Mica+Mines

Emma, Ellie, and Analisa are doing this page.

Bangs Canyon is located south/southwest of Grand Junction, CO.
 * Bangs Canyon**

A side trail down Bangs Canyon leads to an old abandoned mica mine. There is a lot of quartz lying all over the ground and there is still mica embedded in the wall.

The word quartz comes from the German quarz. The quartz you will find there is mostly milky quartz, which can be found almost anywhere. It is the most common variety of crystalline quartz. It is a milky, cloudy white. The color may be caused by tiny fluid inclusions trapped inside during crystalization. Milky Quartz:  The word mica comes from the Latin word micare meaning: //to glitter//. Muscovite: Biotite: [] Both types of mica can be found in the Mica Mines, but Muscovite is most commonly found. Muscovite can be referred to as common mica, potash mica, or isinglass. It is the most common member of the mica group. It is usually colorless, or silvery-white, but it can also be brown, light grey, pale green, or rose red. It is an extremely common rock forming mineral and can be found in metamorphic rocks, granites, and in veins and pegmatites.
 * Mica Mines**

Both types of mica are from the silicates and phyllosilicates groups. Both have a moniclinic crystal system, proving them to be very similar, but even so they have obvious differences.

Biotite wasn't named until 1847 after the French physicist Jean Biot. Biot studied the optical properties of all types of mica.

Biotite is commonly called black mica. It is widespread and common in both igneous and metamorphic rocks. The colors in biotite are commonly dark, including blacks and browns. Even so, you could find a pale yellow, tan, or bronze colored biotite. Both biotite and muscovite are considered to have a transparency that can range from transparent to translucent.

My group and I took a trip to Bangs Canyon and hiked the Mica Mine and also the side canyon Rough Canyon. We took notes, pictures, and samples of the rocks, minerals, and plant life.