Maybe I’m just morphologically challenged, but I found it a bit hard to believe that this is zircon (and, in fact, it was sold as the yellow variety of petarasite – which, in retrospect, is not a very good fit). However, EDS leaves no doubt. I’m not sure just what faces this tetragonal crystal is exhibiting, but from some angles it looks more like a garnet than a zircon.

Note: Reflections from internal flaws make it look as if the edges are abraded, but they are not - as will be clear under a scope (15-20X).

The first photo (FOV 3.7 x 2.6 mm) is a “top-down” view. In this view, the crystal spans 2.5 mm NW-SE. The longest edges are ca 1.5 mm. The small (ca 0.2 mm) deep red crystals are pyrochlore octahedral (but many of these are broken). The pyrochlore was also analytically confirmed via qualitative EDS. Which specific pyrochlore species is/are found at MSH has not yet been sorted out.

The second photo (FOV 4.1 x 3.5) is a broader view from the same angle.

The fourth photo (FOV 4.5 x 3.0 mm) is a side view

The fourth  photo (FOV 3.4 x 2.5 mm) is another side view from a different angle.

The next pair of photos is a close-up (FOV 1.5 x 1.3 mm) of some of the deep-red pyrochlore crystals. They are <= 0.25 mm in diameter. Some appear to be more complex than just simple octahedrons. 

Found ca 2004.

Single item shipping weight is 2.8 oz. Outside the USA, the stated postage and packing rate applies up to a total weight of 8 oz (225 g). 

Within the USA, there is a nominal increase of $0.20 for each additional ounce. Above 13 oz, I will use Priority Mail. Up to 16 oz, the “own box” Priority rate is $9.25 (including packing).