Specimens from Bennet Quarry-Orchard Pit

Back in July, Laura and I spent an afternoon in the Bennet Quarry – Orchard Pit in Buckfield, Oxford County, Maine. Here’s the original location post if you are curious.

forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/67200/bennett-quarry-orchard-buckfield-oxford

The adventure cost us $60 for the guide and a trespass fee for the owner, for the privilege of keeping as much of whatever we found as desired. These aren’t top shelf specimens, but they are interesting samples for the basement shelf, or back deck. Here goes.

This is a small fractured piece of Green Beryl. Prize crystals can still be discovered, but not on our first visit.


This is a double terminated crystal of Cassiterite (tin oxide). I found it as a “floater” as I clawed my way up the side of a dump pile. It is recognizable by its really heavy specific gravity of 6.9. It doesn’t appear to be amazing, but they are rare. Had I sold it to the guide, I could have covered our costs, but I decided to keep it until I learned a little more.


Schorl (Black Tourmaline) in Smokey Quartz


Quartz


Quartz in White Feldspar


Mica Schist with Feldspar


White Feldspar Crystal


Biotite (Black Mica) in Green Feldspar


Pink Montmorillonite


Green Feldspar


White Feldspar


Muscovite (Mica) in Smokey Quartz


Muscovite (Mica) in Smokey Quartz


Tourmaline in Feldspar


Feldspar Crystal


Schorl (Black Tourmaline), Smokey Quartz & Feldspar


Schorl (Black Tourmaline) & Smokey Quartz


Muscovite & Smokey Quartz


This is Manganapatite which is one of the few forms of apatite that is fluorescent without heat treatment. Fluorescent photos will follow in a future post. Actually, we collected a flat of this once we realized it glowed.


Schorl (Black Tourmaline) & Smokey Quartz


Enjoy the pics.

Darryl.