Ray Mine 2011 Part III

[Ezdiggin]

I don't always find the time to take pictures at the mine. Too busy with my chin in my chest, focusing intently on the ground for hours. These are all pics from finds that I got home and pounded into submission. Not sure why I picked green as a background to take pics of green rocks? Don't think I'll do that again. The last eight pictures are all specimens from the same basketball sized rock I busted in to many pieces. I counted 26 beryl crystals in all, probably 10 doubly terminated crystals, several apatite, and some colombite. Someone had thrown the piece out of a hole because nothing was showing on the outside. I just got very lucky.


terminated schorl. only one I've ever found


small apatite crystal, little to no damage, doubly terminated, hexagonal, pinkish/grey. never seen this crystal form that is much wider than tall


small vug, quartz and feldspar crystals


beryl


one flat termination


same crystal


second flat termination, same crystal


repaired piece


another double term.


Apatite crystal w/ some beryl too


several beryls, one with undamaged columbite crystal

[writerman2255]

What are its characteristics that you know for certain that those little black pieces are Columbite? Thanks for posting! T.

[hydrogeologist]

All of the columbites I've ever found at the Ray are either tabular or have "chisel-point" terminations. Another dead give-away is the columbites there always have a metallic luster which is especially evident in a broken crystals. The majority of columbites I have found there are usually associated with well-formed pink and/or green apatite crystals, too.

Lawrence

[writerman2255]

Do you know how rare larger crystals are? T.

[Ezdiggin]

Hydrogeologist said it perfect. The only other things I could add would be that there are three black minerals often found at the ray; coal, schorl, and colombite. The coal brought in for mining tricks me every trip. Once I pick it up though its light weight gives it away. The schorl is obvious with the striations parallel with the crystal. Writerman I know you're familiar with schorl in the area as much time as you spend at crabtree and I've met you at the Ray. Anyway after you have weeded out those two minerals and follow what hydro said, it should be fairly simply from there. Oh yeah, colombite is real heavy too. You can only feel for its weight though if the specimen is large and free of matrix. As far as large specimens of colombite at the ray mine, they are very rare. My largest is a broken crystal about 2'' by 1''. I have seen a couple larger.

[Dicky the Rockhunter]

my neighbor brought me some coal a few weeks ago and it was river polished really fooled me for a while

Dicky.