Where can I find staurolite?

Where can I find staurolite?

As noted in the resolution, staurolite is most commonly found in north central Georgia, in mountain layered/banded metamorphic rock, that can present in road cuts, quarries, and along trails and in fields and streams. Cherokee, Gilmer, Pickens and Fannin counties offer excellent collecting opportunities.

What is staurolite good for?

Staurolite typically occurs in medium-grade schists and gneisses, often in association with garnet, kyanite and mica. Staurolite is said to be particularly helpful in relieving stress, as it stops the wearer from overworking himself. The stone is also used to help those who suffer from depression and addictions.

Is staurolite found in abundance?

Fairy Stones are Staurolite crystals (especially Staurolite pseudomorph) are found in only a few places around the world. Besides Virginia, which has the most abundance of them, they can also be found in Georgia, New Mexico, Brazil, and Switzerland.

Is staurolite a rare mineral?

Magnesiostaurolite is a very rare mineral, known from only a handful localities (5 listed on mindat). It occurs exclusively in metamorphic ultra high-pressure (UHP) rocks. Lab experiments show that the mineral has no stability field below 12 kbar (common Fe-dominant staurolite is stable down to 1 kbar pressure).

Where can I dig for Fairy Stones?

Fairy stones can be found on Fairy Stone State Park property by taking Fairystone Lake Drive (route 346) to route 57 east. Travel approximately three miles to the first service station on the left, The Fairy Stone Pitstop. The land to the left of the station is park property, and you can hunt fairy stones in that area.

What is the habit of staurolite?

Staurolite
Property	Value	Comments
Crystal Habit	Euhedral prismatic crystals with 6 sided cross sections	commonly contains inclusions, such as quartz
Cleavage	{010} moderate	conchoidal fracture
Color/Pleochroism	yellowish brown, pleochroism= colorless-yellow	X=colorless, Y=pale yellow, Z=yellow

How do you clean staurolite?

Stay on the safe side and clean any staurolites, faceted or natural crystals, with a soft brush, mild detergent, and warm water.

What are fairy stones made of?

Fairy stones are staurolite, a composition of iron aluminum silicate that forms only under extreme heat and pressure, as built up by the Blue Ridge Mountains. As staurolite crystals grow, they often intersect to form crosses. The most common shape is a St. Andrew’s cross, which looks like an X.

Where can I dig for fairy stones?

What rocks contain staurolite?

Staurolite is a mineral that is commonly found in metamorphic rocks such as schist and gneiss. It forms when shale is strongly altered by regional metamorphism. It is often found in association with almandine garnet, muscovite, and kyanite – minerals that form under similar temperature and pressure conditions.

How do you clean staurolite crystals?

How do you hunt fairy stones?

Does staurolite have cleavage?

It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, has a Mohs hardness of 7 to 7.5 and the chemical formula: Fe2+2Al9O6(SiO4)4(O,OH)2….

Staurolite
Cleavage	Distinct on {010}
Fracture	Subconchoidal
Tenacity	Brittle
Mohs scale hardness	7 – 7.5

Is staurolite a pleochroism?

Staurolite’s yellow color, pleochroism, relief and habit make it distinguishing. It is vitreous and has a grey streak.

Is staurolite a gemstone?

view gemstone encyclopedia Staurolite crystals in opaque cross shapes are popular gemstones. However, this material is very rarely transparent or facetable. These dark colored gems would make very durable jewelry pieces.

Does staurolite react with acid?

Pough states in his A Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals that “it can be regarded chemically as a mixture of kyanite and iron hydroxide.” Although it is slightly affected by sulfuric acid, the mineral is infusible and virtually insoluble in acids. After firing, it crushes to a slightly magnetic brown powder.

Is staurolite a garnet?

It may be easily mistaken for garnet because small grains are often not elongated and they are signifiantly lighter in color than large crystals in rocks. Staurolite as a sand grain is orange, garnet is usually pink (spessartine (Mn-rich garnet) may resemble staurolite in color, though).

How do you identify staurolite in a thin section?

In thin sections staurolite is commonly twinned and shows lower first order birefringence similar to quartz, with the twinning displaying optical continuity. It can be identified in metamorphic rocks by its swiss cheese appearance (with poikilitic quartz) and often mantled porphyroblastic character.

Where are fairy crosses found?

Fairy Cross is another name for staurolite crystals, minerals found in old rocks of the Eastern U.S., and they are especially abundant in Fannin County.

Is staurolite length fast or slow?

slow

Staurolite
Property	Value	Comments
Elongation	elongate parallel to c axis
Extinction	parallel, max of 30 degrees on grains	Length slow
Dispersion	weak to moderate , r >v