Collinsite (Collingsite) with Hydroxylapatite - François Lake, British Columbia, Canada

For those looking for uncommon and special Canadian minerals, here is a terrific and historical example. This sliced specimen contains collinsite hailing from its type locality at François Lake, British Columbia, Canada.

Although it has sometimes been spelled collingsite in the academic literature, it was named after Canadian geologist William Henry Collins in 1924. Often occurring in nodules with fellow phosphate, hydroxylapatite, the collinsite at François Lake is a metamorphosed guano (bat dung) deposit! Our specimen was provided to us by western Canadian mineral expert, Allan Ingelson. According to Allan, the specimen was collected in the 1950s.

The piece displays a distinctive combination of dark grey-brown and golden-brown mineralized layers, with fine parallel striations and an especially attractive, narrow band of undulating dark and light material. Its unusual mineral association, Canadian locality and documented connection to a collection dating back to the 1950s give it particular interest for collectors of historical and lesser-known mineral specimens.

Minerals: Collinsite (Collingsite), Hydroxylapatite
Locality: François Lake, Omineca Mining Division, British Columbia, Canada
Crystal System: Collingsite – Monoclinic; Hydroxylapatite – Hexagonal
Mineral Class: Phosphate
Provenance: Ex Allan Ingelson Collection, Collected by others in the 1950s
Dimensions: 8 × 5 × 4 cm