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Author Topic: What is this mineral vein i've found?  (Read 1399 times)

Freeza

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What is this mineral vein i've found?
« on: March 28, 2023, 04:10:11 PM »
Located these veins on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne.

Ive checked and checked my books all I can come up with is Kyanite with quartz.

Im a complete noob so any help would be appreciated!
Thankyou.









RoughCreations

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Re: What is this mineral vein i've found?
« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2023, 05:57:28 PM »
Located these veins on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne.
Ive checked and checked my books all I can come up with is Kyanite with quartz.
Im a complete noob so any help would be appreciated!
Thankyou.
Kyanite is probably a long-shot for Mornington Peninsula, Kyanite is usually found in high pressure metamorphic terrains.
Does have a bluish tinge to the quartz veins - colour could be due to oxides of manganese and iron included in it, a bit like moss agate?

RC
Rough Creations - Beauty from rough beginnings

Freeza

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Re: What is this mineral vein i've found?
« Reply #2 on: March 28, 2023, 08:18:56 PM »
Thankyou for your response !
It does have all the features of kyanite but I agree probably a longshot.  The Rock it's in is really brittle can break it apart with your hands , but sort of like a shaly / chalky sandstone .

The mineral fractures and splinters just like the description I read about kyanite. Once it has fractured from then on its really strong, cannot break it without extreme force.

It's also super hard, about the same or more as quartz. I did a scratch test and a kitchen knife didn't scratch it and I'm not sure if quartz did either .

Is a lapidary club my best bet to get it identified ? Or are there gemologists I could go too?

Thankyou

Bucket

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Re: What is this mineral vein i've found?
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2023, 10:03:59 AM »
Hi Freeza, simple answer is yes to both lapidary clubs and gemmologists, the main difference would be the cost of both. A gemmologist would give you a definitive answer but it will cost, they don't do it for nothing! I would suggest you look at joining a lapidary club however, the experience and information they have is extensive.
You mention that what you have found is reasonably hard after fracturing, the hardness I've found in kyanite is reasonably soft and will splinter easily along the length of the crystal. It has an increase in stability and hardness across the crystal structure. I've worked with some found in W.A, and found it splintered easily but if worked carefully will cabochon well.
The other good thing about joining a lapidary club is the fact that most have field trips regularly and will teach you how to cut and polish what you find. If you're in the S.E. suburbs of Melbourne there are a few you could seek out in Mordialloc, Dandenong, Nunawading, Waverley and Frankston.
Common sense isn't exactly common

Freeza

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Re: What is this mineral vein i've found?
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2023, 12:23:54 PM »
Hey bucket thanks for your reply

Yep I plan on heading up to Dandenong and having a look see .

I'd be stoked if it can be faceted, there is so much of it back there just waiting for me

When you remove it from its setting in the rock, bits crumble off, sometimes the size of a fist, sometimes small. Once they've crumbled off they are generally pretty hard to break

Bucket

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Re: What is this mineral vein i've found?
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2023, 10:49:26 PM »
Before moving to Tassie, long before actually, I was a member of Dandenong, over 50 years ago! I did call in to see their newish premises at Keysborough, they were a friendly bunch and have some decent machinery.
Common sense isn't exactly common

Rusted

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Re: What is this mineral vein i've found?
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2023, 04:08:44 PM »
According to "Gemstones in Victoria" Turquoise can be found on the Mornington Peninsula, that was my first guess too.

Freeza

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Re: What is this mineral vein i've found?
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2023, 06:22:41 PM »
Hey rusted
I do have thatbook .
Could it really be turquoise?
As I'm quite a novice, could you point me In the direction of the similarity?
Thankyou!

Rusted

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Re: What is this mineral vein i've found?
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2023, 08:34:23 AM »
Sorry mate I honestly don't know, the vein looks a lot like the way Turquoise forms, but the individual pieces don't particularly. I just put the mention in the book out there as a maybe.
The individual pieces look a bit more like Chalcedony, so, "shrugs."

tinker

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Re: What is this mineral vein i've found?
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2023, 09:29:38 AM »
Looks a bit like Amazonite, there's some at Mt Crawford in S.A., looks similar to this.

 

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