Pseudomorphs and Casts Minerals Gallery M&W Minerals

Pseudomorphs and Casts Gallery

On this gallery, are gathered all the specimens on this website which are considered pseudomorphs. A pseudomorph is a mineral or mineral compound which is in an atypical form, which has resulted from a substitution process in which the appearance and dimensions of one mineral have been retained, but the original mineral is replaced by another. The name literally means "false form". There are essentially 3 kinds of pseudmorphs which are the following:

Substitution Pseudomorphs: In these specimens, one mineral has been completely chemically substituted by another mineral. The shape of the original mineral is retained, but color, hardness, and density are usually different (and often luster).

Alteration Pseudomorphs: In these specimens, only a partial substitution has occurred. This leads to a specimen with a layer of the new mineral with an interior of the original mineral with the shape of the original mineral.

Perimorphs: In these specimens, one mineral has been coated by another and the original has dissolved. This usually leads to a specimen with a mix of surfaces both of the new mineral and the surfaces of the dissolved mineral. A gray area is where this

dissolution is not natural. A case in point, Michigan Copper specimens are often found as casts after Calcite. In some cases, the dissolution has occurred due to acidic natural solutions but in other cases the Calcite has been purposely etched out with acid. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between the two.

Casts: In these specimens, a mineral has formed but it's shape has been determined by the environment in which it formed. Two examples are geodes and Michigan Copper Skulls and Amygdules.

minerals in alphabetical order by first letter only
(this is the primary mineral of the specimen - the pseudomorph may be a secondary mineral)

click on the title link or photo to proceed to a specimen's page

A

5412 Aquamarine, Goethite Pseudomorph after Siderite, Biotite

Erongo Mountain, Erongo Region, Namibia
4.6 x 4.4 x 2.8 cm
$85

B

4604 Calcite pseudomorph after Glauberite

Camp Verde, Camp Verde District, Yavapai Co., Arizona
9 x 6.7 x 7.1 cm
$45

C

6200 Calcite Crystals with Small Casts Santa Eulalia District, Mun. de Aquiles Serdan, Chihuahua, Mexico 1970s 14.1 x 12.2 x 7.1 cm $50	5906 Marcasite Included and on the Surface of Calcite Crystals, Small Casts after Unkown Crystals Dornburg Mine, Ramsbeck, Meschede, Sauerland, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Ex. Renaud Vochten, purchased in 1970 10.6 x 7.2 x 2.6 cm $55	5878 Chalcocite Crystals on Massive Chaclcocite with Cast Wheal Pendarves, Killivose, Camborne, Cornwall, England 4.4 x 3.7 x 3.3 cm $100
5522 Celestine Included In Calcite and Calcite Casts after Celestine, Posssible Jarosite Mina Mojina, Rancho de Mojina, Ricardo Flores Magon, Mun. de Buenaventura, Chihuahua, Mexico UV Fluorescent Ex. Robert Gannon, 1960s 14.4 x 12.5 x 6.7 cm $175	5460 Chrysocolla Pseudomoprh after Selenite Ray Mine, Scott Mountain area, Mineral Creek Dist., Dripping Spring Mts, Pinal Co., Arizona from 1976 find, Ex. Flying Pan Minerals, Ex. Storm Mountain Minerals, Ex. Paul Cowan 2.9 x 2.7 x 1.5 cm $75	5183 Clinoptilolite, Quartz Pseudomorph after Anhydrite, Scepter Quartz, Calcite, Celandonite Planalto, Alto Uruguai region, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Ex. Steve Pullman purchased from Luiz Menezes in 1990 at Tucson 6.1 x 3.7 x 2.6 cm $75
4994 Calcite with Unidentified Pink Alteration, Chalcopyrite Sweetwater Mine, Viburnum Trend Dist., Reynolds Co., Missouri 4.2 x 1.9 x 1.5 cm $40	4057 Quartz on Twinned Calcite Crystals on Chalcedony Pseudomorph after Aragonite Cadman Quarry, Monroe, Snowmish Co., Washington Ex. George Katzmarek 5.9 x 5 x 4.7 cm $45	3371 Chamosite Pseudomorph after Almandine Spurr Mountain Mine, Imperial Heights, Baraga Co., Michigan 5.2 x 4.7 x 4.8 cm $35
3348 Hexagonal Calcite on Dolomite and Chalcopyrite Casts after Galena Sweetwater Mine, Ellington, Viburnum Trend District, Reynolds County, Missouri, USA 11.7 x 5.4 x 3.6 cm Largest XL is 2.6 x 1.2 x 0.9 cm $50	2243 Crinoid Stems Bloomington,Monroe Co., Inidiana, USA Priror to 1975 9.4 x 3.5 x 4.2 cm $35

D

6313 Dinosaur Bone, Lapidary Quality Jurassic, Morrisson Formation, Utah UV Fluorescent 5 x 4.4 x 0.5 cm $25	6108 Dolomite Pseudomorph/Epimorph after Calcite Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico 1960s 9.5 x 5.8 x 3.5 cm The Dolomite is approximately 2 mm thick. $70	6021 Datolite Crystals and Smoky Quartz with Pseudomorphic Casts after Calcite Bor Pit (Boron Pit), Dal'negorsk B deposit, Dal'negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region, Russia 12.2 x 7.5 x 4.7 cm $200
5853 Datolite and Quartz with Casts after Calcite Bor Pit (Boron Pit), Dal'negorsk B deposit, Dal'negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region, Russia 10.8 x 8.5 x 4.3 cm $600

F

5467 Fluorite on and within Quartz Pseudomorphs after Calcite Coated with Montromite

Prospectors Delight Mine (Black Knife Mine), Cuchillo Negro Dist., Sierra Cuchillo, Sierra Co., New Mexico
Ex. Wright's Rock Shop
10.8 x 7.2 x 6.5 cm
$100

G

4575 Iridescent Baculites

Pierre Shale, Cretacous Period, South Dakota
Ex. Vivian Randall
5.8 x 3.4 x 1.3 cm
$25

L

6222 Chalcedony Petrified Wood Limb Cast

Oligocene. John Day Formation. South Fork of the Crooked River, Crook County, Oregon
Ex. Robert Gannon
9.4 x 1.8 x 1.4 cm
The average diameter of tehe cast is approximately 1 cm. The two dimensions for the width of the specimen included the curve of the specimen and the side branch.
$50

5330 Limonite Pseudomorph after Marcasite and Spahlerite with Dolomite and Calcite

Fairdale Quarry (I-39 Quarry), Rochelle, Ogle Co., Illinois
5.1 x 5.2 x 4.9 cm
Largest crystal measures 1.2 cm across.
$45

M

5920 Malachite and Malachite Pseudomorh after Azurite

Bisbee, Warren District, Mule Mts, Cochise Co., Arizona
4.8 x 3.8 x 3.9 cm
$35

5868 Malachite Pseudomorph after Azurite, Secondary Growth Malachite

Sacramento pit, Sacramento Hill, Bisbee, Warren District, Mule Mts, Cochise Co., Arizona
Early 1900s
8.9 x 6.8 x 4.7 cm
$500

5445 Malachite Pseudomorph after Azurite

Sacramento pit, Sacramento Hill, Bisbee, Warren District, Mule Mts, Cochise Co., Arizona
Early 1900s
3.6 x 2.7 x 2.2 cm
$250

5027 Malachite on Quartz with Casts after Calcite, Minor Chalcopyrite

Mina El Cobre, Zacatecas, Mexico
Ex. Robert Gannon
7.8 x 6.3 x 4.2 cm
$45

4629 Malachite Pseudomorph after Azurite

Tsumeb, Namibia
5.2 x 2.8 x 1.6 cm
$150

2887 Malachite Pseudomorph after Azurite

Tsumeb, Namibia
3.8 x 2.9 x 2.6 cm
$250

2508 Malachite Pseudomorph after Azurite

Mina Milipillas, Milipillas, Sonora, Mexico
6.3 x 5 x 1.3 cm
SOLD

2062 Mimetite on Goethite pseudomorphs after Calcite

Megala Pefka Mine No. 28, Lavrion (Laurion; Laurium) District, Attiki (Attica) Prefecture, Greece
Ex. Steve Pullman
6.2 x 6 x 1.5 cm
$50

P

6327 Paddock Stromatolite Jasper - Quartz Pseudomorph after Stromatolite

Morris Pit, Green Lake, Green Lake Co., Wisconsin
Ex. George Balogh from Kevin Ponzio
8.3 x 7.9 x 7.4 cm
SOLD

5328 Pyrite Pseudomorph after Marcasite, Double Terminated Calcite and Quartz Crystals, Dolomite

Nanisivik Mine, Nanisivik, Baffin Island, Nunavut Territory, Canada
Ex. A. E. Seaman Museum, Lance Hampel collection
15 x 9.8 x 6.4 cm
$375

5087 Plumbogummite Pseduomorph after Pyromorphite

Yangshuo Mine, Yangshuo Co., Guilin Pref., Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
UV Fluorescent
PbAl₃(PO₄)(PO₃OH)(OH)₆
6.5 x 4.3 x 3.4 cm
$150

5044 Pyromorphite Pseudomorph after Cerussute

Higher Roughton Gill (Balliway Rigg), Roughton Gill, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England
5.6 x 4.3 x 3.8 cm
$150

4760 Pyromorphite on Quartz with Casts after Barite

Williams Corners, Wheatley Mines, Phoenixville Mining dist., Schuylkill Twp., Chester Co., Pennsylvania
9.8 x 6.2 x 5.2 cm
$75

4104 Polished Petrified Wood (Chalcedony / Quartz)

Blue Forest, Eden Valley, Sweetwater Co., Wyoming
Pre 1975
10.4 x 7.3 x 1.1 cm
$25

1663 Petrified Wood

Montana
10.5 x 8.4 x 3.8 cm
$15

338 Pyrite pseudomorph after Pyrrhotite

Zacatecas, Mexico
8 x 5.7 x 4 cm
$50

Q

6105 Quartz Pseudomorph/Epimorph after Hemimorphite

Mapimi, Durango, Mexico
1970s
12.6 x 9.6 x 4.7 cm
$100

5977 Hematite Pseudomorph after Epidote with Quartz

Bessemer Claim, Bessemer Ridge, Green Mountain, North Bend, King Co., Washington
Ex. Steve Pullman, Ex. David Shannon
6.8 x 3.8 x 2 cm
$50

5915 Quartz Epimorph after Fluorite

Silverton, San Juan Co., Colorado
from Rock & Minerals Denver Auction, Ex. George Witters
11.1 x 6.8 x 4.2 cm
$100

5903 Double Terminated Smoky Quartz, Quartz Pseudomorph after Aegirine

Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada
3.3 x 2.2 x 2 cm
$55

5490 Smoky Quartz Pseudomorph

Bor Pit (Boron Pit), Dal'negorsk B deposit, Dal'negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region, Russia
7.8 x 4 x 2.8 cm
$150

5263 Smoky Quartz, Hematite, Copper Stained Chalcedony with Pseudomophs and Casts

Mexico (likely Concepcio del Oro, Zacatecas, Mexico)
Ex. Robert Gannon
6.5 x 5.8 x 6.4 cm
Uprght crystal measures 4.5 cm tall.
$75

5064 Quartz and Hematite Pseudomorph after Epidote

Bessemer Claim, Bessemer Ridge, Green Mountain, North Bend, King Co., Washington
Ex. Steve Pullman
7.7 x 3.8 x 2.2 cm
$50

4857 Quartz Pseudomorph after Anhydrite

OS pocket, Ouray, Ouray District, San Juan Mts, Ouray Co., Colorado
13.7 x 5.3 x 1.3 cm
SOLD

3111 Quartz Pseudomorph after Poker Chip Calcite

Guanajuato, Mexico
14 x 12.6 x 7.3 cm
$75

S

6244 Siderite Pseudomorph after Calcite Santa Eulalia District, Mun. de Aquiles Serdan, Chihuahua, Mexico Ex. E. Morales, purchased at Tucson Show, 1983 9.5 x 7.1 x 4.6 cm $75	6161 Shattuckite, Malachite Kaokoveld Plateau, Kunene Region, Namibia 5.4 x 3.7 x 2.9 cm $85	5395 Smithsonite Pseudomorh after Dolomite Monte Cristo Mine, Rush, Rush Creek District, Marion Co., Arkansas 5.4 x 5 x 1.4 cm $50
4408 Smoky Quartz with Included Hematite, Goethite Pseudomorphs after Siderite, Microcline Teller Co., Colorado 15.8 x 6.6 x 4.6 cm $85	4356 Sphalerite variety Ruby Jack, Calcite casts Cleator Moor Iron Mines, Cleator Moor, West Cumberland Iron Field, Cumbria, England Ex. H. R. McBroom, from Sam Weller, 1985 6.4 x 5.2 x 4.1 cm $100

T

6292 Goethite variety: Turgite Pseudomorph after Kyanite Graves Mountain, Lincoln Co., Georgia 6.9 x 3.8 x 3.1 cm $35	6206 Polished Tampa Bay Fossilized Coral Tampa Bay, Florida Ex. Robert Gannon 13.1 x 4.8 x 1.9 and 12.2 x 4.8 x 2.2 $50	5000 Tennantite pseudomorph after Enargite with Malachite Tsumeb, Namibia 4.8 x 3.5 x 1.9 cm $120
1149 Tourmaline with inner core replaced with Quartz Urubu mine, Monte Belo, Itinga, Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil 5 x 2.1 x 1.8 cm $175