Samarskite-(Y) (Rich) on Matrix McKinney Mine (Power Mill Creek Mine), Spruce Pine, Mitchell County, North Carolina, USA Dimensions: 3.6 × 3.5 × 2.3 cm Provenance: Original typewritten collection label identifying the specimen as “Samarskite (Rich)” from the McKinney Mine, Mitchell County, North Carolina.
A substantial, lustrous black samarskite specimen embedded in a coarse-grained matrix of tan to honey-brown feldspar and translucent gray quartz. The samarskite forms prominent, irregularly terminated crystalline masses with reflective, nearly metallic surfaces and areas of distinct parallel striation. Smaller black crystals are distributed throughout the surrounding matrix, providing a striking contrast against the lighter pegmatite minerals.
Samarskite-(Y) is a complex rare-earth niobium-tantalum oxide mineral commonly associated with granitic pegmatites. It is particularly notable for its concentration of yttrium and other rare-earth elements, as well as uranium and thorium that may occur within its crystal structure.
The McKinney Mine in Mitchell County, North Carolina, is a historic Appalachian pegmatite locality associated with the region's extensive mica and rare-mineral mining industry. Its rare-element mineral assemblages have long attracted interest from mineralogists and collectors studying the complex mineralogy of North Carolina's pegmatites.
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