Provenite

Pack Rat Mine

MineDraft data

32.7165° N, 116.2305° W · ± 1 km

Albite, Aquamarine and Beryl from California, United States, with photos of specimens from this locality.

View on the map

Minerals found here

AlbiteAquamarineBeryl

Albite at Pack Rat Mine

Plate of white albite sprinkled with wine-red spessartine on microcline, Pack Rat Mine.
Plate of white albite sprinkled with wine-red spessartine on microcline, Pack Rat Mine.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Second view of the spessartine and albite plate, Pack Rat Mine.
Second view of the spessartine and albite plate, Pack Rat Mine.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Detail of spessartine crystals on albite, Pack Rat Mine.
Detail of spessartine crystals on albite, Pack Rat Mine.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
NaAlSi₃O₈
Morphology
White albite plate on microcline
Typical size
Plate about 17 cm
Color / luster
White
Associated minerals
Spessartinemicrocline
Availability
Unknown

Sources: SRC-553

About Albite →

Aquamarine at Pack Rat Mine

Water-clear, doubly terminated faint blue-green aquamarine crystal from the Pack Rat Mine, Jacumba District, San Diego County, California.
Water-clear, doubly terminated faint blue-green aquamarine crystal from the Pack Rat Mine, Jacumba District, San Diego County, California.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈
Morphology
Small doubly terminated prismatic crystal
Typical size
About 2 cm
Color / luster
Faint blue-green, water-clear, lustrous
Associated minerals
Iron oxides (coating)
Surface features
Terminations lightly coated with iron oxides
Availability
Unknown

Sources: SRC-787

About Aquamarine →

Beryl at Pack Rat Mine

Beryl with cleavelandite and muscovite from the Pack Rat Mine, Jacumba district, California.
Beryl with cleavelandite and muscovite from the Pack Rat Mine, Jacumba district, California.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Second view of beryl with cleavelandite and muscovite from the Pack Rat Mine, California.
Second view of beryl with cleavelandite and muscovite from the Pack Rat Mine, California.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈
Morphology
Small crystal on matrix
Typical size
Thumbnail specimen about 2 cm
Associated minerals
Albite (cleavelandite)muscovite
Availability
Scarce

Sources: SRC-708

About Beryl →

Geology of the locality

Setting
Gem pegmatite on Tule Mountain, Jacumba district, San Diego County (MRDS commodity: gem minerals).
Region
California
Country
United States

Coordinates from the USGS MRDS record 'Packrat Mine'.

Sources: SRC-527

Sources

  1. SRC-527 · Database
    Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS), WFS feature query - Jacumba area, San Diego CountyU.S. Geological Survey · USGS
  2. SRC-553 · Website
    File:Albite-Microcline-Spessartine-ch03a.jpgRobert M. Lavinsky · Wikimedia Commons
  3. SRC-787 · Website
    File:Beryl-182985.jpgRobert M. Lavinsky · Wikimedia Commons
  4. SRC-708 · Website
    File:Beryl-Muscovite-sd332c.jpgRobert M. Lavinsky · Wikimedia Commons

Draft data from the Provenite workbook. Check entries against the cited sources before relying on them. Photos are open-licence images from Wikimedia Commons; the author and licence are given with each photo.