Mineral Galleries | Minerals of South America
This gallery features minerals from Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. Mineralogist Jaroslav Hyrsl debuted a new find of pearceite crystals from Peru at the Tucson 2008 show; two pieces are available here. There is a fine example of goudeyite-(Y) from a new locality in Chile. There are many interesting specimens from Brazil from the Jo Urban species collection; of particular note is the botryoidal gibbsite specimen and the carbonate hydroxylapatite specimen with glassy crystals. Enjoy!
MS0224 - Goudeyite with Cornwallite
Date: May 18th, 2008Goudeyite with Cornwallite
Luisa mine, Tierra Amarilla, Copiapó Province, Chile
Miniature, 5.0 by 3.5 by 2.6 cm
$200 - Order Form
Goudeyite is a rare member of the mixite group of minerals, originally found in Nevada, and named for micromount mineral collector Hatfield Goudey. This new occurrence in Chile produces excellent rich specimens surpassing the original finds. This specimen has a coverage of about 2 cm2 of fine fibrous goudeyite. Green spherical cornwallite occurs in the mix, as seen in the micrographs.
MS0225 - Gilmarite
Date: May 26th, 2008Gilmarite
Guanaco mine, Tal Tal, Antofagasta Province, Chile
Miniature, 2.5 by 2.4 by 1.9 cm
$80 - Order Form
Gilmarite is a rare copper arsenate, in this example forming serrated blue-green crystals, lining a cavity in quartz. This specimen has a botryoidal green arsenate, most likely cornubite. An attractive micromount of this rare mineral.
MS0226 - Pseudoboleite
Date: May 18th, 2008Pseudoboleite
near the Santa Catalina mine, Sierra Gorda, Chile
Miniature, 7.8 by 5.2 by 2.4 cm
$300 - Order Form
Pseudoboleite is perhaps the most widely occurring of the boleite group minerals, but examples showing large amounts of the mineral remain quite rare. This is a spectacular, large coverage with excellent color and brilliancy which would show well in a display case. This specimen comes from Terry Szenics personal collection. Obtained from Terry at the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium, 2008, with his label.
MS0228 - Metavauxite
Date: May 26th, 2008Metavauxite
Siglo Veinte mine, Llallagua, Potosí Department, Bolivia
Thumbnail, 2.0 by 0.7 by 0.6 cm
Specimen on reserve
Metavauxite is the rarest of the three vauxite group minerals. When I saw these examples at the Tucson 2008 show, I quickly purchased all three available. Metavauxite has an attractive sea foam green color, and forms silky sprays. These sprays defy the focus optics of my camera, as seen in the photographs below. Type locality. The tight sprays may have some contacting on their sides, and some clay on the terminations of the fragile blades. This example has a few spots of dark blue vauxite attached.
MS0229 - Metavauxite
Date: May 26th, 2008Metavauxite
Siglo Veinte mine, Llallagua, Potosí Department, Bolivia
Thumbnail, 2.0 by 0.8 by 0.6 cm
$60 - Order Form
Metavauxite is the rarest of the three vauxite group minerals. When I saw these examples at the Tucson 2008 show, I quickly purchased all three available. Metavauxite has an attractive sea foam green color, and forms silky sprays. These sprays defy the focus optics of my camera, as seen in the photographs below. Type locality. The tight sprays may have some contacting on their sides, and some clay on the terminations of the fragile blades. Rare!
MS0230 - Metavauxite
Date: May 26th, 2008Metavauxite
Siglo Veinte mine, Llallagua, Potosí Department, Bolivia
Thumbnail, 2.1 by 1.1 by 0.7 cm
Specimen on reserve
Metavauxite is the rarest of the three vauxite group minerals. When I saw these examples at the Tucson 2008 show, I quickly purchased all three available. Metavauxite has an attractive sea foam green color, and forms silky sprays. These sprays defy the focus optics of my camera, as seen in the photographs below. The tight sprays may have some contacting on their sides, and some clay on the terminations of the fragile blades. This example is the largest of the lot, and has a spot of dark blue vauxite attached. This is the type locality.
MS0231 - Carbonate Hydroxylapatite
Date: May 26th, 2008Carbonate Hydroxylapatite
Morro do Serrate carbonatite, Registro district, São Paulo, Brazil
Small cabinet, 7.3 by 4.0 by 3.4 cm
$200 - Order Form
This is an unusual member of the apatite group. This specimen is from a carbonatite deposit, which is an exotic igneous rock rich in CO2. This specimen is a complete mound covered in crystals, on side they are bright and transparent, while on the other side of the mound, the crystals are cloudly and white. The crystals reach about 2 mm, but form grape-like aggregates. Comes with an older label with the designation "dahliite".
MS0232 - Variscite
Date: May 18th, 2008Variscite
Itumbiara, Goias, Brazil
Miniature, 4.4 by 2.8 by 2.4 cm
$40 - Order Form
These variscite specimens created a stir at the Tucson Show when Carlos Barbosa imported them in the 1990s. Many of the specimens, including this example, have saw cuts on their backsides. The quartz matrix is very tough!
The variscite here formed a 6 mm ball of blocky crystals, with interesting clay inclusions. Specimens from this occurrence are generally considered the finest crystals of variscite known. Desirable and scarce.
MS0233 - Gibbsite
Date: May 26th, 2008Gibbsite
Gamba, Brazil
Small cabinet, 5.5 by 4.1 by 2.7 cm
$80 - Order Form
Gibbsite is aluminum hydroxide, a major component of bauxite aluminum ore. This specimen is a curious botryoidal crust of gibbsite, looking much like chalcedony. With a French BRGM label, and a Joseph Urban collection label. Although not a rare mineral, rich gibbsite specimens are very scarce. The iron-staining could be removed chemically, but that decision resides with the buyer. A photograph of the side of the specimen shows the underlying texture and white color of the mineral. This is the only such specimen I have ever seen.
MS0234 - Moraesite
Date: May 26th, 2008Moraesite
Taquaral, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Miniature, 4.5 by 4.2 by 1.8 cm
$100 - Order Form
This is a large mass of fibrous white moraesite. Moraesite is a rare beryllium phosphate. Carlos Barbosa label and a Joseph Urban collection label. This is the largest solid mass of the mineral I have seen.
MS0235 - Pearceite
Date: May 26th, 2008Pearceite
Uchucchacua mine, Lima Department, Peru
Miniature, 3.7 by 2.9 by 3.5 cm
$1000 - Order Form
Pearceite is a silver arsenic sulfosalt mineral. Jaroslav Hyrsl imported these specimens during the Tucson 2008 show. These pearceite specimens have very attractive, lustrous groups of six-sided plates. These specimens came from a single pocket at the locality. I bought three of six specimens available; this is the best example I purchased. Pearceite has a structural relationship with polybasite. The pearceite rosette measures 7 mm across. This is a rare opportunity to obtain a very fine pearceite specimen.
MS0236 - Quintinite-2H
Date: May 26th, 2008Quintinite-2H
Jacupiranga mine, São Paulo, Brazil
Miniature, 3.8 by 3.7 by 2.3 cm
$100 - Order Form
These specimens came to market decades ago, labeled manasseite. More recent research has shown that this mineral differs from manasseite, and the researchers named the mineral quintinite in honor of micromounter Quintin Wight. In this case, these specimens are the 2H polytype. The quintinite-2H crystals reach 4 mm across in this example. Ships with Minerals Unlimited and A.L. McGuinness labels. This is a good example of this rare mineral.
MS0237 - Hureaulite with Rockbridgeite
Date: May 26th, 2008Hureaulite with Rockbridgeite
Jocâo mine, Galileía, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Miniature, 4.5 by 4.2 by 1.8 cm
$300 - Order Form
This is a striking specimen of flesh colored hureaulite crystals to 4 mm forming stacked aggregates with contrasting deep green (nearly black) rockbridgeite spheres to 15 mm. This is an attractive specimen of two unusual phosphate minerals. The central rockbridgeite sphere has a minor surface blemish; otherwise the specimen is in excellent condition.
MS0238 - Pearceite
Date: May 26th, 2008Pearceite with Proustite
Uchucchacua mine, Lima Department, Peru
Thumbnail, 3.1 by 1.7 by 1.6 cm
$150 - Order Form
Pearceite is a silver arsenic sulfosalt mineral. Jaroslav Hyrsl imported these specimens during the Tucson 2008 show. These pearceite specimens have very attractive, lustrous groups of six-sided plates. These specimens came from a single pocket at the locality. I bought three of six specimens available; this is the best example I purchased. Pearceite has a structural relationship with polybasite. The largest pearceite crystal measures 7 mm across, and the largest proustite crystal reaches 8 mm. This is a rare opportunity to obtain a very fine pearceite specimen.
MS0239 - Franckeite
Date: May 26th, 2008Franckeite
San José mine, Oruro Department, Bolivia
Thumbnail, 2.6 by 1.6 by 1.4 cm
$40 - Order Form
Franckeite is a sulfosalt mineral known originally and still predominantly from Bolivia. These crystallized specimens seem to trickle out of the mines. This example is essentially a double ball of crystals. Like most examples, the crystals are rounded, likely from conditions at the mine. A good, rare example of this sulfosalt; much better than the massive material.
MS0240 - Bournonite
Date: May 26th, 2008Bournonite
Machamarca, Potosí Department, Bolivia
Miniature, 3.3 by 3.2 by 1.2 cm
$100 - Order Form
Bournonite crystals from Bolivia rank among the world's finest. This locality seems to produce a pocket or two every year, but this year's examples are bit larger and finer than usual. Some specimens are complete pseudomorphs of tetrahedrite after bournonite, but this is a fresh example. This is essentially a single crystal, with a bit of attached matrix. The crystal has interesting growth marks, reflecting its symmetry.
