GEMS and minerals of the
Fossickers way
he Fossickers Way takes in natural
Tgeological wonders and some of the most mineral-rich areas of NSW . Here ’ s just a few of the treasures you might find – with a little bit of luck on your side !
SAPPHIRE
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum , an aluminium oxide ( Al 2O 3 ). While typically associated with the colour blue , they also occur in yellow , purple , orange and green colours , while ‘ parti sapphires ’ show two or more colours . Australia is one of the richest sources of sapphire in the world . Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires ( 9 on the Mohs scale – the second hardest mineral after diamond ), they are also used in some nonornamental applications such as shatterproof glass and armoured vehicles .
GOLD
Gold is a chemical element which , in its purest form , is a bright , slightly reddish-yellow , dense , soft , malleable and ductile metal . Chemically , gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element . It is one of the least reactive chemical elements , and is solid under standard conditions . The metal therefore occurs often in free elemental ( native ) form , as nuggets or grains , in rocks , in veins and in alluvial deposits .
QUARTZ
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth ’ s continental crust , after feldspar . There are many different varieties of quartz , several of which are semi-precious gemstones . Since antiquity , varieties of
quartz have been the most commonly used minerals in the making of jewellery and hardstone carvings . The ideal crystal shape is a six-sided prism terminating with sixsided pyramids at each end .
TOPAZ
Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine . Pure topaz is colourless and transparent but is usually tinted by impurities ; typical topaz is wine-red , yellow , pale gray , reddish-orange , or blue-brown . It can also be white , pale green , blue , gold , pink ( rare ), reddish-yellow or opaque to transparent / translucent . Topaz is commonly associated with silicic igneous rocks of the granite and rhyolite type . It typically crystallises in granitic pegmatites or in vapour cavities in rhyolite lava flows .
ZIRCON
Zircon is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates . It forms in silicate melts with large proportions of high field strength incompatible elements . The crystal structure of zircon is a tetragonal crystal system . The natural colour of zircon varies between colourless , yellow-golden , red , brown , blue and green . Colourless specimens that show gem quality are a popular substitute for diamond and are also known as ‘ Matura diamond ’.
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