Paravauxite gallery

PARAVAUXITE Gallery Return to Paravauxite page. Click on image for larger view

PARAVAUXITE Palermo Mine, N. Groton, NH 4 mm field of view	Species: PARAVAUXITE Locality: Palermo Mine, N. Groton, NH Specimen Size: 4 mm field of view Field Collected: Walter Lane - from material purchased by the Micromounters of New England Catalog No.: u1316 Notes: Jim Nizamoff thought paravoxite was the most likely species for this specimen.
PARAVAUXITE Palermo Mine, N. Groton, NH Pair of paravauxite rhombic prisms. Crystal on left is 1.0 mm.	Species: PARAVAUXITE Locality: Palermo Mine, N. Groton, NH Specimen Size: Pair of paravauxite rhombic prisms. Crystal on left is 1.0 mm. Field Collected: From a small box of small rock chunks gifted by Bob Whitmore Catalog No.: u1513 Notes: Photo is from a "stack" of 8 images processed with Helicon Focus.
PARAVAUXITE Chickering Mine, Walpole, NH 3 mm field of view	Species: PARAVAUXITE Locality: Chickering Mine, Walpole, NH Specimen Size: 3 mm field of view Field Collected: Bob Wilken Catalog No.: A Bob Wilken specimen and photo Notes: Cream-colored paravauxite crystals. A visual ID.
PARAVAUXITE Rice Mine, N. Groton, NH, NH 3 mm field of view	Species: PARAVAUXITE Locality: Rice Mine, N. Groton, NH Specimen Size: 3 mm field of view Field Collected: Clayton Ford ±1970 Catalog No.: A Bob Wilken specimen and photo Notes: Phosphate minerals are relatively uncommon at the Rice Mine.
PARAVAUXITE Chickering Mine, Walpole, NH 0.5 mm sigloite cluster PARAVAUXITE Chickering Mine, Walpole, NH 0.5 mm sigloite cluster	Species: PARAVAUXITE Confidence: 4 (paravauxite or sigloite - see notes) Chemistry: Fe²⁺Al₂(PO₄)₂(OH)₂ · 8H₂O Locality: Chickering Mine, Walpole, NH Specimen Size: 0.5 mm paravauxite cluster. Individual crystals on the order of 0.1 mm. Field Collected: Tom Mortimer Catalog No.: u1336 Notes: First EDS analysis (by analyst Kerry Day) suggested the species is a member of the stewartite group, sigloite being the best fit, with moderate Mn substitution. The morphology of these crystals are a good match with the sigloite specimen examples shown on mindat. In November 2017, Jim Nizamoff opined that paravauxite may be a better identification than sigloite for these small clear crystals. Jim explained, when tri-valent iron is present (as in sigloite), it is less likely to produce a colorless crystal. An EDS analysis giving element atomic percents would be helpful to determine the Mn:Fe ratio, but will shed no light on the Fe oxidation state. Fortunately, I have four specimens that could provide grains. A follow-up EDS analysis with quantification, (BC375 Set 27) computed a chemistry of (Fe_0.57, Mn_0.23)Al_1.56P₂O₅₇ , normalized for 2 P. This is consistent with the Kerry Day analysis above. At the January, 2020 MMNE meeting, I acquired a Janet Cares Bolivian paravauxite from the type locality. An EDS analysis of a grain from this specimen, side-by-side with the u1336 grain, computed a chemistry of Fe_0.62Al_1.67P₂O₂₁ , also normalized for 2 P. Interesting, the Fe and Al are also low for a paravauxite, and close to the Chickering analysis values. These two photos are both with a Canon G9 camera: Top photo with Meiji trinocular scope, bottom photo with Nikon Plan 10/0.25 objective lens, (better) .
PARAVAUXITE Palermo Mine, Groton, NH 0.5 mm field of view PARAVAUXITE Palermo Mine, Groton, NH 0.5 mm field of view	Species: PARAVAUXITE Locality: Palermo Mine, Groton, NH Specimen Size: 0.5 mm field of view Field Collected: Tom Mortimer Catalog No.: TBC Notes: Paravauxite is uncommon at the Palermo Mine. I made four attempts to photo this. Very small. None were particularly good. Motivated by rarity of species at Palermo.
PARAVAUXITE Fletcher Mine, Groton, NH 7 mm field of view	Species: PARAVAUXITE Locality: Fletcher Mine, Groton, NH Specimen Size: 7 mm field of view Field Collected: Bob Janules Catalog No.: A Bob Janules specimen Notes: About as nice a NH paravauxite as I have seen.