Honey calcite

[Brondonh]

I know this isn't necessarily a fossil question, but it does relate due to the fact that they grow on clams etc. 

I've been finding what I believe are honey calcite geodes. Ive looked everywhere on the internet and couldn't find much about them growing in geodes in Florida, but a ton on them growing on shells and limestone. 

 

Does anyone know about the growing as geodes? I really don't have enough knowledge on the subject and spent looking around. Maybe it's not honey calcite, but Florida doesn't have a variety of crystals. 

Here are a couple of pictures.

Thanks

[Brondonh]

I may need to go out back and take a close up of one not cracked. I have a lot.

[Darktooth]

Calcite is considered a very common mineral which can crystallize in various forms. Even though your pics are a bit blurry. It looks like you have dogs tooth calcite, which is a nickname given to this particular form. This crystal form is quite common in geodes as well as lining the inside of vugs. There is a Celestite location near me that also produces dogstooth calcite. The real prize used to be finding a specimen with both minerals present. Unfortunately this site has been posted for years. And yes this is the same mineral found in the Rucks Pitt shells.

[Brondonh]

Awesome thanks for the reply! I found. Bunch of them and will attempt to research what you mean by the having both minerals. Any websites you suggest?

[Darktooth]

What I meant by finding both minerals in one specimen, is that you can find vugs with only celestite or vugs with only calcite. Once in awhile you may find celestite nestled in between some calcite crystals. But this is a rare occurrence from the site mentioned. It may be more common at other localities. When you do find more then one mineral in a single specimen it makes for a much more interesting piece. I live in New York, which is also home to Herkimer Diamonds(Double terminated quartz crystals of high quality. These form in dolomite matrix. Sometimes other minerals like calcite anthaxalite, and crystallized dolomite or found in a vug together with the Herkimer Diamonds. These can be very beautiful pieces. But the calcite found there forms large crystals which sometimes totally engulf the quartz crystals.

[digit]

Indeed--as Darktooth has mentioned above, this is what is known (locally?) as dogtooth calcite. Doing an internet search for "dogtooth calcite florida" should bring up different information than you were gleaning using "honey calcite". Some locations like the former Ruck's Pit were famous for the quahog clams (Mercenaria permagna) that provided the empty spaces that these crystals could grow into.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Fossildude19]

14 hours ago, Brondonh said:

I know this isn't necessarily a fossil question, but it does relate due to the fact that they grow on clams etc. 

Topic moved to Rocks and Minerals.