Rock-TIN around the Christmas tree...
Photograph A: Hand-picked alluvial topaz and quartz, Ipoh, Malaysia.
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Sample: Hand-picked alluvial topaz and quartz
Locality: Ipoh, Malaysia Primary Commodity: Tin Deposit Type: Alluvial tin It may surprise you that the sample of alluvial topaz crystals shown in photograph A are in the ore collection, while the tin – the ore that the topaz is associated with – is not. This is because these topaz crystals, which originate from heavily weathered pegmatites, are from a research perspective, more geologically interesting than the tin.
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Trapped information
Trapped inside these topaz crystals are microscopic bubbles of liquid and gas called ‘fluid inclusions’. These inclusions can shed light on the conditions under which these topaz crystals formed - the temperature, pressure and composition of the mineralizing fluids. This information allows Museum scientists to understand in greater detail pegmatite formation – and subsequently tin occurrence – at this locality.
Conclusion
The ore collection is not solely focused on the final product - the ore. The collection aims to provide a comprehensive geological context for each locality that it houses. This ensures that we maximise scientists’ ability to discover and understand the formation of ore deposits.
Visit window seventeen to see how another sample from the ore collection is helping with research into ore deposit formation.
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Trapped inside these topaz crystals are microscopic bubbles of liquid and gas called ‘fluid inclusions’. These inclusions can shed light on the conditions under which these topaz crystals formed - the temperature, pressure and composition of the mineralizing fluids. This information allows Museum scientists to understand in greater detail pegmatite formation – and subsequently tin occurrence – at this locality.
Conclusion
The ore collection is not solely focused on the final product - the ore. The collection aims to provide a comprehensive geological context for each locality that it houses. This ensures that we maximise scientists’ ability to discover and understand the formation of ore deposits.
Visit window seventeen to see how another sample from the ore collection is helping with research into ore deposit formation.
< Back to calendar