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EducationPseudomorph

14th Apr 2024 23:52 UTCRick Dalrymple Expert

I've been doing some research for an article on pseudomorphs, epimorphs, and paramorphs. I am hoping someone here can point me in the right direction.

I am wondering how inclusions fit into the equation. Is rutile in quartz considered just an inclusion or is it a epimorph.

Same question with limonites in granite from Silverzone Pass?

And the azurite in granite in the material commonly called K2.

At what point does an inclusion become an epimorph?

It seems to be somewhat of a gray area. Any words of wisdom or references would be greatly appreciated.

15th Apr 2024 02:18 UTCLalith Aditya Senthil Kumar

I can tell you for sure that Rutile in Quartz is an inclusion, but with K2 Azurite, it is a bit harder, as sometimes the azurite blends into the pale granite.

15th Apr 2024 03:02 UTCHerwig Pelckmans

I would start with the definitions provided in the mindat glossary.

https://www.mindat.org/glossary.php

15th Apr 2024 03:03 UTCKeith Compton 🌟 Manager

Suggested books and magazines:

The Photo Atlas of Mineral Pseudomorphism by Kloprogge and Lavinsky may be a starting point, despite a few mistakes in the publication.

Extra Lapis had a good issue on pseudomorphs - Pseudmophosen - Extra Lapis 43 - and still available from their shop. It's in German but easy enough to translate and a neat resource in any case.

Rocks & Minerals Magazine Vol 54(5) Classification of Pseudomorphs

Mindat articles:

https://www.mindat.org/a/best_pseudomorphs__replacements_a__b

Mindat library

If you go to the mindat library and search "pseudomorphs" you will get 53 pages of references - not all viewable in the library but may give you some source ideas.

The library has the following viewable text, amongst other:

Frondel, Clifford (1935, February 26th) Catalogue of Mineral Pseudomorphs in the American Museum. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History Vol. 67 (9) American Museum of Natural History

15th Apr 2024 03:53 UTCRick Dalrymple Expert

Thanks all.

I appreciate your input.

I have read through a lot of those.

A couple of more question I still cant find the answer two.

1. when does a contact between two minerals become an epimorph?

If there is a contact between, say galena and calcite, is it just a contact. Why is it not an epimorph.

2. What's the difference between an inclusion and a epimorph?

Chalcopyrite on crystal planes of fluorite seem like they would be an epimorph. But why is rutile in quartz considered just an inclusion.

15th Apr 2024 04:03 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

The contact between an inclusion and its host mineral can't be an epimorph unless the inclusion has disappeared, leaving a void. Then the contact becomes a mold of the crystal that isn't there anymore.

In my opinion, if every contact between two minerals is called some type of pseudomorph, then the meaning of the term pseudomorph becomes so diluted that it might as well be meaningless.

15th Apr 2024 04:19 UTCRick Dalrymple Expert

Alfredo,

Thank you.

15th Apr 2024 04:26 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

Rick, you might want to rather ask Erin Delventhal in New Mexico. She has dived much deeper into the topic of pseudomorphs than I have.

See also this discussion: https://www.mindat.org/mesg-541683.html

15th Apr 2024 12:56 UTCEd Clopton 🌟 Expert

For folks who don't plan to delve into the literature, pseudomorphs and epimorphs both retain the overall shape of the original crystal--that's the point of the "-morph" suffix. To be an epimorph, the remaining mineral material must preserve a recognizable portion of the form of the now-absent crystal. Just how much that is would be debatable, but that's the threshold that must be met. A spot of marcasite that formed in the middle of a flat face of a calcite crystal and fell off as a flat plate of marcasite when the calcite dissolved probably would not qualify as an epimorph.

16th Apr 2024 02:54 UTCRick Dalrymple Expert

Good point. Thanks.

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