[meteorite-list] Blue crystals aggregates of Halite in Zag specimens

From: PAOLO CONTE <progetto.andromeda_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2016 22:11:24 +0200
Message-ID: <CAM55BZKMJjxdLYCNbkFhmWSEemqaRf3zUvXTj6x2SWF-G+ucxg_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hello Listers,


For my educational collection, I'm looking for a slice (or endcut) of Zag
with blue halite inclusions visible at naked eye.


Sincerely, I already had tried to ask to some Listers, but the answer that
I always have received is the same: the halite crystals aren?t visible at
naked eye.


This is true for single crystals, but the AGGREGATES of these crystals
sometimes are visible without microscope, since they also can achieve an
extension of one centimeter, according A. Rubin, M. Zolensky and R.
Bodnar, *The
halite-bearing Zag and Monahans meteorite breccias*, Meteoritics and
Planetary Sciences, 37 (2002), pp. 125-141. This is the link to the article:

http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?2002M%26PS...37..125R&amp;data_type=PDF_HIGH&amp;whole_paper=YES&amp;type=PRINTER&amp;filetype=.pdfghhhg


At page 131, the Authors write: "*Most grains are a few hundred micrometers
in sizes, although aggregates can range up to 1 cm.*"


I have found in Internet only few images of no-microscopic clusters of
halite in the Zag meteorite, but the one that seems to represent at the
best what I?m looking for is a picture published just at the end of this
page here:

http://www.meteoritestudies.com/protected_ZAG.HTM


In fact, the blue coloration would make these clusters more visible, even
if Zolensky et al. claim that these aggregates can be transparent or opaque
also. But for my educational collection I'm looking for blue aggregates
because I think it?s very difficult to show to the students transparent or
opaque halite: the blue color has - probably - a better contrast.


Perhaps, these aggregates visible at naked eye (not only blue, but
transparent or opaque also) are really rare, but if the collectors claim to
never saw them, I think could be another reason: if these meteorites are
cutted with water, the water dissolves sodium chloride. Am I wrong? What
do you think about? If my hypothesis were true, it would be useless to look
for. Isn'it?


However, do you know someone who can help me to find a Zag specimen with a
blue halite inclusion?


Thanks to All for your kind attention and I'm sorry for my bad English.


Best regards from Rome.


Paolo Conte (IMCA #6037)
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Received on Thu 07 Jul 2016 04:11:24 PM PDT