Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Sphalerite vs. Anorthite
Both zinc ore Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar Anorthite have perfect cleavage that will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes!
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Topaz from
Strickland Quarry, Strickland pegmatite, Collins Hill, Portland, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA


Locality type:Quarry
Classification
Species:Topaz
Formula:Al2(SiO4)(F,OH)2
Comments:At least one recognizable crystal about 5 cm long was collected by Richard Schooner. Confirmed by Bruce Jarnot, Anthony Albini, and Harold Moritz. Schooner (1958) states that: "There have been reports of topaz...but most evidently refer to the gem quality citrine quartz (the 'topaz' of commerce) which was produced many years ago. Nevertheless, John Tweedy, former operator of the locality, told the author that his company geologist had identified the mineral there in 1953." Later, in Schooner (circa 1985) he says: "Topaz was supposedly verified from the Strickland quarry, at Yale University, a decade ago. It must be quite rare."
Colour:white
Quality for species:Poor for species, only of interest for locality collectors. (#)
Abundance at site:Very Rare
Confirmation
Validity:Confirmed
Confirmation Methods:Visually Identified
Data
Mineral Data:Click here to view Topaz data
Locality Data:Click here to view Strickland Quarry, Strickland pegmatite, Collins Hill, Portland, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA
Data Identifiers
Mindat Occurrence Record ID:96249
Long-form Identifier:1:3:96249:0
GUID (UUID V4):0
Nearest other occurrences of Topaz
3.0km (1.8 miles) ⓘWalden Gem Quarry, Portland, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA
4.3km (2.7 miles) ⓘWhite Rocks Quarry (Consolidated Quarry), White Rock Mining District, Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA
6.8km (4.2 miles) ⓘTollgate Quarry (Tollgate Mine; Bidwell Quarry; China-stone Quarry), Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA
13.0km (8.1 miles) ⓘGillette Quarry (J-J Mine; Haddam Neck Quarry), Haddam Neck, Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA
16.9km (10.5 miles) ⓘHewitt Gem Quarry (Herb's Gem Quarry; Sawmill Quarry), Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA
17.3km (10.7 miles) ⓘLong Hill prospects (Turkey Hill prospects), Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA
33.8km (21.0 miles) ⓘWillimantic, Windham, Windham County, Connecticut, USA
61.7km (38.3 miles) ⓘPorter Hill Road roadcut, Long Hill, Trumbull, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA
62.3km (38.7 miles) ⓘCorporate Drive road cut, Long Hill, Trumbull, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA
62.3km (38.7 miles) ⓘCorporate Drive, Long Hill, Trumbull, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA
References
Ralph Lieser of Pappy’s Beryl Shop, East Hampton
and Howard Pate of Fluorescent House, Branford, Connecticut.
Schooner, Richard. (circa 1985), Untitled manuscript on central Connecticut mineralogy.
Schooner, Richard. (1958): The Mineralogy of the Portland-East Hampton-Middletown-Haddam Area in Connecticut (With a few notes on Glastonbury and Marlborough). Published by Richard Schooner
 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 3, 2026 10:05:02
Go to top of page