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DAY 8:
Nunasarnaq point & Return to Tugtup agtakôrfia
Day 8 calls for
the group to visit a point at the end of a sliver of rock projecting
into Tunulliarfik fjord, along the easternmost edge of the
Ilímaussaq intrusion. Behind this point, which has a few protected
gravel beaches, rises a high, dark mountain, prominent in views
looking east up the fjord. There are rumors of fine aegirine and
arfvedsonite crystals here, and it will be new territory to hunt for fluorescent
minerals.
Landing on shore,
we are immediately met by clouds of black flies and mosquitoes.
This place is an equal to Kangerluarsuk for flying insects. Two
members of our group have an interest in the non-fluorescing species and
are content to explore in the sun, I look out across
the water to nearby Tugtup agtakôrfia and want out of here as
soon as possible. Howie has to catch a flight that afternoon and
Peter is set to take him farther up the fjord to Narsarsuaq, the
nearest airport, at midday. Maybe he can drop some of us off at
Tugtup? Yes.
Mark and I climb in the
boat with Howie and Peter and head across to Tugtup agtakôrfia, just
a 15 minute ride
away. We grab our gear, alight at Tugtup, and watch Peter turn the boat around
and take Howie, waving, off to Narsarsuaq to catch his flight.
We settle in at the spot
worked earlier in the week. I show Mark where the solid areas
are left from my previous work.
The white rock,
containing the tri-color fluorescent, is about 15 cm thick, and
stretches for a meter east, and two meters west. Towards the west
end its upper limit comes into contact with black lujavrite slabs
above. The minerals of interest to us are all in a 50 cm wide zone
roughly 2 meters from this upper contact
The sections we
want are enclosed in the white albitic vein rock, firmly attached to
an outcrop of naujaite behind. The vein’s back
contact appears the best place to pry loose the areas of interest;
chisels are set and sledges employed. While Mark works on the main
section, I inspect the westernmost extent of the vein, where it comes
into contact with overlying lujavrite, and find a clutch of very attractive
specimens of sodalite and blue-white fluorescing analcime.
Some
non-fluorescing analcime in large (to 4 cm)
brownish-white euhedra is found here as well.
Peter returns from taking Howie to the
airport but we wave him on, telling him to come back much
later—there's much work to do yet. The main section is still in
place. Mark works hard for several hours and I help as he takes breaks.
At last, the major
section of interest breaks away in two large chunks. I grab my
camera and quickly snap a photo.
The largest is almost
one meter
across. Although the fluorescent areas are dispersed, it contains a
pure central core.
The other major section
is 30 cm across, but
contains dense, purer material. An
additional basket of smaller specimens tumbles from the wall and we
gather them up, noting several contain small tugtupite crystals.
The larger rock also contains open vugs, several cm across, with
non-fluorescing albite crystals up to 1 cm long. A light rain
starts to fall. We gather up the remaining samples.
It is almost 6:00
p.m. when Peter reappears.
We carefully carry our precious rocks to his boat, hop in, and take
off for Narsaq. What a day.
Back at the Rock
Hut, Mark selects the
larger rock, and I keep the next largest. Unfortunately, a neighbor
in Narsaq later put his fingers into the “holes” of Mark’s large
rock and crushed the crystals; the specimen was ultimately broken up,
yielding a few smaller brightly fluorescing specimens.
I’ve retained mine
and today it remains the largest—and finest—recovered from this
unique locale.
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