In the desert, a few miles south of St. George, there's an open-pit selenite mine. It has been mislabeled a "mica" mine by some, which is probably a harmless mistake unless you're a nut like me who wants to use mica for its heat-resistant properties and ends up heating selenite (which turns into a cheap cement and releases lung-destroying cement smoke when exposed to fire. Thank you very-little, you finks who make the error!)
However mistaken in nature, the crystals are lovely and abundant. You can go there and fill buckets of the stuff. I did a little more research and found that selenite (a form of gypsum) is peculiarly more water-soluble at lower temperatures, as it has a tendency to lose a hydrogen ion at higher temperatures and become insoluble. It has only a little birefringence, which is one way you can distinguish between it and proper mica (which has vast birefringence), although both can have forms with fractionable layers.
This excursion took place with the help of a few dear friends: Michael & Sarah, and their dog Charlie. We enjoyed a few hours of exploration, though getting there can take a bit of research. It is now accessible at the end of the highway towards the airport, turning right towards Werner Valley, and turning right (south) once more and proceeding along that frontage road for a few miles.
MAP:
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.978438,-113.463699,346m/data=!3m1!1e3
No comments:
Post a Comment