R. L,. Packard — Variscite from Utah. 297 



Aet. XXVII. — Variscite from Utah; by K. L. Packard. 



In December, 1893, a specimen of a beautiful green mineral 

 was sent to Mr. Merrill, Curator of Geology in the U. S. 

 National Museum, for identification by Mr. F. T. Millis of 

 Lehi, Utah, who stated that it occurred in the form of "nug- 

 gets " in a quartz vein near Lewiston, Utah, some twenty miles 

 west of Lehi. Upon a cursory examination the mineral was 

 found to have the blowpipe characteristics of peganite, as 

 given by Dana, but as this species has not heretofore been re- 

 ported from the United States Mr. Merrill asked me to make 

 an analysis of it. The result showed that the composition is 

 the same as that of variscite, and is as follows : — 



H 2 22-95 



P„0 6 44-40 



Al 2 3 (by difference) 32-65 



The other analyses of variscite are given by Dana as fol- 

 lows : — 



Voightland. Arkansas. 



H 2 22-85 23-80 



P 2 5 ...44-05 44-35 



A1 2 3 .. '_. 31-25 31-85 



while the callainite described by Damour gave 



H„0 23'67 



P„0 5 42-58 



A1 2 3 29-57 



The mineral is compact or crypto-crystalline, and dull, not 

 resembling the usual form of variscite in these respects. It 

 flies to pieces before the blowpipe and turns a fine purple or 

 lavender color. This is a characteristic of peganite but Ches- 

 ter remarked it in the case of variscite from Arkansas.* With 

 cobalt it gives a blue color. The flame is tinged green by the 

 phosphoric acid. It is insoluble in acids before heating, but 

 afterwards dissolves readily in hot acids and alkalies. The 

 solution in acid gives no color when a platinum wire is dipped 

 in it and then held in the Bunsen flame. This solution gives 

 no reaction when H 2 S gas is allowed to pass through it for half 

 an hour or more and the precipitate with ammonia and sul- 

 phide of ammonium is perfectly white. No manganese or 

 chromium was detected by fusing portions of this precipitate 

 with sodium carbonate and with soda jc^ms chlorate of potassium 

 respectively. In the large specimen sent to the Museum, the 

 green mineral occurs in nodules separated from each other by 



*This Journal, vol. xiii, 18T7, p. 295. 



