John Nash's Photo Gallery
MYE-L6NCalcite CaCO3
José María Patoni, San Juan del Río Municipality, Durango, MexicoDimensions: 10 cm x 8 cm x 8 cm
Several butterfly twins, plus small versions of the elongated type of crystals.
K85-3V2Calcite CaCO3
Madawaska Mine, Faraday Township, Hastings County, Ontario, CanadaDimensions: 11 cm x 7.5 cm x 5.5 cm
Field of View: 13 cm
Largest Crystal Size: 8 cm
Another of the truly unique calcites from this mine. This one has the strangest etching or deposition pattern - look at the close-up.
MC0-ELDBaryte BaSO4
Jbel Aouam, El Hammam Caïdat, Aguelmous Cercle, Khénifra Province, Béni Mellal-Khénifra Region, MoroccoDimensions: 12 cm x 12 cm x 12 cm
Field of View: 15 cm
Largest Crystal Size: 12 cm
Two giant, tabular crystals intersect each other. Their surfaces are glassy and the interiors have gemmy and translucent regions. The larger crystal is 12 X 8 cm and 2.5 cm thick. The specimen is incredibly three-dimensional (and very hard to photograph). I was told this came from M'hrit - Aouam, Jebel area, northeast of Khenifra. This mining area has occasionally produced large colorless barite, but this is out-sized even for the area.
PJW-KEECalcite CaCO3 , Hematite Fe2O3
Madawaska Mine, Faraday Township, Hastings County, Ontario, CanadaDimensions: 8 cm x 8 cm x 5.5 cm
Weight: 326 g
This unusual twinned specimen is partially coated with hematite, but remains very transparent; it fairly glows with minimal backlighting! Look at the other views to see this.
U1J-EYTCalcite CaCO3
Mid-Continent Mine, Treece, Picher Field, Cherokee County, Kansas, USAThe specimen has a cluster of gemmy, yellow calcite crystals on top of a limetone breccia. The main crystal is a very translucent - largely transparent - doubly terminated scalenohedral twin. It sits suspended above the matrix by several centimeters, with a small amount of matrix behind it that can't be seen from the front. This is a remarkable display specimen, rivaling the finest Elmwood calcites. Overall, the specimen is 18 X 10 X 5.5 cm; the main calcite crystal is 8.5 X 3.5 cm.
N7R-DUXCalcite (Var: Manganese-bearing Calcite) (Ca,Mn)CO3
Trepča Stari Trg Mine, Trepča complex, Mitrovica, Mitrovica District, KosovoEx-Peter Maurer Collection; ex-Giovanni Signorelli Collection. This is a very fine manganoan calcite from the Trepca mine. It fluoresces red, proving manganese content. It is a light pink group of pseudo-hexagonal crystals, each about 1.5 cm thick and about 9.5 X 8.5 X 3.5 overall. The primary crystals are faced with hundreds of small, flattened rhombs. This is remeniscent of fine Dal'negorsk calcite and is the best example of this hexagonal form from Trepca I've seen for sale. The Trepca mines have a long history, back to 1303, producing lead, zinc, silver and a range of trace metals including uranium. The mining complex is no doubt part of the reason, maybe a big part, for the centuries of fighting in the region. The original mining is a huge open pit; in modern times work has gone underground. There are estimated reserves that would support 50 more years of intensive underground mining. What a great specimen from a historic mine.
0VR-4U7Calcite (Var: Manganese-bearing Calcite) (Ca,Mn)CO3 , Sphalerite ZnS
2nd Sovetskii Mine, Partizanskoe Pb-Zn deposit, Dalnegorsk, Dalnegorsk Urban District, Primorsky Krai, RussiaAn incredibly unique manganoan calcite on sphalerite specimen, made extraordinary by the fact of the calcite epimorphing a huge, flat-topped sphalerite crystal. The calcite has formed coatings and large and small curved blades. The blades are assembled of thousands of small, flattened rhombic calcite crystals. The large flat-topped sphalerite measures about 5.5 cm high and 8.5 cm across at its base, 5 cm at the top. The whole specimen is about 20 X 11.5 X 12.5 cm. Pristine and undamaged, the specimen is truly remarkable, another reminder of what amazing things happened at Dal'negork.
86W-KXJFluorite CaF2 , Baryte BaSO4
Dorion Amethyst Mine, Mineral Lot A, McTavish Township, Thunder Bay District, Ontario, CanadaA large specimen of brilliant yellow fluorite with barite on quartz. The clarity and color of the fluorite is unusually good for yellow fluorite from anywhere, and this is a very rare locale. 12 X 10 X 6 cm., it is another dazzling specimen from a largely unknown (and now closed) locality.
TGT-9C3Baryte BaSO4 , Fluorite CaF2
Dorion Amethyst Mine, Mineral Lot A, McTavish Township, Thunder Bay District, Ontario, CanadaNice miniature, 5 X 4 X 3 cm, very well crystallized, flesh colored barite, 5 mm very pale yellow fluorite cubes. Found by Greg and John, July, 2004 in the main quarry, 48° 41' 41.41" N 88° 35' 1.18" W
KTW-GGCNatrolite Na2Al2Si3O10·2H2O , Corrensite (Mg,Fe)9((Si,Al)8O20)(OH)10·nH2O
Kibblehouse Quarry, Perkiomenville, Marlborough Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USAInteresting 11 X 7 X 4 cm specimen of natrolite (peach) overgrown by a last white layer of white natrolite and corrensite nodules.