Since Scott deleted the post about anime nudes I guess I'll have to discuss something else!
I thought about placing these photos under the North Carolina by county topic, but I wanted all the photos to be seen without jumping from one topic to another. I will eventually get these photos posted in the NC county from which they came.
I wanted to share photos of my small collection of North Carolina Zoisite var. Thulite with you. This mineral has been a favorite of mine since 1963 when I saw my first specimen.
Zoisite, and its pink variety thulite, found in the Spruce Pine District have recently been discovered to be Clinozoisite and var. Clinothulite through extensive analyses (see Mindat.com). I still vacillate between the two (hard to break old habits) when I talk about them.
The following photos are arranged by the year I acquired the specimens. The specimen number refers to the year acquired and the numerical sequence it was obtained. I have combined two photos into one to show the specimen's display side and reverse side or closeup view.
No. 1963.028
Deer Park Mine No. 2, Penland, Mitchell Co., NC
Specimen: 2.24 x 1.57 x 0.78 inches
No. 1988.017
Lawson Mine, Spruce Pine, Mitchell Co., NC
Specimen: 2.8 x 1.9 x 1.5 inches
Max. Crystal: 0.61 x 0.16 inches
No. 2007.007
Hoot Owl Mine, Estatoe, Mitchell Co., NC
Specimen: 3.43 x 1.42 x 1.65 inches
Max. Crystal: 0.31 inches
No. 2009.001
Chalk Mountain Mine, Spruce Pine, Mitchell Co., NC
Specimen: 3.03 x 1.73 x 1.38 inches
Max. Crystal: 1.57 inches
The crystals on the reverse side resemble pink tourmaline.
No. 2009.020
Bon Ami Mine (McKinney Mines), Crabtree, Mitchell Co., NC
Specimen: 7.5 x 5.0 x 1.0 inches
Max. Crystal: 1.4 x 0.1 inches
I love mica with inclusions, especially thulite inclusions.
No. 2011.023
Fannie Gouge Mine, Blue Rock, Yancey Co., NC
Specimen: 2.3 x 1.4 x 1.3 inches
Max. Crystal: 1.06 inches
My problem is, I like so many different types of minerals, but beryl, quartz, and thulite top the list. I hope you enjoyed the pics.
Dennis