Mineral Specimen #103 Sulfur
 
Maybee, Monroe County, Michigan, USA

One very large section of an even larger crystal of canary yellow Sulfur. About half of the surfaces of this specimen are conchoidal cleavages. On the bottom (not in photo) there are some uneven non-cleavage surfaces. The rest is a highly etched surface with one large hole which extends into the sulfur and curves with a total depth of a little over 3 cm (1st picture). These large specimens form in large vugs in the Limestone approximately 10 feet down from the surface. Since the quarry walls are 70 foot tall, they can only be collected when shot rock in large enough pieces are found on the quarry floor. It can be quite frustrating when collecting in the quarry to be able to see some truly large remarkable Sulfur crystals but not be able to get at them. Currently, the area of blasting has moved away from the zone with the Sulfur; additionally, access to the quarry is now severely restricted. I collected there in July about 15 years ago and we forgot to fill the canteen with water, so we got water at the quarry office. After getting quite hot in the July sun, we found to our dismay, the water was the worst tasting water imaginable due to the high Sulfur content.

9.5 x 7.5 x 4.5 cm