By GLYNIS HART
[email protected]
UNITY — South Acworth was once the main mining source of the most precious and dangerous mineral on earth. The mineral beryl can be found in igneous rocks called pegmatites. Depending on the trace impurities present beryl is known by many names, including emerald and aquamarines. According to local lapidary artist Jim Pecora, who gave a talk at Unity Town Hall Saturday on “The Secret Life of Beryl,” beryllium, a metal derived from beryl is the critical ingredient in nearly every device of the modern age.
Cell phones, fluorescent lights, airplanes, batteries, USB connections, atomic bombs, lasers and plastics all have traces of beryllium — the element extracted from beryl — granting them durability, flexibility and resistance to corrosion.
“Every time you’ve ever charged a battery,” said Pecora, popping a battery out of his laser pointer and indicating the metal piece that connects to the top of the battery, “you’ve touched it. This little springy piece is beryllium.”
Pecora grew up spending summers in Acworth, ground zero for beryl mining during the Cold War. “Alstead had the most mines, then Gilsum, Acworth, Marlow, Surry, and Keene,” he said.
The mines had the highest concentration of beryl in the world, and were heavily guarded during World War II because of their importance.
His mother and aunt were interested in the mines and what is found there, but women were excluded from going inside. Once the mines officially closed, the two women took their kids —including Pecora — exploring.
“I thought that’s what all kids did on weekends,” he laughed. “Go look at mines.”
However, it’s only in the last few years that he’s really gotten into the rock business. He retired from real estate and started the Mica Mine Schoolhouse, a rock museum that he’s currently seeking a new home for. A lot of the minerals in his collection come from his friend Dennis Maleski’s collection.
“Southwest New Hampshire is loaded with beryl,” said Pecora. “And Beryl Mountain had the highest concentration of it in the world.”
However, beryl/beryllium has a dark side, which is beryllium dust. Although the orthosilicate mineral beryl is perfectly safe to handle, beryllium dust, which is produced by grinding it, is deadly to inhale. For instance, airplane brakes have beryllium in them. The men on Navy ships who chock the wheels of aircraft and breathe in that dust will eventually die from it.
“Your breath is taken away slowly until you suffocate to death,” said Pecora. Flipping through his PowerPoint presentation, he finds the right pages: death from berylliosis is just a matter of time. Beryllium dust is a Category 1 carcinogen, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Beryllium was critical to the development of the atomic bomb. On the periodic table of elements, Beryllium (Be) is #4 after hydrogen (H), helium (He) and lithium (Li). However it is much, much rarer than the first three. Beryllium is used to cause the chain reaction in nuclear fission, as it releases more neutrons than it absorbs. It is also largely transparent to X-rays, so it’s used for the windows in X-ray equipment and particle detectors.
The U.S. government began stockpiling beryl around 1946, going from around 800 tons in ’46 to 4,497 tons the following year. One company, Brush Wellman, owned the Acworth mines. That company later became Materion, which is now the sole company developing beryllium under the U.S. government.
The focus of beryl mining shifted from New Hampshire to Maine after 1950. After the dangers of working with beryllium became apparent, all production stopped for five years. From 2000 to 2005, none was made in the United States. Beryl mining became obsolete, replaced by mining the mineral bertrandite. Although its concentration of beryllium is lower than what is found in beryl, bertandite is easier to mine. The primary source for it is Spor Mountain in the Thomas Range of Utah.
The highly automated plant in Utah that produces beryllium has fewer than 50 workers. Although bertrandite and beryl occur in Argentina, Brazil, India, Madagascar, Russia and the United States, only three countries currently produce beryllium: the U.S., China, and Kazakstan.
Nowadays, the empty mines on Beryl Mountain and in the surrounding hills are on private property, so if you want to see a nice sample of pretty blue-green beryl the best bet is to find the New England Mineral Museum, which is where Jim Pecora happens to be. It is presently sharing quarters with the LEAF Charter School in Alstead, but the school is growing the museum is now looking for a new home.
To contact him, email [email protected]
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.