Muscovite gallery2

MUSCOVITE Gallery Return to Muscovite page. Click on image for larger view

MUSCOVITE Parking lot east of Rt. 101 - Rt.101A interchange, Amherst, NH 5 mm field of view. Sharp hexagonal books of muscovite to 1 mm	Species: MUSCOVITE with white tabular apatite Locality: Parking lot east of Rt. 101 - Rt.101A interchange, Amherst, NH Specimen Size: 5 mm field of view. Sharp hexagonal books of muscovite to 1 mm Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 5/22/97 Catalog No.: u322 Notes:"Free-growing" non-pegmatite muscovite is uncommon in NH.
MUSCOVITE Rt. 101 - 101A Road Cut, Amherst, NH 2.5 mm field of view. Hexagonal books of muscovite to 0.8 mm	Species: MUSCOVITE Locality: Rt. 101 - 101A Road Cut, Amherst, NH Specimen Size: 2.5 mm field of view. Hexagonal books of muscovite to 0.8 mm Field Collected: Tom Mortimer Catalog No.: u310 Notes:
MUSCOVITE pseudomorph after garnet EE Smith Mine, Alexandria, NH 1.2 mm muscovite pseudomorph after garnet	Species: MUSCOVITE pseudomorph after garnet KAl₂AlSi₃O₁₀(OH)₂ Locality: EE Smith Mine, Alexandria, NH Specimen Size: 1.2 mm muscovite pseudomorph after garnet Field Collected: Tom Mortimer Catalog No.: u754 Notes: I was initially quite confused by these pale yellow garnet-like crystals. Their hardness is only 2 to 3. An EDS analysis indicated the species was muscovite. Brown-pink garnets are often nearby on specimens with these yellow pseudomorphs.
MUSCOVITE pseudomorph after garnet EE Smith Mine, Alexandria, NH 7 mm field of view. Fully altered and partially altered garnets.	Species: MUSCOVITE pseudomorph after garnet Locality: EE Smith Mine, Alexandria, NH Specimen Size: 7 mm field of view. Fully altered and partially altered garnets. Field Collected: Tom Mortimer Catalog No.: u755 Notes: Pair of garnets altered to greenish mica on left, Slightly altered reddish garnet on right. Staining suggests leaching of iron from garnets. Almandine garnets contain iron, muscovite does not.
MUSCOVITE with tabular apatite Palermo Mine, N. Groton, NH 4 mm crystal group	Species: MUSCOVITE with tabular apatite Locality: Palermo Mine, N. Groton, NH Specimen Size: 4 mm crystal group Field Collected: Clayton Ford. Gift from Gordon Jackson Catalog No.: u2007 Notes:
MUSCOVITE Johnson Rd. Locality, Bow, NH At green arrow with red dot: 2 cm muscovite pseudomorph after tourmaline.	Species: MUSCOVITE Locality: Johnson Rd. Locality, Bow, NH Specimen Size: At green arrow with red dot: 2 cm muscovite pseudomorph after tourmaline. Field Collected: Tom Mortimer Catalog No.: 2083 Notes: Un-altered black tourmaline also present. Identification suggested by Peter Cristofono. Several pegmatite dikes were observed cutting through the country rock at this blasted ledge locality.
MUSCOVITE Palermo Mine, N. Groton, NH 0.6 mm spiky ball	Species: MUSCOVITE Locality: Palermo Mine, N. Groton, NH Specimen Size: 0.6 mm spiky ball (largest) Field Collected: Unknown. Ex Pat Barker, gifted to Anna Wilken. Catalog No.: u2309 Notes: I expected a phosphate, perhaps the spiky ball habit goyazite. An Oct. 2019 EDS (BC354A) gave K_0.33Mg_0.11Fe_0.16Al_2.34Si₃O₂₀ normalized for three Si. A second analysis from the same sample gave: K_0..57Mg_0.07Ca_0.05Fe_0.05Al_2.68Si₃O_20.2 Following a review of the EDS data and photo, Jim Nizamoff suggested muscovite. The chemistry is reasonable. Jim said he had seen this muscovite habit in Maine pegmatites, but not from Palermo.
MUSCOVITE Palermo Mine, N. Groton, NH 2 cm muscovite crystal cluster	Species: MUSCOVITE Locality: Palermo Mine, N. Groton, NH Specimen Size: 2 cm muscovite crystal cluster Field Collected: Bob Whitmore - 1973. Catalog No.: A Ray Meyers specimen Notes: Muscovite cluster perched on edge of partial smoky quartz crystal.
MUSCOVITE Keyes #1 Mine, Orange, NH 2 mm high crystal group	Species: MUSCOVITE Locality: Keyes #1 Mine, Orange, NH Specimen Size: 2 mm high crystal group Field Collected: Tom Mortimer - 1991 Catalog No.: u393 Notes:
MUSCOVITE - fine grain Locality: Vacinity of Mascot Mine, Gorham, NH 4.5 cm specimen with green, soft - hardness ~ 2.5, mica in milky quartz matrix. MUSCOVITE - fine grain Locality: Vacinity of Mascot Mine, Gorham, NH 7 mm mica crystal associated with fine-grained mica.	Species: MUSCOVITE - fine grain Locality: Vacinity of Mascot Mine, Gorham, NH Specimen Size: 4.5 cm specimen with green, (soft - hardness ~ 2.5), mica in milky quartz matrix Field Collected: Richard Orsillo Catalog No.: NC Notes: Silvery mica books embedded in fine-grained mica is unusual.
MUSCOVITE Valencia Mine, Groton, NH 1.1 mm field of view MUSCOVITE Valencia Mine, Groton, NH 2 mm field of view	Species: MUSCOVITE Locality: Valencia Mine, Groton, NH Specimen Size: 1.1 mm field of view top photo, 2 mm field of view lower photo. Field Collected: Tom Mortimer Catalog No.: u843 Notes: First impression was that these were leucophosphite or phosphosiderite, but now quite sure these are muscovite. In one specimen area the crystals have an orange oxide coating (second photo). This coating gives the crystals more contrast in the photo. The orange coating illustrates the importance of not relying heavily on color for an identification.
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