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Mineralpedia Details for Collinsite

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Collinsite

Collinsite

Named after William Henry Collins (1878-1937), who was the former Director of the Geological Survey of Canada. Diverse geological occurences: biogenic cave deposits, phosphate rich sedimentary and pegmatite deposits.  At the type locality at Francois Lake as concentric brown radial crystals with a fibrous habit with carbonatian fluorapatite on andesite. Probably the largest crystals (1cm) are found at Rapid Creek, Yukon, Canada. Similiar to the Yukon occurence in habit but smaller crystals are found at the Tip Top pegmatite, near Custer, South Dakota as white to colorless fish-shaped with rounded prismatic faces and pointed terminations to 2mm in heterosite and triphylite matrix. 

Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/collinsite.pdf

Mineralogical Record Vol. 23, No. 4 (1992) by Jerry Van Velthuizen et al, and Palache, C., Berman, H., & Frondel, C. (1951) V II, page 722.

Formula
Ca2Mg(PO4)2ยท2H2
Crystal System
Triclinic 
Cleavage
Perfect, Perfect, None 
Luster
Silky 
Color
colorless, white, light brown 
Streak
white 
Class
Triclinic - Pinacoidal 
Fracture
Brittle 
Hardness
3-3.5 
Tagged
phosphate  
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Collinsite from Francois Lake, British Columbia, Canada

Collinsite
            from Francois Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Special Info
Type Locality

Light brown fibrous 1cm concentric bands on Andesite matrix with apatite.

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Collinsite from Tip Top mine, Custer Co., South Dakota, United States

Collinsite
            from Tip Top mine, Custer Co., South Dakota, United States

Micro white to colorless, prismatic fish-shaped Collinsite crystals with rounded prism faces and pointed terminations in parallel and divergent groups.  Associations typically include Leucophosphite, Hureaulite and Jahnsite (CaMnMg) in heterosite and triphylite.

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