The Fabulous Fluorapatites of New England

The most famous and sought after of New England Fluorapatites are the deep purple varieties which get their color from traces of Manganese. The truly deep purple varieties are restricted to a few world renowned pegmatite localities in Maine and a lesser known quarry in Connecticut.  The most famous of the pegmatites to produce world class fluorapatite is the Pulsifer Quarry in Auburn, Androscoggin County, Maine. The example to the right is among the best to ever come out of the Pulsifer Quarry. Collected by Terry Szenics in the 1960s, It measures 4cm high and is back-lit to show its deep gem color. 

When one thinks of the most important fluorapatite finds at the Pulsifer Quarry in Auburn, Maine, two periods definitely come to mind. The first of the initial important finds were during the early days of quarrying near the turn of the 20th Century under the supervision of the original owner, Pitt Pulsifer. This 11cm wide example of fluorapatite crystals on quartz was collected during this time by Pitt Pulsifer himself. 

The Pulsifer Quarry is the most famous of the pegmatite quarries on the aptly name Mt. Apatite in Auburn, Maine, but just about all the quarries on the mountain produced some degree of deep purple to lavender fluorapatite.  This specimen in microcline to the right is just one example from the very small Hatch Farm Quarry and measures about 3cm wide. 

This and the following photo are smaller but darker purple examples from the Mt. Rubellite Quarry, in Hebron, Oxford Co., Maine. They also a aesthetically combine with sharp quartz crystals. They are 2 and 2.5 cm respectively 

Other than perhaps the Emmons Quarry in Greenwood, Maine, the only other quarry that has produced fine purple fluoapatites that have been recognized outside of New England is the Harvard Quarry on Noyes Mountain, in Greenwood, Oxford County, Maine. Some are very deep purple and often exhibit aesthetically pleasing crystal zoning.  The specimen to the right is a Harvard example measuring 5 cm wide. 

This nice lavender specimen came to the MGMH with only "Greenwood, Oxford Co., Maine" as a locality description. It is possibly a Harvard Quarry specimen, but it is also consistent with certain specimens found at the Tamminen-Waisanen Quarries south of the Harvard mine. The specimen is 5 cm tall and nestled in quartz crystals.

Outside of Maine there is really only one other pegmatite that produced purple fluorapatites that rival Maine's best, and these were found at the Strickland Quarry in Portland, Middlesex County, Connecticut.  It is true that New Hampshire produced a few sites with pink and pale lavender fluorapatites, but only the Strickland Quarry produced examples as deep and gemmy as the world famous Pulsifer Quarry in Auburn, Maine.  This 3 cm wide example in feldspar to the right is back lit to show how deep colored and gemmy it is.  The following picture is another Strickland example without the back-lighting.