Post by 150FromFundy on Aug 7, 2013 17:45:43 GMT -5
Bancroft, Ontario is known as Canada’s Mineral Capital. Over 300 distinct minerals have been collected here with museum quality specimens displayed in the Smithsonian and ROM. One of the more recognized minerals from Bancroft is sodalite from the Princess Mine.
During her visit to the 1901 World's Fair in Buffalo , New York , the Princess of Wales was so captivated by a gift of Bancroft sodalite that arrangements were made to quarry enough to decorate her London residence, Marlborough House. In 1906, these hillsides were worked by the owners of the property for this mineral and shortly after, 130 tonnes of the rock were shipped to England to be used as a decorative stone in the Princess' royal home. And that is from where the name "Princess Sodalite Mine" comes.
Today, the mine is private and collecting has been reduced to the Rock Farm. I usually frown on this form of collecting, but this Rock Farm is stocked with blast rock from many local mines. The reality is, it would take me several days to visit the individual sites to collect what we collected here in a few hours. Hey, even the eagle at the top of the food chain will scavenge when opportunity presents itself. I guess that makes me a rock eagle today! Enjoy the pics.
Darryl.
The parking lot is delineated with sodalite to tease you upon arrival. The sodalite is contained in nepheline syenite gneiss. This would look great wet.
Collecting in the Rock Farm is a little like hunting for Easter eggs. There are over free range 100 minerals that graze here. It is free to get in but will cost you $1.50 per pound for every additional pound you weight on the way out.
Although there were over 100 minerals to collect, I was focussed on a few. Here are a few pounds of the sodalite that I rummaged out of the pile.
Some of the sodalite is nearly solid blue, while some is spotted.
I only found one piece of amazonite, but it is a good sized piece. The amazonite is actually from The Beryl Pit about an hour away.
This is a green marble with some black swirls. It has potential if it will take a shine.
This is fuschite. It also has potential if it will take a shine.
This is chalcopyrite, of fool’s gold. The chunks aren’t solid, but contain a coating on most faces.
This is pink calcite with black gneiss running through it. It’s too soft and sugary to work.
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This is black biotite mica. As you can see, it had a use before modern mirrors.
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This is black biotite mica on blue calcite. This will become a display case specimen.
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This is beryl. Unfortunately, this is likely all that was left when the crystal was knocked loose. Better luck next time.
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During her visit to the 1901 World's Fair in Buffalo , New York , the Princess of Wales was so captivated by a gift of Bancroft sodalite that arrangements were made to quarry enough to decorate her London residence, Marlborough House. In 1906, these hillsides were worked by the owners of the property for this mineral and shortly after, 130 tonnes of the rock were shipped to England to be used as a decorative stone in the Princess' royal home. And that is from where the name "Princess Sodalite Mine" comes.
Today, the mine is private and collecting has been reduced to the Rock Farm. I usually frown on this form of collecting, but this Rock Farm is stocked with blast rock from many local mines. The reality is, it would take me several days to visit the individual sites to collect what we collected here in a few hours. Hey, even the eagle at the top of the food chain will scavenge when opportunity presents itself. I guess that makes me a rock eagle today! Enjoy the pics.
Darryl.
The parking lot is delineated with sodalite to tease you upon arrival. The sodalite is contained in nepheline syenite gneiss. This would look great wet.
Collecting in the Rock Farm is a little like hunting for Easter eggs. There are over free range 100 minerals that graze here. It is free to get in but will cost you $1.50 per pound for every additional pound you weight on the way out.
Although there were over 100 minerals to collect, I was focussed on a few. Here are a few pounds of the sodalite that I rummaged out of the pile.
Some of the sodalite is nearly solid blue, while some is spotted.
I only found one piece of amazonite, but it is a good sized piece. The amazonite is actually from The Beryl Pit about an hour away.
This is a green marble with some black swirls. It has potential if it will take a shine.
This is fuschite. It also has potential if it will take a shine.
This is chalcopyrite, of fool’s gold. The chunks aren’t solid, but contain a coating on most faces.
This is pink calcite with black gneiss running through it. It’s too soft and sugary to work.
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This is black biotite mica. As you can see, it had a use before modern mirrors.
[/URL]
This is black biotite mica on blue calcite. This will become a display case specimen.
[/URL]
This is beryl. Unfortunately, this is likely all that was left when the crystal was knocked loose. Better luck next time.
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