286 HESS AND hunt: TRIPLITE from NEVADA 



An additional series of observations has been made during the 

 recent voyage of the Salem to Gibraltar and return. Here it was 

 found, in verification of the Colon experiments, that for distances 

 over 1400 miles the arc as received in the day time was equal to 

 or somewhat better than the spark, notwithstanding the fact that 

 the spark radiation current at Arlington was considerably more 

 than twdce as great as the corresponding arc current. Messages 

 were continuously received with both arc and spark in the day 

 time up to 2100 miles. Several times day signals were heard at 

 greater distances, the arc being uniformly louder. The night 

 signals were heard all the way to Gibraltar. 



MINERALOGY. — Triplite from eastern Nevada. Frank L. Hess 

 and W. F. Hunt.^ Communicated by F. L. Ransome. 



Triplite, a manganese fluophosphate of pale salmon color, was 

 found in specimens of tungsten ore sent by G. G. Sims from the 

 Reagan district in the Kern Range, White Pine County, Nevada, 

 to the United States Geological Survey. It occurs with wolfram- 

 ite (hiibnerite?), scheelite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, an argentiferous 

 sulfide of bismuth and lead, which is possibly cosalite, native 

 bismuth, and a little sericite. The triplite is in irregular masses, 

 the largest of which is less than an inch in diameter. 



The mineral association strongly suggests pegmatitic origin and 

 from its occurrence in other places the presence of triplite in a 

 vein wouM appear to indicate that the vein is either an end 

 product of differentiation in a pegmatite magma or was deposited 

 by magmatic waters. 



An analysis (by W. F. H.) gave only 1.68 per cent of FeO. 

 Previously published analyses of triplite from other localities have 

 shown from 7.69 to 41.42 per cent FeO, and the minerals have 

 been of much darker color. The formula for the Reagan mineral 

 approximates MnO.P2O5.MnF2. 



A more extended description will be later submitted for pub- 

 lication in the American Journal of Science. 



^Published by permission of the Director of the United States Geological 

 Survey. 



