Colorado Rare Earth Minerals Options

[MikeS]

What time is it?.... IT'S XENOTIME!!!

While we were diggin on the claim on Monday, my longtime friend (and co-owner) was getting into a nice pocket of gemmy smokies when he found a odd crystal we had never seen before. We suspected Zircon because of the crystal shape and it felt very heavy. After a specific gravity test it appears to be Xenotime. It is also on the heavy side of Xenotime which would suggest that the Yttrium in it has been replaced with a heavier mineral/element like Uranium or Thorite. It may have mild radioactivity. If I get the chance to test it for radiation I'll post results. If your wondering how to pronounce Xenotime here is a link with audio: Oxford Dictionaries





The crew and I just before the rare find. (I'm on the left)

[Woody]

Hey Mike,

I can't find it now, but you mentioned something about an easy way to do a specific gravity test in an earlier post. Could you elaborate on that please. So many times I wish I had such a test at my disposal. When I heard you mention it I ment to ask you abut it but somehow it got lost in the sauce. Please do tell~

[MikeS]

you mentioned something about an easy way to do a specific gravity test in an earlier post.

John Betts came up with this easy method but it works quite well. We use fishing line instead of a paper clip. A cheap digital scale will work. Got mine at harbor freight for $20
Quick test