Table of Contents
- From the Editor—On the Other Hand… by Howie Green 1–2
- The Canfield Phosphate Mine by Stephen Tapsak 3–7
- Lake Valhalla Diopside by Bob Batic 7–10
- Beemerville Sodalite by Howie Green 11–14
- The Lime Crest Quarry, Sparta, NJ by Steven M. Kuitems, DMD 15–23
- The Edison Mine, Sparta Township, N.J. by Mark Boyer 24–28
From the Editor—On the Other Hand…
By Howie Green · pp. 1–2
Howie Green introduces the issue’s focus on New Jersey mineral localities outside Franklin and Sterling Hill. He reflects humorously on the philosophical idea of the “other,” the historical tendency of collectors to center Franklin specimens, and his own efforts to broaden interest toward Greenland material. The column encourages readers to appreciate New Jersey’s varied geology, mineralogy, collecting history, and attractive specimens independently of the state’s famous Franklin-Sterling Hill district.
The Canfield Phosphate Mine
By Stephen Tapsak · pp. 3–7
Stephen Tapsak examines the late-nineteenth-century Canfield Phosphate Mine in Morris County, New Jersey, an exploratory operation developed for apatite associated with magnetite. He outlines the regional geology, the historical efforts to process phosphate for fertilizer, and the mine’s eventual abandonment. The article describes dump material dominated by fluorapatite and magnetite, with apatite producing pale pink to orange-pink midwave ultraviolet responses and brief yellow phosphorescence, likely related to rare-earth impurities.
Lake Valhalla Diopside
By Bob Batic · pp. 7–10
Bob Batic surveys the minerals of Lake Valhalla in Montville Township, New Jersey, a former serpentine and marble quarry now within the Morris County Park system where collecting is prohibited. He discusses serpentine, gurhofite or “bone,” phlogopite, and especially diopside, which occurs in white crystals or massive material and emits blue light under shortwave ultraviolet illumination. Historical quarrying, specimen collecting, mineral identifications, and the site’s changing accessibility are also considered.
Beemerville Sodalite
By Howie Green · pp. 11–14
Howie Green describes the Beemerville nepheline-syenite intrusion in Wantage Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, including its setting within the Cortlandt-Beemerville magmatic belt and the challenges of locating its wooded outcrops. The rock contains orthoclase, aegirine, biotite, cancrinite, zircon, fluorite, and sodalite. Sodalite produces a dramatic deep-orange response under longwave ultraviolet LED light, although its identification as sodalite or hackmanite, and claims involving cancrinite, remain uncertain.
The Lime Crest Quarry, Sparta, NJ
By Steven M. Kuitems, DMD · pp. 15–23
Steven M. Kuitems surveys the geology, collecting history, and specimen-producing zones of the Lime Crest Quarry in Sparta Township, New Jersey. The quarry exposes Franklin Marble, skarn, and overlying microcline gneiss, with material historically used for iron-furnace flux, lime, aggregate, and stone. Detailed sections cover titanite, scapolite, scheelite, calcite, corundum, diopside, fluoborite, fluorite, norbergite, phlogopite, spinel, tremolite, tourmaline-group minerals, barite, and sphalerite, including their observed ultraviolet responses.
The Edison Mine, Sparta Township, N.J.
By Mark Boyer · pp. 24–28
Mark Boyer discusses fluorescent fluorite and apatite from the abandoned Edison magnetite mines on Sparta Mountain, New Jersey. The deposits occur in two parallel magnetite-rich gneiss bands and commonly include feldspar, quartz, mica, and garnet. Fluorite typically responds white under shortwave ultraviolet light, while apatite produces golden-yellow, orange, or pink emissions depending on illumination and impurities. The article also describes notable historical specimens, collecting restrictions, and serious hazards from unstable pits, ledges, collapse, and subsidence.