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Photos recently added to NH species galleries, set #49.
Highslide JS
DRAVITE    Vacinity of Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
5 cm crude complete crystal
Species:           DRAVITE  
Locality:          Vacinity of Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 5 cm crude complete crystal
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - June 1977
Catalog No.: 1550
Notes: Collected from a pegmatite dike with Mike Undercofler. I was never able to relocate this dike dispite several attempts. Dravite confirmed by EDS analysis . Note the analysis shows Mg > Fe therefore this is the magnesium dominant tourmaline, dravite.
Highslide JS
MAGNETITE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
4 cm specimen with magnetite zones to 1.2 cm in quartz-feldspar matrix.
Species:           MAGNETITE  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 4 cm specimen with magnetite zones to 1.2 cm in quartz-feldspar matrix.
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 2006
Catalog No.: 1871
Notes: Magnetite identification by strong magnetic attraction. Magnetite has not appeared on previous Richmond Soapstone Quarry species lists.
Highslide JS
APATITE-(CaF)    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Pale green apatite crystals to 1.3 cm in quartz matrix.
Species:           APATITE-(CaF)  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: Pale green apatite crystals to 1.3 cm in quartz matrix.
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 2013
Catalog No.: 1859
Notes: This apatite fluoresces pale yellow. Although Phillip Morrill's New Hampshire Mines and Mineral Localities booklet does list appatite for the Richmond Soapstone Quarry, I have not seen apatite from there previous to 2013. Not outstanding as a New Hampshire apatite specimen, but an interesting locality occurrence. I did not recognize the apatite until after I brought the specimen home, so perhaps more diligent collecting in this milky quartz rock-matrix would produce better examples.
Highslide JS
CORDIERITE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
1.3 cm brown, terminated, cordierite crystal in quartz matrix.
Species:           CORDIERITE  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 1.3 cm brown, terminated, cordierite crystal in quartz matrix.
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - Sept. 2013
Catalog No.: 1883
Notes: The diligent collector may still find cordierite crystals at the Richmond Soapstone Quarry locality.
Hexagonal prism terminations are showing for a pair of smaller crystals below the main crystal.
Highslide JS
CORDIERITE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
6 mm hexagonal terminations on a pair of cordierite crystal prisms.
Species:           CORDIERITE  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 6 mm hexagonal terminations on a pair of cordierite crystal prisms.
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - Sept. 2013
Catalog No.: 1883
Notes:
Highslide JS
CORDIERITE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
2 cm cordierite crystal partially altered.
Species:           CORDIERITE  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 2 cm cordierite crystal partially altered.
Field Collected: Kevin Mortimer - 1993
Catalog No.:
Notes:
Highslide JS
CLINOCHLORE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
1.5 cm clinochlore in 4 cm specimen
Species:           CLINOCHLORE  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 1.5 cm clinochlore in 4 cm specimen
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 2006
Catalog No.: 1884
Notes:
Highslide JS
CLINOCHLORE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
1.3 cm specimen
Species:           CLINOCHLORE  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 1.3 cm specimen
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 2006
Catalog No.: u1396
Notes: For individual clinochlore crystals, these Richmond, NH ones stand up quite well, even on a world-wide stage.
Highslide JS
RUTILE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
6 mm rutile "button" crystal with secondary crystal growth on pyramid termation faces.
Species:           RUTILE  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 6 mm rutile "button" crystal with secondary crystal growth on pyramid termation faces.
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 2006
Catalog No.: u1393
Notes:
Highslide JS
RUTILE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
4 mm rutile "button" crystal, C axis view
Species:           RUTILE  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 4 mm rutile "button" crystal, C axis view
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 2006
Catalog No.: Gifted -> BW
Notes: I call this rutile form a "button" crystal because the prism development is usually less than 20% of the termination face width.
Highslide JS
TALC with magnesiohornblende    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
4 cm specimen with pale green talc interspersed within blades of magnesiohornblende


Highslide JS
TALC with magnesiohornblende    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
1.2 cm zoom view of pale green talc interspersed within blades of magnesiohornblende
Species:           TALC with magnesiohornblende  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 4 cm specimen with pale green talc interspersed within blades of magnesiohornblende.
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 2013
Catalog No.: 1872
Notes: During a 2013 visit to the Richmond soapstone locality I desired to collect some additional samples of the magnesiohornblende that is the majority component of the quarried soapstone. Microscope examination of these samples revealed that this rock also contains a minor talc component as a soft pale green to gray-white mineral interspersed with the darker blades of magnesiohornblende.
A 1987 article in the Journal of Petrology by Schumacher and Robenson, "Mineral Chemistry and Metasomatic Growth of Aluminous Enclaves in Gedrite-Cordierite-Gneiss from Southwestern New Hampshire, USA" confirms the presence of talc at this Richmond locality.
Highslide JS
GARNET    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
0.6 mm red garnet in biotite (annite?) mica.
Species:           GARNET  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 0.6 mm red garnet in biotite (annite?) mica.
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 2006
Catalog No.: 1871
Notes: Overall matrix is quartz. Given that this is a very magnesium rich environment, perhaps this could be the magnesium garnet, pyrope. Analysis is in process. This small garnet is on miniature specimen #1871, cataloged as magnetite.
Highslide JS
GEDRITE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
3.7 cm specimen with dark-brown blades of anthophyllite in quartz
Species:           GEDRITE   Mg5Al2Si6Al2O22(OH)2
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 3.7 cm specimen with dark-brown blades of anthophyllite in quartz
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 2013
Catalog No.: 1877
Notes: Gedrite confirmed by EDS analysis .
Highslide JS
PHLOGOPITE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
1.8 cm field of view. Dark-brown phlogopite mica with blue gem iolite on left.


Highslide JS
PHLOGOPITE    Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
1 cm zoom view
Species:           PHLOGOPITE  
Locality:          Soapstone Quarry, Richmond, NH
Specimen Size: 1.8 cm field of view. Dark-brown phlogopite mica with blue gem iolite on left.
Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 2006
Catalog No.: 1870
Notes: Zoom view shows characteristic brown tint of phlogopite mica.