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Smokey Bear Quartz Claims (Sierra Blanca quartz locality), Lincoln County, New Mexico, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Smokey Bear Quartz Claims (Sierra Blanca quartz locality) | Claim |
| Lincoln County | County |
| New Mexico | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
33° North , 105° West (est.)
Estimate based on other nearby localities or region boundaries.
Margin of Error:
~94km
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Smokey Bear quartz deposit; Smoky Bear; Crystal; Bonita Crystal
Hanson & Thompson (1991):
"The Smokey Bear quartz deposit is located in the southeast quarter of Section 29, and the southwest quarter of Section 28, T10S, R11E, NMPM, in the White Mountain Wilderness, Lincoln County, New Mexico, at an altitude of about 10,650 feet (see the U.S.G.S. Nogal Peak 15-minute quadrangle, 1982). The deposit is aligned along the north side of a northwest-southeast-trending ridge, from 250 to 1500 meters southeast of Peak 10825. Access is by pack trail from the Sierra Blanca ski area."
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SIERRA BLANCA AND MINA TIRO ESTRELLA SMOKY QUARTZ
Information and mineral specimens from both localities often get mixed together, so I want to briefly address these common mix-ups. Both localities are within the boundary of the Lincoln National Forest, but Sierra Blanca is in the Sacramento Mountains while Mina Tiro Estrella is in the Capitan Mountains 30 miles to the ENE. To my knowledge only at Sierra Blanca has mineral collecting been forbidden by the Forest Service, and have smoky quartz crystals been confiscated from operations back in the 1980’s. I believe there has been a regulation of sorts against collecting here, but it is very rarely enforced. Mina Tiro Estrella has, for the majority of its existence, always been a valid claim and is still currently under claim although collecting is not permitted by the owner.
Concerning the specimens from each respective location, smoky quartz is commonly found from both places, but the similarities end there. Crystals from Mina Tiro Estrella are relatively small (singles to 7 cm, twins to 10 cm) and are generally twinned or of the Tessin habit whereas the crystals from Sierra Blanca are all simple-prismatic and can get much larger (to 40 cm). Color of the Mina Tiro Estrella quartz is usually pale to medium smoky with very few dark crystals, while quartz from Sierra Blanca is usually medium to dark smoky with occasional pale crystals. Luster from both locales can be matte to brilliant, but striations on Mina Tiro Estrella specimens are much more pronounced. Japan law twins are found from Mina Tiro Estrella and not from Sierra Blanca. Very few accessory minerals are found along with the smoky quartz from Sierra Blanca, except for occasionally some white, colloform fluorite and very rarely mint-to-emerald green fluorite octahedrons. Major accessory minerals from Mina Tiro Estrella include white feldspar crystals (either albite or orthoclase), sharp, bladed crystals of black allanite, and small brownish-red titanite crystals.
[Philip Simmons 2013]
Note: "Smoky Bear" is a misnomer.
"The Smokey Bear quartz deposit is located in the southeast quarter of Section 29, and the southwest quarter of Section 28, T10S, R11E, NMPM, in the White Mountain Wilderness, Lincoln County, New Mexico, at an altitude of about 10,650 feet (see the U.S.G.S. Nogal Peak 15-minute quadrangle, 1982). The deposit is aligned along the north side of a northwest-southeast-trending ridge, from 250 to 1500 meters southeast of Peak 10825. Access is by pack trail from the Sierra Blanca ski area."
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SIERRA BLANCA AND MINA TIRO ESTRELLA SMOKY QUARTZ
Information and mineral specimens from both localities often get mixed together, so I want to briefly address these common mix-ups. Both localities are within the boundary of the Lincoln National Forest, but Sierra Blanca is in the Sacramento Mountains while Mina Tiro Estrella is in the Capitan Mountains 30 miles to the ENE. To my knowledge only at Sierra Blanca has mineral collecting been forbidden by the Forest Service, and have smoky quartz crystals been confiscated from operations back in the 1980’s. I believe there has been a regulation of sorts against collecting here, but it is very rarely enforced. Mina Tiro Estrella has, for the majority of its existence, always been a valid claim and is still currently under claim although collecting is not permitted by the owner.
Concerning the specimens from each respective location, smoky quartz is commonly found from both places, but the similarities end there. Crystals from Mina Tiro Estrella are relatively small (singles to 7 cm, twins to 10 cm) and are generally twinned or of the Tessin habit whereas the crystals from Sierra Blanca are all simple-prismatic and can get much larger (to 40 cm). Color of the Mina Tiro Estrella quartz is usually pale to medium smoky with very few dark crystals, while quartz from Sierra Blanca is usually medium to dark smoky with occasional pale crystals. Luster from both locales can be matte to brilliant, but striations on Mina Tiro Estrella specimens are much more pronounced. Japan law twins are found from Mina Tiro Estrella and not from Sierra Blanca. Very few accessory minerals are found along with the smoky quartz from Sierra Blanca, except for occasionally some white, colloform fluorite and very rarely mint-to-emerald green fluorite octahedrons. Major accessory minerals from Mina Tiro Estrella include white feldspar crystals (either albite or orthoclase), sharp, bladed crystals of black allanite, and small brownish-red titanite crystals.
[Philip Simmons 2013]
Note: "Smoky Bear" is a misnomer.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
4 valid minerals.
Detailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Allanite-(Ce) Formula: (CaCe)(AlAlFe2+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| ⓘ 'Apatite' Formula: Ca5(PO4)3A |
| ⓘ Ferrimolybdite Formula: Fe2(MoO4)3 · nH2O |
| ⓘ Fluorite Formula: CaF2 |
| ✪ Quartz Formula: SiO2 Colour: Smoky |
| ⓘ Quartz var. Smoky Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 3 - Halides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Fluorite | 3.AB.25 | CaF2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | var. Smoky Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Ferrimolybdite | 7.GB.30 | Fe2(MoO4)3 · nH2O |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Allanite-(Ce) | 9.BG.05b | (CaCe)(AlAlFe2+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Apatite' | - | Ca5(PO4)3A |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Allanite-(Ce) | (CaCe)(AlAlFe2+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| H | ⓘ Ferrimolybdite | Fe2(MoO4)3 · nH2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Allanite-(Ce) | (CaCe)(AlAlFe2+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| O | ⓘ Ferrimolybdite | Fe2(MoO4)3 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Smoky Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Fluorite | CaF2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Allanite-(Ce) | (CaCe)(AlAlFe2+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Allanite-(Ce) | (CaCe)(AlAlFe2+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Smoky Quartz | SiO2 |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Allanite-(Ce) | (CaCe)(AlAlFe2+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Ca | ⓘ Fluorite | CaF2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Allanite-(Ce) | (CaCe)(AlAlFe2+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Fe | ⓘ Ferrimolybdite | Fe2(MoO4)3 · nH2O |
| Mo | Molybdenum | |
| Mo | ⓘ Ferrimolybdite | Fe2(MoO4)3 · nH2O |
| Ce | Cerium | |
| Ce | ⓘ Allanite-(Ce) | (CaCe)(AlAlFe2+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
Other Databases
| Wikidata ID: | Q1367141 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Mazatzal DomainDomain
- Mazatzal TerraneVolcanic Arc
USA
- New Mexico
- Sacramento MountainsMountain Range
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Smokey Bear Quartz Claims, Lincoln County, New Mexico, USA