Miserite, Wollastonite, Fluorapatite from the North Wilson pit, Arkansas, USA

Contributed by: Simone Conti
minID: Q1T-FTC
Date: Jul 12th, 2026
Locality: North Wilson pit, Union Carbide Mine, Wilson Springs (Potash Sulfur Springs), Garland County, Arkansas, USA (See on Mindat)
Size: 10 x 7 x 16 cm

Description:
A rare mineral from its type locality: miserite. The top half of this large specimen is rich in pink blades of miserite, mixed with some white wollastonite. The bottom half is mostly wollastonite. The face is split in half by a vein of fluorapatite, which is also scattered here and there in the miserite and wollastonite. The best way to distinguish these three minerals is under UV light. The miserite fluoresces pastel green under shortwave UV light while the wollastonite and apatite fluoresce orange and violet, respectively, under midwave UV. The first photo is under both shortwave and midwave UV, showing the intricate mix of these three minerals. The black mineral, following the apatite vein in the center, is often labeled on mindat as straczekite, a vanadate mineral, but I’m not sure how to identify it. On the right side, under midwave UV, a red fluorescent spec is also visible. Not sure what that is.