Alunite photos on Flickr

The combination of morphological and topographic information from stereo images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, as well as compositional data from near-infrared spectroscopy has been proven to be a powerful tool for understanding the geology of Mars.

Beginning with the OMEGA instrument on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter in 2003, the surface of Mars has been examined at near-infrared wavelengths by imaging spectrometers that are capable of detecting specific minerals and mapping their spatial extent. The CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) instrument on our orbiter is a visible/near-infrared imaging spectrometer, and the HiRISE camera works together with it to document the appearance of mineral deposits detected by this orbital prospecting.

Mawrth Vallis is one of the regions on Mars that has attracted much attention because of the nature and diversity of the minerals identified by these spectrometers. It is a large, ancient outflow channel on the margin of the Southern highlands and Northern lowlands. Both the OMEGA and CRISM instruments have detected clay minerals here that must have been deposited in a water-rich environment, probably more than 4 billion years ago. For this reason, Mawrth Vallis is one of the two candidate landing sites for the future Mars Express Rover Mission planned by the European Space Agency.

This image was targeted on a location where the CRISM instrument detected a specific mineral called alunite, KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6. Alunite is a hydrated aluminum potassium sulfate, a mineral that is notable because it must have been deposited in a wet acidic environment, rich in sulfuric acid. Our image shows that the deposit is bright and colorful, and extensively fractured. The width of the cutout is 1.2 kilometers.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

NASA Media Usage Guidelines

Stratigraphy of a Potential Crater Hydrothermal System by UAHiRISE (NASA)

15

Cross Crater has basin-filling sedimentary deposits that include the mineral alunite, which is uncommon on Mars. This HiRISE image was paired with CRISM data for composition and targets an alunite-bearing deposit in southwest Cross Crater. Widespread bright-toned, kaolin-bearing sediments with variable amounts of alunite are layered in less than 10-meter scale beds. The mineralogy inside Cross Crater is different from that of the surrounding terrains and other Martian basins. Alunite in Cross crater indicates acidic, sulfurous waters at the time of its formation that were supplied by regionally upwelling groundwaters. The large but highly localized occurrence of alunite suggests a localized, high-volume source of acidic waters or vapors, possibly supplied by sulfurous waters that interacted with subsurface magma.

This caption is adapted from “Discovery of alunite in Cross crater, Terra Sirenum, Mars: Evidence for acidic, sulfurous waters”. (doi.org/10.2138/am-2016-5574).

Scene is less than 1 km (0.67 mi) across and is 255 km (158 mi) above the surface. For full images including scale bars, visit the source link.

www.uahirise.org/PSP_010228_1490

NASA/JPL/UArizona

A Deposit on Mars (NASA, Mars, 2009) by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

45 10

Editor's note: NASA's Curiosity Rover is scheduled to land on the surface of Mars on the evening of Aug. 5/6, 2012. (Read more here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html). In honor of this historic event, here are some breathtaking stills of the Red Planet.

Image caption: Layered alunite-kaolinite deposit near Cross Crater on Mars, seen by the MRO Mars High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment.

Image credit: NASA

More about Curiosity and the Mars Science Laboratory:

www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html

View the "Mars Landscapes" photoset:

www.flickr.com/photos/nasamarshall/sets/72157630860188338/

View the "Mars Landscapes" video:

www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=...

_____________________________________________

These official NASA photographs are being made available for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photographs. The photographs may not be used in materials, advertisements, products, or promotions that in any way suggest approval or endorsement by NASA. All Images used must be credited. For information on usage rights please visit: www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelin...

'Bellbird' ( 1915 - 1973 ) by glmrsnsw

7

Gravel barge Bellbird on the Manning River Taree NSW 1965.

Image Source: Graeme Andrews Collection

Details:

Name: Bellbird

Type: Drogher /Gravel Barge

Dimensions: Unknown

Engine: One cylinder Steam

Propulsion: Single stern drive paddle wheel converted at some stage to two side paddle wheels.

Builder: Mr George F. Heath (senior)

Built: Myall River NSW.

Launched: 1915

Owners:

- Mr Charles Dee (Sawmillers - Boolambayte Creek NSW)

- Manning Sand & Gravel Pty Ltd. ( Taree NSW.)

History:

Myall Lakes NSW

Mr George Heath commenced operations by erecting a sawmill, at the junction of the Crawford and Myall rivers near Bulahdelah NSW.

After some years of operation the mill was relocated higher up the Myall River. It was from this site he built the river drogher Bellbird for fellow mill owner Mr Charles Dee. The two inch turpentine sawn planks used in the construction of the Bellbird were supplied from Mr Dee’s own mill, which was on Boolambayte Creek about two miles from the Myall Lakes.

George Heath (senior) was also attributed with the construction of an earlier steam drogher called the Novice and later the Uralla for the Alunite Company.

The Bellbird was unique in that its design incorporated a pointed bow comparable with conventional ship construction and was driven by a single stern paddle wheel, powered by a single cylinder steam engine.

She was reportedly launched in early 1915 and christened Bellbird by Mr Dee’s eldest daughter Janet.

Charles Dee’s Sawmill

Most of theBellbird’s working life as a drogher was spent collecting logs from the rivers in and around the Myall Lakes, bringing them back to Dee’s mill where they were sawn into timber. From here, the sawn timber was reloaded and transported by the Bellbird to Winda Whopper, then transferred to larger vessels for shipment to Newcastle.

The Bellbird drogher was also one of the first to transport mill workers and their families to the regattas which were held at Mungo Brush.

Dungog Chronicle – Friday 31st May 1935.

Punt Bellbird

Messrs Dee Bros. punt Bellbird is at present on Taylors slip at Tea Gardens undergoing extensive repairs.

For the past twenty years the Bellbird has been giving faithful service in the timber trade on the Myall Lakes – Tea gardens route.

Charles Dee’s mill continued to successfully operate at Boolambayte until 1944, when it was then purchased by Northern Timbers and moved to Bulahdelah .

Taree – Manning River NSW

It is uncertain to the exact year the Bellbird arrived on the Manning River, believed to be in the later 1940’s.

The Bellbird was purchased by the Manning Sand & Gravel Pty Ltd. and converted to a gravel barge fitted with a drop grab bucket for excavating river gravel and sand from the river bed.

By 1948 the Bellbird had undergone a major overhaul which included replacing her planked bottom timbers and a new boiler.

Salvage operation

In January 1949 a salvage team, under the direction of W. Ryan & Sons, used the Bellbird to successfully recover the engine, propeller, shafting, and other equipment from the S.S. Viola which was destroyed by fire in 1948.

Aquatic Carnival

Early speedboat races on the river used the Bellbird as a mooring place between races at aquatic carnivals, also the transportation of VJ sailing boats from Taree to Brighton (Manning Point) for regattas, as well as using her as the flagship.

Modified

At some stage during Bellbird’s working life on the Manning River she was converted from a single stern drive paddle to two side paddle wheels, and was an every-day sight working around the river, often holding up the traffic while passing through the lift span of the Martin Bridge.

Documentary

“In 1971 the ‘Bellbird’ was being used to dredge gravel from the river bed at Taree and her work was the subject of an ABC-TV documentary film. Brian Schubert was the skipper at that time, and Alf Newman was stoker and general deckhand. It took about a ton and a half of wood to keep the ‘Bellbirds’ head of steam up to pressure for a days work.”

The Good Old Days along the Manning River and Great Lakes compiled and written by Jim Revitt. Page 70.

Fate

After nearly 58 years of faithful service the Bellbird sank at her moorings in 1973 in the Manning River and lay submerged for a number of years.

It was the end of an era in the history of water transport, as the Bellbird was the last of the paddle-wheelers to operate in our area.

Reportedly sold (circa 1977), and the working parts were taken to Timbertown near Wauchope NSW to be assembled in a new hull on the lake in the grounds of Timbertown.

The steering wheel from the Bellbird is on display at the Mid Coast Maritime Museum at Port Macquarie NSW.

All Images in this photostream are Copyright - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping and/or their individual owners as may be stated above and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or used in any way without prior written approval.

GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flick Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List

'Bellbird' (1915 -1973 ) - heading upstream on the Manning River by glmrsnsw

5

Image Source: Graeme Andrews Collection

Pictured here passing under the lift span of the 'Martin Bridge' on the southern approach at Glenthorne is the gravel barge Bellbird heading upstream on the Manning River Taree, NSW. in 1971.

Originally the bridge had a lifting span with 2 counter-balanced concrete weights to allow droghers and other vessels servicing the river trade up river as far as the Wingham wharf.

As the last of these vessels vanished from the river the mechanical components from the lift span were removed in 1982.

Details:

Name: Bellbird

Type: Drogher /Gravel Barge

Dimensions: Unknown

Engine: One cylinder Steam

Propulsion: Single stern drive paddle wheel converted at some stage to two side paddle wheels.

Builder: Mr George F. Heath (senior)

Built: Myall River NSW.

Launched: 1915

Owners:

- Mr Charles Dee (Sawmillers - Boolambayte Creek NSW)

- Manning Sand & Gravel Pty Ltd. ( Taree NSW.)

History:

Myall Lakes NSW

Mr George Heath commenced operations by erecting a sawmill, at the junction of the Crawford and Myall rivers near Bulahdelah NSW.

After some years of operation the mill was relocated higher up the Myall River. It was from this site he built the river drogher Bellbird for fellow mill owner Mr Charles Dee. The two inch turpentine sawn planks used in the construction of the Bellbird were supplied from Mr Dee’s own mill, which was on Boolambayte Creek about two miles from the Myall Lakes.

George Heath (senior) was also attributed with the construction of an earlier steam drogher called the Novice and later the Uralla for the Alunite Company.

The Bellbird was unique in that its design incorporated a pointed bow comparable with conventional ship construction and was driven by a single stern paddle wheel, powered by a single cylinder steam engine.

She was reportedly launched in early 1915 and christened Bellbird by Mr Dee’s eldest daughter Janet.

Charles Dee’s Sawmill

Most of the Bellbird’s working life as a drogher was spent collecting logs from the rivers in and around the Myall Lakes, bringing them back to Dee’s mill where they were sawn into timber. From here, the sawn timber was reloaded and transported by the Bellbird to Winda Whopper, then transferred to larger vessels for shipment to Newcastle.

The Bellbird drogher was also one of the first to transport mill workers and their families to the regattas which were held at Mungo Brush.

Dungog Chronicle – Friday 31st May 1935.

Punt Bellbird

Messrs Dee Bros. punt Bellbird is at present on Taylors slip at Tea Gardens undergoing extensive repairs.

For the past twenty years the Bellbird has been giving faithful service in the timber trade on the Myall Lakes – Tea gardens route.

Charles Dee’s mill continued to successfully operate at Boolambayte until 1944, when it was then purchased by Northern Timbers and moved to Bulahdelah .

Taree – Manning River NSW

It is uncertain to the exact year the Bellbird arrived on the Manning River, believed to be in the later 1940’s.

The Bellbird was purchased by the Manning Sand & Gravel Pty Ltd. and converted to a gravel barge fitted with a drop grab bucket for excavating river gravel and sand from the river bed.

By 1948 the Bellbird had undergone a major overhaul which included replacing her planked bottom timbers and a new boiler.

Salvage operation

In January 1949 a salvage team, under the direction of W. Ryan & Sons, used the Bellbird to successfully recover the engine, propeller, shafting, and other equipment from the S.S. Viola which was destroyed by fire in 1948.

Aquatic Carnival

Early speedboat races on the river used the Bellbird as a mooring place between races at aquatic carnivals, also the transportation of VJ sailing boats from Taree to Brighton (Manning Point) for regattas, as well as using her as the flagship.

Modified

At some stage during Bellbird’s working life on the Manning River she was converted from a single stern drive paddle to two side paddle wheels, and was an every-day sight working around the river, often holding up the traffic while passing through the lift span of the Martin Bridge.

Documentary

“In 1971 the ‘Bellbird’ was being used to dredge gravel from the river bed at Taree and her work was the subject of an ABC-TV documentary film. Brian Schubert was the skipper at that time, and Alf Newman was stoker and general deckhand. It took about a ton and a half of wood to keep the ‘Bellbirds’ head of steam up to pressure for a days work.”

The Good Old Days along the Manning River and Great Lakes compiled and written by Jim Revitt. Page 70.

Fate

After nearly 58 years of faithful service the Bellbird sank at her moorings in 1973 in the Manning River and lay submerged for a number of years.

It was the end of an era in the history of water transport, as the Bellbird was the last of the paddle-wheelers to operate in our area.

Reportedly sold (circa 1977), and the working parts were taken to Timbertown near Wauchope NSW to be assembled in a new hull on the lake in the grounds of Timbertown.

The steering wheel from the Bellbird is on display at the Mid Coast Maritime Museum at Port Macquarie NSW.

All Images in this photostream are Copyright - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping and/or their individual owners as may be stated above and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or used in any way without prior written approval.

GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flick Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List

Alunite Nodule by Ron Wolf

4 1

Alunite Nodule. The mineral is a hydrated potassium aluminum sulfate. It occurs here as nodules, 4-8 inches in diameter, weathering out of the rhyolitic McDermitt Tuff. The tuff was deposited during a volcanic euption about 16 million years ago. McDermitt Mine. Opalite District. McDermitt, Humboldt Co., Nevada.

alunited Squidport by alunited

5

'Bellbird' ( 1915 - 1973 ) by glmrsnsw

1

Gravel barge Bellbird in a sunken state at her moorings on the Manning River Taree NSW 1977.

Image Source: Graeme Andrews Collection

Details:

Name: Bellbird

Type: Drogher /Gravel Barge

Dimensions: Unknown

Engine: One cylinder Steam

Propulsion: Single stern drive paddle wheel converted at some stage to two side paddle wheels.

Builder: Mr George F. Heath (senior)

Built: Myall River NSW.

Launched: 1915

Owners:

- Mr Charles Dee (Sawmillers - Boolambayte Creek NSW)

- Manning Sand & Gravel Pty Ltd. ( Taree NSW.)

History:

Myall Lakes NSW

Mr George Heath commenced operations by erecting a sawmill, at the junction of the Crawford and Myall rivers near Bulahdelah NSW.

After some years of operation the mill was relocated higher up the Myall River. It was from this site he built the river drogher Bellbird for fellow mill owner Mr Charles Dee. The two inch turpentine sawn planks used in the construction of the Bellbird were supplied from Mr Dee’s own mill, which was on Boolambayte Creek about two miles from the Myall Lakes.

George Heath (senior) was also attributed with the construction of an earlier steam drogher called the Novice and later the Uralla for the Alunite Company.

The Bellbird was unique in that its design incorporated a pointed bow comparable with conventional ship construction and was driven by a single stern paddle wheel, powered by a single cylinder steam engine.

She was reportedly launched in early 1915 and christened Bellbird by Mr Dee’s eldest daughter Janet.

Charles Dee’s Sawmill

Most of theBellbird’s working life as a drogher was spent collecting logs from the rivers in and around the Myall Lakes, bringing them back to Dee’s mill where they were sawn into timber. From here, the sawn timber was reloaded and transported by the Bellbird to Winda Whopper, then transferred to larger vessels for shipment to Newcastle.

The Bellbird drogher was also one of the first to transport mill workers and their families to the regattas which were held at Mungo Brush.

Dungog Chronicle – Friday 31st May 1935.

Punt Bellbird

Messrs Dee Bros. punt Bellbird is at present on Taylors slip at Tea Gardens undergoing extensive repairs.

For the past twenty years the Bellbird has been giving faithful service in the timber trade on the Myall Lakes – Tea gardens route.

Charles Dee’s mill continued to successfully operate at Boolambayte until 1944, when it was then purchased by Northern Timbers and moved to Bulahdelah .

Taree – Manning River NSW

It is uncertain to the exact year the Bellbird arrived on the Manning River, believed to be in the later 1940’s.

The Bellbird was purchased by the Manning Sand & Gravel Pty Ltd. and converted to a gravel barge fitted with a drop grab bucket for excavating river gravel and sand from the river bed.

By 1948 the Bellbird had undergone a major overhaul which included replacing her planked bottom timbers and a new boiler.

Salvage operation

In January 1949 a salvage team, under the direction of W. Ryan & Sons, used the Bellbird to successfully recover the engine, propeller, shafting, and other equipment from the S.S. Viola which was destroyed by fire in 1948.

Aquatic Carnival

Early speedboat races on the river used the Bellbird as a mooring place between races at aquatic carnivals, also the transportation of VJ sailing boats from Taree to Brighton (Manning Point) for regattas, as well as using her as the flagship.

Modified

At some stage during Bellbird’s working life on the Manning River she was converted from a single stern drive paddle to two side paddle wheels, and was an every-day sight working around the river, often holding up the traffic while passing through the lift span of the Martin Bridge.

Documentary

“In 1971 the ‘Bellbird’ was being used to dredge gravel from the river bed at Taree and her work was the subject of an ABC-TV documentary film. Brian Schubert was the skipper at that time, and Alf Newman was stoker and general deckhand. It took about a ton and a half of wood to keep the ‘Bellbirds’ head of steam up to pressure for a days work.”

The Good Old Days along the Manning River and Great Lakes compiled and written by Jim Revitt. Page 70.

Fate

After nearly 58 years of faithful service the Bellbird sank at her moorings in 1973 in the Manning River and lay submerged for a number of years.

It was the end of an era in the history of water transport, as the Bellbird was the last of the paddle-wheelers to operate in our area.

Reportedly sold (circa 1977), and the working parts were taken to Timbertown near Wauchope NSW to be assembled in a new hull on the lake in the grounds of Timbertown.

The steering wheel from the Bellbird is on display at the Mid Coast Maritime Museum at Port Macquarie NSW.

All Images in this photostream are Copyright - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping and/or their individual owners as may be stated above and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or used in any way without prior written approval.

GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flick Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List

Gold ore (auriferous altered rhyolite) (Golden Wonder Vein, Late Oligocene, 27.5 Ma; Golden Wonder Mine, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, USA) 4 by James St. John

1

Gold ore from the Tertiary of Colorado, USA. (cut slice)

This complex rock is gold ore from the rich mining districts of southwestern Colorado's San Juan Mountains. The rock itself (= mottled grayish with whitish-yellowish spotting) is an altered rhyolite (it has also been called a quartzose trachyte or liparite). The dark gray to black areas are the telluride mineral petzite (Ag3AuTe2 - silver gold telluride). The tiny, bright, lustrous, gold-colored specks (click on the photo to zoom in and look around) are native gold (Au). Note especially the concentration of native gold above and to the left of center.

The sample comes from the Golden Wonder Vein at the Golden Wonder Mine. The rocks there are part of an epithermal hot springs gold-alunite deposit. The rhyolite host rock has been subjected to acid-sulfate alteration (= solfataric alteration), during which precious metal mineralization occurred. The rhyolite host rocks are inferred to be the upper intrusive/subvent portion of the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, a late-stage emplaced mass of cooled magma along the structural rim of the 27.6 to 28.6 million years-old Uncompahgre Caldera.

Geologic context and age: Golden Wonder Vein, hosted in the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, Uncompahgre Peak Volcanics, western San Juan Volcanic Field, mid-Oligocene to lower Upper Oligocene, ~27.1 to 28.5 Ma; mineralization was probably contemporaneous with Golden Fleece Mine mineralization at 27.5 Ma, early Late Oligocene, but in a different hydrothermal system.

Locality: unrecorded site in the Golden Wonder Mine, upper reaches of Deadman Gulch, Gold Hill, ~4 air kilometers southeast of Lake City, Lake City Mining District, San Juan Mountains, northern Hinsdale County, southwestern Colorado, USA (one surface adit is at ~38° 00' 18.24" North latitude, 107° 16' 49.93" West longitude)

Gold ore (auriferous altered rhyolite) (Golden Wonder Vein, Late Oligocene, 27.5 Ma; Golden Wonder Mine, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, USA) 1 by James St. John

Gold ore from the Tertiary of Colorado, USA. (cut slice)

This complex rock is gold ore from the rich mining districts of southwestern Colorado's San Juan Mountains. The rock itself (= mottled grayish with whitish-yellowish spotting) is an altered rhyolite (it has also been called a quartzose trachyte or liparite). The dark gray to black areas are the telluride mineral petzite (Ag3AuTe2 - silver gold telluride). The tiny, bright, lustrous, gold-colored specks (click on the photo to zoom in and look around) are native gold (Au).

The sample comes from the Golden Wonder Vein at the Golden Wonder Mine. The rocks there are part of an epithermal hot springs gold-alunite deposit. The rhyolite host rock has been subjected to acid-sulfate alteration (= solfataric alteration), during which precious metal mineralization occurred. The rhyolite host rocks are inferred to be the upper intrusive/subvent portion of the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, a late-stage emplaced mass of cooled magma along the structural rim of the 27.6 to 28.6 million years-old Uncompahgre Caldera.

Geologic context and age: Golden Wonder Vein, hosted in the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, Uncompahgre Peak Volcanics, western San Juan Volcanic Field, mid-Oligocene to lower Upper Oligocene, ~27.1 to 28.5 Ma; mineralization was probably contemporaneous with Golden Fleece Mine mineralization at 27.5 Ma, early Late Oligocene, but in a different hydrothermal system.

Locality: unrecorded site in the Golden Wonder Mine, upper reaches of Deadman Gulch, Gold Hill, ~4 air kilometers southeast of Lake City, Lake City Mining District, San Juan Mountains, northern Hinsdale County, southwestern Colorado, USA (one surface adit is at ~38° 00' 18.24" North latitude, 107° 16' 49.93" West longitude)

Alunite (Miocene, 21 Ma; Alunite Ridge, Tushar Range, Utah, USA) 3 by James St. John

2

Alumstone (alunite rock) from the Tertiary of Utah, USA. (~3.5 centimeters across along the base)

A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 5900 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.

The sulfate minerals all contain one or more sulfate anions (SO4-2).

Alunite is a potassium aluminum hydroxy-sulfate mineral (KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6). It's fairly nondescript, in terms of its physical properties. It has a nonmetallic luster, a white streak, and varies in color from whites to grays to pinks to reds. One of the more distinctive physical properties is its hardness (H=4).

Sometimes, alunite is a rock-forming mineral. A ~monomineralic alunite rock is called alumstone. Most alunite forms as sulfuric acid (H2SO4) breaks down potassium-bearing rocks in near-surface environments. Alunite / alumstone has been economically exploited in the past, particularly in the Sevier River Valley area in the vicinity of Marysvale, Utah. Alunite was used as a source of "potash" (K), aluminum (Al), and sulfur (S).

The alumstone sample seen here formed as a replacement of previously existing material by volcanic H2S-rich steam and hydrothermal fluids during the Early Miocene, at 21 million years ago. Near the surface, the H2S gas oxidized to H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), which altered volcanic rocks to form alunite rocks.

Locality: Alunite Ridge, Tushar Range, Piute County, southern Utah, USA

----------------------

Info. at:

Cunningham et al. (1984) - Origins and exploration significance of replacement and vein-type alunite deposits in the Marysvale Volcanic Field, west central Utah. Economic Geology 79: 50-71.

----------------------

Photo gallery of alunite:

www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=161

Alunite (Miocene, 21 Ma; Marysvale area, Utah, USA) by James St. John

Alumstone (alunite rock) from the Tertiary of Utah, USA. (5.7 centimeters across at its widest)

A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 5900 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.

The sulfate minerals all contain one or more sulfate anions (SO4-2).

Alunite is a potassium aluminum hydroxy-sulfate mineral (KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6). It's fairly nondescript, in terms of its physical properties. It has a nonmetallic luster, a white streak, and varies in color from whites to grays to pinks to reds. One of the more distinctive physical properties is its hardness (H=4).

Sometimes, alunite is a rock-forming mineral. A ~monomineralic alunite rock is called alumstone. Most alunite forms as sulfuric acid (H2SO4) breaks down potassium-bearing rocks in near-surface environments. Alunite (alumstone) has been economically exploited in the past, particularly in the Sevier River Valley in the vicinity of Marysvale, southern Utah, USA. Alunite was used as a source of "potash" (K), aluminum (Al), and sulfur (S).

The alumstone sample seen here formed as a replacement of previously existing material by volcanic H2S-rich steam and hydrothermal fluids during the Early Miocene, at 21 million years ago. Near the surface, the H2S gas oxidized to H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), which altered volcanic rocks to form alunite rocks / alumstone.

Locality: Marysvale area, Sevier River Valley, southern Utah, USA

----------------------

Photo gallery of alunite:

www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=161

ESP_013274_1495 by UAHiRISE (NASA)

8

Layered Alunite-Kaolinite Deposit

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona (5 km across, www.uahirise.org/ESP_013274_1495)

Gold ore (auriferous altered rhyolite) (Golden Wonder Vein, Late Oligocene, 27.5 Ma; Golden Wonder Mine, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, USA) 2 by James St. John

Gold ore from the Tertiary of Colorado, USA. (cut slice)

This complex rock is gold ore from the rich mining districts of southwestern Colorado's San Juan Mountains. The rock itself (= mottled grayish with whitish-yellowish spotting) is an altered rhyolite (it has also been called a quartzose trachyte or liparite). The dark gray to black areas are the telluride mineral petzite (Ag3AuTe2 - silver gold telluride). The tiny, bright, lustrous, gold-colored specks (click on the photo to zoom in and look around) are native gold (Au).

The sample comes from the Golden Wonder Vein at the Golden Wonder Mine. The rocks there are part of an epithermal hot springs gold-alunite deposit. The rhyolite host rock has been subjected to acid-sulfate alteration (= solfataric alteration), during which precious metal mineralization occurred. The rhyolite host rocks are inferred to be the upper intrusive/subvent portion of the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, a late-stage emplaced mass of cooled magma along the structural rim of the 27.6 to 28.6 million years-old Uncompahgre Caldera.

Geologic context and age: Golden Wonder Vein, hosted in the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, Uncompahgre Peak Volcanics, western San Juan Volcanic Field, mid-Oligocene to lower Upper Oligocene, ~27.1 to 28.5 Ma; mineralization was probably contemporaneous with Golden Fleece Mine mineralization at 27.5 Ma, early Late Oligocene, but in a different hydrothermal system.

Locality: unrecorded site in the Golden Wonder Mine, upper reaches of Deadman Gulch, Gold Hill, ~4 air kilometers southeast of Lake City, Lake City Mining District, San Juan Mountains, northern Hinsdale County, southwestern Colorado, USA (one surface adit is at ~38° 00' 18.24" North latitude, 107° 16' 49.93" West longitude)

Gold ore (auriferous altered rhyolite) (Golden Wonder Vein, Late Oligocene, 27.5 Ma; Golden Wonder Mine, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, USA) 3 by James St. John

Gold ore from the Tertiary of Colorado, USA. (cut slice)

This complex rock is gold ore from the rich mining districts of southwestern Colorado's San Juan Mountains. The rock itself (= mottled grayish with whitish-yellowish spotting) is an altered rhyolite (it has also been called a quartzose trachyte or liparite). The dark gray to black areas are the telluride mineral petzite (Ag3AuTe2 - silver gold telluride). The tiny, bright, lustrous, gold-colored specks (click on the photo to zoom in and look around) are native gold (Au). Note especially the concentration of native gold near the upper left.

The sample comes from the Golden Wonder Vein at the Golden Wonder Mine. The rocks there are part of an epithermal hot springs gold-alunite deposit. The rhyolite host rock has been subjected to acid-sulfate alteration (= solfataric alteration), during which precious metal mineralization occurred. The rhyolite host rocks are inferred to be the upper intrusive/subvent portion of the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, a late-stage emplaced mass of cooled magma along the structural rim of the 27.6 to 28.6 million years-old Uncompahgre Caldera.

Geologic context and age: Golden Wonder Vein, hosted in the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, Uncompahgre Peak Volcanics, western San Juan Volcanic Field, mid-Oligocene to lower Upper Oligocene, ~27.1 to 28.5 Ma; mineralization was probably contemporaneous with Golden Fleece Mine mineralization at 27.5 Ma, early Late Oligocene, but in a different hydrothermal system.

Locality: unrecorded site in the Golden Wonder Mine, upper reaches of Deadman Gulch, Gold Hill, ~4 air kilometers southeast of Lake City, Lake City Mining District, San Juan Mountains, northern Hinsdale County, southwestern Colorado, USA (one surface adit is at ~38° 00' 18.24" North latitude, 107° 16' 49.93" West longitude)

Old Wooden Bridge by arbyreed

3 5

Old river bridge over the Sevier River in Marysvale, Utah. This bridge was of strategic importance in both WW I and WW II and was guarded 24/7 in those war years. The bridge was the crossing point for shipments of alunite and calunite from Alunite, Utah (now a mining ghost town) to the processing mills in Marysvale, Utah (population 381).

Gold ore (auriferous altered rhyolite) (Golden Wonder Vein, Late Oligocene, 27.5 Ma; Golden Wonder Mine, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, USA) 6 by James St. John

1

Gold ore from the Tertiary of Colorado, USA. (cut slice)

This complex rock is gold ore from the rich mining districts of southwestern Colorado's San Juan Mountains. The rock itself (= mottled grayish with whitish-yellowish spotting) is an altered rhyolite (it has also been called a quartzose trachyte or liparite). The dark gray to black areas are the telluride mineral petzite (Ag3AuTe2 - silver gold telluride). The tiny, bright, lustrous, gold-colored specks (click on the photo to zoom in and look around) are native gold (Au).

The sample comes from the Golden Wonder Vein at the Golden Wonder Mine. The rocks there are part of an epithermal hot springs gold-alunite deposit. The rhyolite host rock has been subjected to acid-sulfate alteration (= solfataric alteration), during which precious metal mineralization occurred. The rhyolite host rocks are inferred to be the upper intrusive/subvent portion of the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, a late-stage emplaced mass of cooled magma along the structural rim of the 27.6 to 28.6 million years-old Uncompahgre Caldera.

Geologic context and age: Golden Wonder Vein, hosted in the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, Uncompahgre Peak Volcanics, western San Juan Volcanic Field, mid-Oligocene to lower Upper Oligocene, ~27.1 to 28.5 Ma; mineralization was probably contemporaneous with Golden Fleece Mine mineralization at 27.5 Ma, early Late Oligocene, but in a different hydrothermal system.

Locality: unrecorded site in the Golden Wonder Mine, upper reaches of Deadman Gulch, Gold Hill, ~4 air kilometers southeast of Lake City, Lake City Mining District, San Juan Mountains, northern Hinsdale County, southwestern Colorado, USA (one surface adit is at ~38° 00' 18.24" North latitude, 107° 16' 49.93" West longitude)

Gold ore (auriferous altered rhyolite) (Golden Wonder Vein, Late Oligocene, 27.5 Ma; Golden Wonder Mine, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, USA) 7 by James St. John

1

Gold ore from the Tertiary of Colorado, USA. (cut slice)

This complex rock is gold ore from the rich mining districts of southwestern Colorado's San Juan Mountains. The rock itself (= mottled grayish with whitish-yellowish spotting) is an altered rhyolite (it has also been called a quartzose trachyte or liparite). The dark gray to black areas are the telluride mineral petzite (Ag3AuTe2 - silver gold telluride). The tiny, bright, lustrous, gold-colored specks (click on the photo to zoom in and look around) are native gold (Au).

The sample comes from the Golden Wonder Vein at the Golden Wonder Mine. The rocks there are part of an epithermal hot springs gold-alunite deposit. The rhyolite host rock has been subjected to acid-sulfate alteration (= solfataric alteration), during which precious metal mineralization occurred. The rhyolite host rocks are inferred to be the upper intrusive/subvent portion of the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, a late-stage emplaced mass of cooled magma along the structural rim of the 27.6 to 28.6 million years-old Uncompahgre Caldera.

Geologic context and age: Golden Wonder Vein, hosted in the Golden Wonder Rhyolite, Uncompahgre Peak Volcanics, western San Juan Volcanic Field, mid-Oligocene to lower Upper Oligocene, ~27.1 to 28.5 Ma; mineralization was probably contemporaneous with Golden Fleece Mine mineralization at 27.5 Ma, early Late Oligocene, but in a different hydrothermal system.

Locality: unrecorded site in the Golden Wonder Mine, upper reaches of Deadman Gulch, Gold Hill, ~4 air kilometers southeast of Lake City, Lake City Mining District, San Juan Mountains, northern Hinsdale County, southwestern Colorado, USA (one surface adit is at ~38° 00' 18.24" North latitude, 107° 16' 49.93" West longitude)

Alunita 1 / Alunite 1 by Miguel Vera León

Textura masiva característica, con pequeños cristales de cuarzo. Comúnmente asociada al cuarzo en depósitos de oro epitermal, aunque podría ser de origen secundario.

Characteristic massive texture, with small quartz crystals. Usually related to quartz in epithermal gold deposits, though it could be secondary.

Going to a new home! #masaoms #handmade #silver #ring #alunite #vermell #mineral #statementring #unique #red #jewelry by Marta Sanchez Oms

3

Alunita 2 / Alunite 2 by Miguel Vera León

Textura masiva característica, con pequeños cristales de cuarzo. Comúnmente asociada al cuarzo en depósitos de oro epitermal, aunque podría ser de origen secundario.

Characteristic massive texture, with small quartz crystals. Usually related to quartz in epithermal gold deposits, though it could be secondary.

Alunite by Mário Gomes

1 3

Alunite

Canon 400D

Canon MP-E 65

Flash Canon MR 14 EX

Alunite by Włodek Głażewski

Acid Sulfate Alteration by glyphwalker

3

Typical acid sulfate hydrothermal alteration at Goldfield Nevads. This used to be an andesite outcrop, but is now advanced argillic alteration consisting of various clays including diaspore with alunite.

Puzolana 2 / Pozzolana 2 by Miguel Vera León

1

Dacita alterada. Contiene arcillas, cuarzo, alunita, jarosita. Concentración importante de alúmina.

Altered dacite. Contains clay, quartz, alunite, jarosite. Highly concentrated alumina.

Art Klinger, 1930's by Roadsidepictures

1 2

When I was a kid the gas station was still there. I believe it was demolished around 1981. The last home and corral was right behind the casino and was demolished in 1985.

Puzolana 1 / Pozzolana 1 by Miguel Vera León

Dacita alterada. Contiene arcillas, cuarzo, alunita, jarosita. Concentración importante de alúmina.

Altered dacite. Contains clay, quartz, alunite, jarosite. Highly concentrated alumina.

Alunite by Mário Gomes

1

Alunite

Canon 400D

Canon MP-E 65

Flash Canon MR 14 EX

ALUNITE by LostSierra

3 3

Alunite by Mário Gomes

Alunite

Canon 400D

Canon MP-E 65

Flash Canon MR 14 EX

Alunite by Mário Gomes

Alunite

Canon 400D

Canon MP-E 65

Flash Canon MR 14 EX

Alunite Nodules by Ron Wolf

2

Alunite Nodules. The mineral is a hydrated potassium aluminum sulfate. It occurs here as nodules, 4-8 inches in diameter, weathering out of the rhyolitic McDermitt Tuff. The tuff was deposited during a volcanic euption about 16 million years ago. McDermitt Mine. Opalite District. McDermitt, Humboldt Co., Nevada.

Forte Michelangelo, Civitavecchia, Italy by Peter Steel

Construction started in 1508 and was completed in 1537 under the reign of Pope Paul III. Officially, the stronghold was designed by Antonio da Sangallo, the Younger, although the local folklore ascribes the main tower to the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti, hence the monument name. During the XV-XVI century, Pope Julius II provided for the refurbishment and restoration of the entire town because of the discovery of Alunite on the surrounding hills, and the fortress was accordingly renovated together with the port by architects Giovannino de' Dolci, Baccio Pontelli and Donato Bramante into the shape it still has today. Following the works for a new seafront beginning in the early 2010's, the area around the Fort was restyled to better connect the town promenade with the historical port. Today the Fort stands at the very entrance of the port and it is often taken as a clearly recognisable landmark. It is still a military working fort and therefore is not open to the public. This photo was taken on 18/08/2019. © Peter Steel 2019.

Alunite (Miocene, 21 Ma; Alunite Ridge, Tushar Range, Utah, USA) 2 by James St. John

Alumstone (alunite rock) from the Tertiary of Utah, USA. (~7.8 centimeters across at its widest)

A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 5900 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.

The sulfate minerals all contain one or more sulfate anions (SO4-2).

Alunite is a potassium aluminum hydroxy-sulfate mineral (KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6). It's fairly nondescript, in terms of its physical properties. It has a nonmetallic luster, a white streak, and varies in color from whites to grays to pinks to reds. One of the more distinctive physical properties is its hardness (H=4).

Sometimes, alunite is a rock-forming mineral. A ~monomineralic alunite rock is called alumstone. Most alunite forms as sulfuric acid (H2SO4) breaks down potassium-bearing rocks in near-surface environments. Alunite / alumstone has been economically exploited in the past, particularly in the Sevier River Valley area in the vicinity of Marysvale, Utah. Alunite was used as a source of "potash" (K), aluminum (Al), and sulfur (S).

The alumstone sample seen here formed as a replacement of previously existing material by volcanic H2S-rich steam and hydrothermal fluids during the Early Miocene, at 21 million years ago. Near the surface, the H2S gas oxidized to H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), which altered volcanic rocks to form alunite rocks.

Locality: Alunite Ridge, Tushar Range, Piute County, southern Utah, USA

----------------------

Info. at:

Cunningham et al. (1984) - Origins and exploration significance of replacement and vein-type alunite deposits in the Marysvale Volcanic Field, west central Utah. Economic Geology 79: 50-71.

----------------------

Photo gallery of alunite:

www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=161

Forte Michelangelo, Civitavecchia, Italy by Peter Steel

Construction started in 1508 and was completed in 1537 under the reign of Pope Paul III. Officially, the stronghold was designed by Antonio da Sangallo, the Younger, although the local folklore ascribes the main tower to the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti, hence the monument name. During the XV-XVI century, Pope Julius II provided for the refurbishment and restoration of the entire town because of the discovery of Alunite on the surrounding hills, and the fortress was accordingly renovated together with the port by architects Giovannino de' Dolci, Baccio Pontelli and Donato Bramante into the shape it still has today. Following the works for a new seafront beginning in the early 2010's, the area around the Fort was restyled to better connect the town promenade with the historical port. Today the Fort stands at the very entrance of the port and it is often taken as a clearly recognisable landmark. It is still a military working fort and therefore is not open to the public. This photo was taken on 18/08/2019. © Peter Steel 2019.

Animal Trap by Allan Diamanti

Animal Trap - Patented December 20, 1932 by Herbert A. Stilsow - Patent Number 1,891,737

カリ明礬石 / Alunite by D. Nishio-Hamane

カリ明礬石 / Alunite

福島県郡山市逢瀬多田野高旗山

KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6

Alunite (Miocene, 21 Ma; Alunite Ridge, Tushar Range, Utah, USA) 1 by James St. John

Alumstone (alunite rock) from the Tertiary of Utah, USA. (~7.8 centimeters across at its widest)

A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 5900 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.

The sulfate minerals all contain one or more sulfate anions (SO4-2).

Alunite is a potassium aluminum hydroxy-sulfate mineral (KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6). It's fairly nondescript, in terms of its physical properties. It has a nonmetallic luster, a white streak, and varies in color from whites to grays to pinks to reds. One of the more distinctive physical properties is its hardness (H=4).

Sometimes, alunite is a rock-forming mineral. A ~monomineralic alunite rock is called alumstone. Most alunite forms as sulfuric acid (H2SO4) breaks down potassium-bearing rocks in near-surface environments. Alunite / alumstone has been economically exploited in the past, particularly in the Sevier River Valley area in the vicinity of Marysvale, Utah. Alunite was used as a source of "potash" (K), aluminum (Al), and sulfur (S).

The alumstone sample seen here formed as a replacement of previously existing material by volcanic H2S-rich steam and hydrothermal fluids during the Early Miocene, at 21 million years ago. Near the surface, the H2S gas oxidized to H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), which altered volcanic rocks to form alunite rocks.

Locality: Alunite Ridge, Tushar Range, Piute County, southern Utah, USA

----------------------

Info. at:

Cunningham et al. (1984) - Origins and exploration significance of replacement and vein-type alunite deposits in the Marysvale Volcanic Field, west central Utah. Economic Geology 79: 50-71.

----------------------

Photo gallery of alunite:

www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=161

Forte Michelangelo, Civitavecchia, Italy by Peter Steel

Construction started in 1508 and was completed in 1537 under the reign of Pope Paul III. Officially, the stronghold was designed by Antonio da Sangallo, the Younger, although the local folklore ascribes the main tower to the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti, hence the monument name. During the XV-XVI century, Pope Julius II provided for the refurbishment and restoration of the entire town because of the discovery of Alunite on the surrounding hills, and the fortress was accordingly renovated together with the port by architects Giovannino de' Dolci, Baccio Pontelli and Donato Bramante into the shape it still has today. Following the works for a new seafront beginning in the early 2010's, the area around the Fort was restyled to better connect the town promenade with the historical port. Today the Fort stands at the very entrance of the port and it is often taken as a clearly recognisable landmark. It is still a military working fort and therefore is not open to the public. This photo was taken on 18/08/2019. © Peter Steel 2019.

KA SA ZAPALERI galería4-alumbre-puro by VERDAN herbs and minerals

potassium alum rock form

Pierre d'alun naturelle

alun potassique, cristaux octaédriques

KA ZAPALERI-galería2-alum by VERDAN herbs and minerals

masse alunifère

potassium alum rock form

Pierre d'alun naturelle

alun potassique, cristaux octaédriques

ALUNITE by LostSierra

Forte Michelangelo, Civitavecchia, Italy by Peter Steel

Construction started in 1508 and was completed in 1537 under the reign of Pope Paul III. Officially, the stronghold was designed by Antonio da Sangallo, the Younger, although the local folklore ascribes the main tower to the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti, hence the monument name. During the XV-XVI century, Pope Julius II provided for the refurbishment and restoration of the entire town because of the discovery of Alunite on the surrounding hills, and the fortress was accordingly renovated together with the port by architects Giovannino de' Dolci, Baccio Pontelli and Donato Bramante into the shape it still has today. Following the works for a new seafront beginning in the early 2010's, the area around the Fort was restyled to better connect the town promenade with the historical port. Today the Fort stands at the very entrance of the port and it is often taken as a clearly recognisable landmark. It is still a military working fort and therefore is not open to the public. This photo was taken on 18/08/2019. © Peter Steel 2019.

HGM Series Micro Powder Mill by limingjkj

HGM series Three-ring & Medium-speed micro-powder mill is designed basing on our 20 years’ manufacturing experience, absorbing the Swedish advanced machine manufacturing techniques. It is a new type of mill for making super fine powder through more than 20 times of test and improvement. It is the latest type of product of micro-powder mill that leads the world tide.

HGM series three-ring medium speed micro-powder mill is designed to get fine and super fine powder. It is mainly used to process more than 200 kinds of non-inflammable, non-explosive and brittle materials with Moh’s hardness below 6 scale, such as calcite, chalk, limestone, dolomite, kaolin, bentonite, talc, mica, magnesite, illite, pyrophyllite, vermiculite, sepiolite, attapulgite, tablite, ceyssatite, barite, gypsum, alunite, black lead, fluorite, phosphate rock, potassium ore, floatstone etc. When HGM mills are used to process materials with Moh’s hardness between 4-6 scale, the service lifetime of easy-worn parts shall be shortened as it relies on the hardness of raw material.

see www.break-day.com/2010/product/grinding/hgm_mill/

Tags Alunite

View allAll Photos Tagged Alunite