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Date Posted: Sunday, January 22, 10:38:20am
Author: Lij
Author Host/IP: adsl-108-67-88-40.dsl.bltnin.sbcglobal.net / 108.67.88.40
Subject: Amphyllosite
In reply to: Chani 's message, "I liked it too" on Sunday, January 22, 05:17:00am

I'm not sure how they'd spell it, but the geologist in me would spell it like that.

The "amph(i)-" sound at the beginning brings to mind the series of amphibole minerals or the metamorphic rock amphibolite. Amphibolite is mostly made up of the amphibole hornblende which is a complex inosilicate 'mix' with a chemical formula approaching Ca2(Mg,Fe,Al)5(Al,Si)8O22(OH)2. In association with dolostones (a limestone containing magnesium) the amphibole mineral tremolite is most common and is one form of asbestos - an insulator. The "phyll-" brings to mind the rock phyllite which is a foliated metamorphic rock. This brings me back to amphibolites which also have a schistose (flaky) texture to the rock as the minerals are monoclinal crystals. Certain marls (limestone/shale mixes) can be metamorphosed into an amphibolite as well as some volcanic basalts.

So the seem to be talking about a mineral of a form which is a hydrated silicate of Calcium and Magnesium and possibly Iron. One would like to then metamorphose a basalt. In the eastern coastal US the Triassic and Jurassic is represented by a number of basins (grabens) which represent a failed rift (similar to the Jordan-Dead Sea Rift or the Great Rift Valley of east Africa) which began to open up and eventually formed the Atlantic ocean. Basalts are often a constituent of these basins as well as intruded sills (such as the Pallisades). However, the Newark Basin, which is one of the larger of the rifted basins, only extend northward towards the Peekskill, NY, area (the Hudson forms the northeastern boundary). Not nearly far enough north towards New Paltz and Mohonk. You miss out by about 30 miles.

Ok, so what does form the Mohonk area? Primarily the ridgeline is composed of Shawagunk conglomerates, sandstones and shale which represent a terrestrial deposit not akin to warm oceanic enviroments generally associated with limestones. There are some possible limestones in the underlying formations however. These are primarily shales and sandstones representing more deep-sea environments, however, there are known to be some shaley limestones in some areas (dirty marls). Add in that the unit is somewhat metamophosed (low-grade) by tectonism in the area (like the Taconic orogeny) and I'll give FRINGE the benefit of the doubt and say they're talking about such an occurrance.

Ok, now what? Is it a monoclinal crystal form which gives amphyllosite its properties? Makes me wish Louis Pasteur would have continued his work on chemical crystallography at Strasbourg rather than moving to Lille and getting into microbiology. Maybe he did in the Redverse?! Could be the crystal grain is important and holds a charge on either end of the crystal. Or is amphyllosite somehow processed to form Bell's battery and Jones' weapon? Perhaps we'll see. But a possible geology for the mineral in that area compelled me to discuss this.

But, alas, I can go no further when the mineral is a fiction anyway!
. . .

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[> [> [> Or Amphilicite -- Lij, Monday, January 23, 04:04:26am (adsl-99-137-201-183.dsl.bltnin.sbcglobal.net/99.137.201.183)


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