very difficult to conclusively identify by chemistry alone.
X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis is almost always employed for a final determination of species within these
mineral groups. Frequently, the identification of mineral species represented on this site is based on the analytical work of
others. Mineral species lists have been documented for many New Hampshire mines and mineral localities. Much
of this research has been recorded in journals and USGS monographs. Mindatnh identification of specific species
at specific NH localities relies heavily on this preceding work. With the exception of ferrosilite, halotrichite,
jarosite, and macaulayite all species on mindatnh have been previously reported from New Hampshire.
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All specimens and photographs on this site belong to Tom Mortimer, (with exception of a few species marked with a "**" link in the species list.) The mineral photography is the copyright of the author. Reproduction permission granted upon request. As web author, I am solely responsible for the content of this site. A statewide species list is certainly open to challenge. A number of mineral species that were present on some earlier NH species lists have been eliminated from my list. I have a working list of these questionable species and plan a future site section on this topic with a forum for input from the collector community. The Palermo Mine in north Groton, New Hampshire has the largest species list of any locality in the state. I have relied on Bob Whitmore's book, "The Pegmatite Mines Known as Palermo" as the definitive authority on which species are, or are not, to be found at Palermo. A prime purpose of this site is to provide a voucher confirmation of mineral species to be found within the state of New Hampshire. Additional information on the physical, chemical, and optical properties of the minerals included on this site can be found via the mindat.org link provided on each species page. (back to top)
Systematic Mineral Species Collecting A systematic mineral species collector will acquire specimens other collectors reject. Not all species in the mineral kingdom occur in beautiful, well-formed, colorful, samples. This is particularly true if one limits a collection to a small geographic region. The definition of a mineral,"a naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline solid, with definite chemical composition and physical properties, " does not include the terms "beautiful" or "colorful." Many of the unattractive mineral species in New Hampshire are overlooked, or simply not recognized, by mineral field collectors. Some of these overlooked species are actually quite common and readily obtainable. It is hoped that this site will aid collectors in recognizing some of these minerals. In addition to collecting the "ugly," a species collector must also collect the very small. By "very small" it is meant a millimeter in size, or less. Knowledge of the mineral collecting environment, (e.g. pegmatite, ore vein, skarn), is critical to finding and identifying micro-minerals. Micro-mineral field samples are typically collected by the "bucket-full." These are brought home and carefully examined under the microscope. New England micro-mineral collectors can have the pleasure of field collecting in their basements throughout the long cold winter months! (back to top)
New Hampshire -- a great state to collect minerals New Hampshire is an excellent location for the amateur mineral field collector. In addition to the world renown Palermo Mine, New Hampshire is blessed with hundreds of other lesser known pegmatites, many rich with extensive suites of primary and secondary phosphate and lithium mineral species. The Conway Granites of the White Mountain pluton are host to miarolitic cavities that have yielded outstanding smoky quartz, topaz, and microcline specimens. Numerous metamorphic and contact metamorphic regions have rewarded NH collectors with world class specimens of staurolite, garnet, epidote, and cordierite. Sulfide ore veins? We have those as well. The Mascot Mine in Gorham, the lead mine in Madison, Ore Hill in Warren, and Mineral Hill in Wakefield have provided a great suite of colorful, well crystallized, (but micro), minerals. Gold panning? We have that! Intensely colored fluorite veins? Visit Westmoreland! And to round the environment group, we have a small skarn deposit in Amherst that provides a nice calc-silicate suite of grossular, vesuvianite, scapolite, and diopside. (back to top)
My success in assembling an extensive collection of New Hampshire mineral species specimens has been greatly aided by the generosity of many friends. I have acknowledged the source of each specimen on the respective photo page. My sincere thanks to: Gene Bearss, Inga Berggraf, Peter Cristofono, Fred Davis, Carl Francis, Gordon Jackson, Bob Janules, Curt LaPlante, Jim Nizamoff, Mike Swanson, Don Swenson, Mike Undercofler, Vince Valade, Bob & Anna Wilken, Bob Whitmore, and Scott Whittemore. (back to top) I have been actively field collecting New England minerals for the past 35 years. An early childhood visit to Mt. Mica in Maine was my first exposure to mineral collecting. I have been hooked ever since. I am purely an amateur collector, I have no formal training in mineralogy or geology, (I am a retired electrical engineer). I have been an active member of the Nashua Mineral Society since 1974, and the Micromounters of New England since 1984. I have learned a great deal through my association with these clubs. My other interests include hobbyist electronics and woodworking. All my hobby interests have converged on my New Hampshire Mineral Species Display project. (back to top)
Please forward your comments on this site to tom@mindatnh.org. I am particularly interested in errors, omissions, and updates related to the New Hampshire mineral species list. (back to top)
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