Greg Parkhurst, Micro Mineral Club Reporter
Geoffrey Chaucer once sat down to write a story called, “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.” Chauntecleer, a rooster in said story, had a dream about a fox. Now Chaucer gave a vivid description of this fox, with “His color was betwixe yellow and red.” Um, orange? Chaucer would have asked you, what is this “orange,” because the word was not in use … yet.
Seems this continued for awhile until an orange arrived on the scene. Yes, the orange orange. The orange you make your orange orange juice with. We just needed some good ‘ol international trading to introduce the fruit, and the color, and they stuck together…and have never really been challenged.
Thank goodness this was all settled before our last micro meeting, where our topic, “Orange Minerals,” was relatively easy to understand; and for NM collectors, plentiful to find! Let’s see what was on display… Dave set out his micro wulfenites for all to enjoy, from Cerillos in Santa Fe Co, to the Dinged Virginia Prospect of Socorro Co, and the Stephenson-Bennett Mine of Dona Ana Co, all of NM! Way to represent, New Mexico, whoop-whoop! Fred had a nice thumbnail eosphorite from Linopolis in Minas Gerais, Brazil to show off. Note, also this superb Pyromorphite from the Bunker Hill Mine of Shoshone Co, Idaho, and a mesmerizing topaz from the Thomas Range of Utah. Fred did have a nice NM thumbnail specimen of quartz or “pecos diamond,” from Comanche Hill in Chavez Co. Jay showed a murdochite on iron stained quartz from the Mex Tex mine in Socorro Co, a villiaumite from Point of Rocks mine in Colfax Co, and a highlight of my night, a yummy ice cream colored chalcedony on Mimetite from the petroglyph mine of Sierra Co, all from NM again! Go Red and Green!
Thanks for your attention; orange you glad you read thus far? Come by the Monte Vista Church on Mar. 18 at 6:30 for some micro mineral discussion of “Rare Micro Specimens,” where we will share specimens and stories of our hardest to get minerals, whether we used blood, sweat, and tears, snuck into a closed area, or simply had to search shows and the web and waited, waited, waited for a certain special piece.
We’ll have an extra scope or two if ya need one!
