Collecting Ribbon Barite around Quartzsite Arizona

cut ribbon barite from arizona

A favorite place of mine to visit has been the barite deposits West of Bouse Arizona, referred to as the Burro Barite Deposits.
This network of shafts and inclines can be 100% avoided, but the colorful chunks of Barite, Quartz, Hematite and Fluorite sure can hop into your bag!

We will show you a map to a great big deposit of ribbon barite you can collect, if you are in the Quartzsite, Parker, Bouse or Wickenburg Arizona area, but first, lets learn a little bit about Barite.

cut ribbon barite from arizona

This is a sample of the typical barite found at the Plomosa Road Barite Ridge deposit.

Barite, also known as baryte (for those of the English persuasion), is a mineral composed of barium sulfate (BaSO4). It is a dense, white or colorless mineral with a Mohs hardness of 3-3.5, which means it is relatively soft. Barite occurs in a variety of forms, including tabular, prismatic, and fibrous, and it may have a wide range of colors depending on impurities present in the mineral, such as blue, brown, gray, or red.

Barite is found in a variety of geological environments, including sedimentary rocks, hydrothermal veins, and as gangue mineral in metallic ores. The largest deposits of barite are found in China, India, and the United States. Other significant deposits can be found in countries such as Morocco, Turkey, Canada, and Mexico.

Barite has many uses, primarily in the oil and gas industry as a weighting agent in drilling muds. It is also used as a filler in the manufacture of paints, rubber, and plastics, as well as a component in the production of paper and ceramics. Barite is also used as a flux in glassmaking and as a radiation shielding material in medical and scientific applications.

Barite is generally considered to be non-toxic, but it can be harmful if ingested or inhaled in large quantities. Therefore, proper handling and disposal procedures should be followed when working with this mineral.

Barite is an interesting and versatile mineral that has many characteristics that make it a great addition to any mineral collection. Here are some reasons why barite is a good mineral to collect:

Firstly, barite crystals have a unique and striking appearance. They can come in a variety of colors, including clear, white, yellow, blue, and pink, and can have a variety of crystal habits, including tabular, prismatic, and fibrous. This means that barite crystals can be both beautiful and diverse in appearance, making them an excellent mineral to collect for aesthetic purposes.

Secondly, barite is a widespread mineral found in many geological environments, which means it can be relatively easy to acquire specimens for your collection. The largest deposits of barite are found in China, India, and the United States, and there are many other significant deposits around the world. This means that collectors have the opportunity to obtain specimens from a variety of locations, adding to the diversity of their collection.

Thirdly, barite has many uses in industry and science, which means it can be an interesting and informative mineral to collect. Barite is used in the oil and gas industry as a weighting agent in drilling muds, and as a flux in glassmaking. It is also used as a radiation shielding material in medical and scientific applications. Knowing about these applications and the properties of barite can add to the educational value of a mineral collection.

Overall, barite’s unique appearance, widespread distribution, and versatile uses make it a great mineral to collect.


Minerals, Fossils, and Fluorescents of Arizona Book Cover
Minerals, Fossils, and Fluorescents of Arizona
by Neil R. Bearce

This book sets the standard for field guides everywhere. Amazing, full of great locations! A MUST own for Arizona field collectors, or those living in nearby states!
EBAY
  AMAZON


Minerals of Arizona: A Field Guide for Collectors Book Cover
Minerals of Arizona: A Field Guide for Collectors
by Neil R. Bearce

This is the first guide, of the two shown here. good idea to grab both
EBAY
  AMAZON

Now, you can find your very own Barite from lots of places in the world, but for this fun banded material, you’ll be going to hop onto Plomosa Road just north of Quartzsite and drive 12.2 miles to reach the gravel road to the northwest. Hop off the paved road and turn onto it, then turn left into the wash. You can explore all around that ridge that protrudes out of the wash. It runs for just about 2000 feet.

Years ago a video was made of this location, showing you the area. The audio was done by Rick Kennedy of Earth’s Treasures, in case you were wondering who’s sexy vocals those were.

Quartz Crystal Locality – Lehighton, PA

Quartz Crystal from Lehighton PA

Overview: A deserted quarrying area on the south side of SR 443 has recently become known as a site to find abundant small quartz crystals. I decided to visit it myself recently (June 2020) and I very quickly was able to open several pockets of quartz. It’s a great spot to learn how to find and collect quartz in Pennsylvania and is far less traveled than the Echo Pit in McAdoo. 

Map of a deserted quarrying area

Dropped pin showing the area where quartz crystals can be found.

Getting There: This location is located behind the Pizza Hut on SR 443 in Lehighton. Access is uncertain but it is not posted and I was not bothered for the two hours I spent there. Park at the Pizza Hut and walk through the grass to the location. There is a lower level and a higher level, both with quartz. The lower level is better for working veins in the rock while the higher is where you can ground score small crystals and plates.

Supplies: Crack Hammer, Flat Chisel, Wedges, Prybar, Wrapping Material, Water.

Geology and Collecting: This locality is hosted in the Devonian age Marcellus formation, a black shale. Quartz formed in hydrothermal veins that shoot through the shale. Fossils are rare at this site, but they are common nearby. This shale has good cleavage and breaks nicely with a chisel.

Exposed quartz veins in mud

Chasing a quartz crystal vein into the rock.

Exposed quartz veins in mud

Notice the white bits of quartz stuck in brown mud.

I managed to locate a quartz vein on the cliff face in the lower level of the quarry. These veins won’t look bright white, but are often filled with a little brown sticky pocket mud which covers the crystals making them hard to see. Follow the scraps of quartz stuck to the wall down to where it leads into the rock. Use a flat chisel and prybar to remove the shale surrounding the vein. The quartz crystals won’t look all bright and sparkly until you wash them off later.

Crystals at this locality are typically not large, but they are abundant. I did find one crystal slightly over an inch, but 95% of them are under one half inch long. They are colorless, often quite clear and have a very typical quartz form. I have not seen any inclusions or found any quartz with color at this location.

Quartz Crystal from Lehighton PA

A large crystal from a vein in the front, lower portion of the locality right after extraction.

Lehighton-PA-Cluster

A quartz cluster after extraction.

Conclusion: This is a great, low key spot for beginners looking to find their own quartz crystals. Not only is it close to the car and very easy to get to, it provides an opportunity to either work the hard rock or chill out and groundscore. For the more advanced collector, there is definitely potential for some larger, higher quality quartz in the area. Perhaps if a lot of effort was put into this site, something could open up. I have also found other quartz veins nearby. Who knows what’s really out there. Maybe something fantastic!

 

Article By: Jeremy Zolan – Instagram @Leaverite_Tycoon

Collect World Class Fluorite at the Walworth Quarry Open House in New York

Overview: The Walworth Quarry, in Walworth, NY is a world famous locality for exceptionally clear, perfect fluorites. Once a year, the quarry owner, Dolomite Products, has an open house where they give collectors the unique privilege to dig in their quarry for world class mineral specimens.

This quarry dig is my personal favorite out of the two offered. Although the dolostone rock is extremely hard to break, fluorite and other highly collectable minerals are very abundant in this quarry. I would say it would be difficult to not find any fluorite. Sometimes it is so incredibly clear, that it can be hard to spot. Your eyes have to get used to searching for it, but once they do you will spot them all over the place.There are definitely enough to go around. This is an amazing trip I highly recommend to anyone in the Northeast who wants to find crystals.

Amazing fluorites found by the writer’s collecting partner Alexander Kim at previous Walworth open houses (Check him out on Instagram: @dirty_minerals).

Many other beautiful minerals are found at this quarry, the most notable being gorgeous golden sphalerites. Sometimes there will be droplets of tar like petroleum coating specimens. The petroleum can be removed with a organic solvent, but I think sometimes it really is aesthetically complimentary.

Two specimens found by the author: 1) A floater golden sphalerite crystal that was rolling around freely in a pocket with a few others that were attached to the walls. 2) A peculiar fluorite with an elongated hair like pyrite inclusion, complimented by a big shiny droplet of petroleum coating the dolostone.

Geology and Collecting: The Walworth Quarry works a stromatolite bearing Silurian dolostone. The mineralization occurs in a layer close to the surface of the bedrock in the high bench of the quarry. Like with the formation of Herkimer diamonds, the stromatolites provided space and protection for crystals to form in vugs.

The mineralogy of the locality is fairly simple with the only collectible minerals present in abundance being fluorite, dolomite, calcite, sphalerite, celestine, and gypsum var. selenite.

Before you Visit: The quarry does not have an official page for the open house, but usually it takes place on the second weekend of October. Arrive at the quarry early- 6:45 AM to register for the dig. Hard Hat and protective gear required for this location. Check local Northeast mineral club pages for more info.

Show up to the quarry to register for the dig at 6:45AM. Once registered, the rules will be explained and you will be lead to the site. The dig ends at noon. This rock works similarly to the dolostone to the east in which Herkimer diamonds are mined, meaning it is extremely hard. Bring a crack hammer, chisels, wedges, and a sledgehammer. Use flat chisels or wedges to work the cracks in rocks. Power tools are welcome at this quarry.

The best technique for splitting large boulders is feathering and wedging using a hammer drill to drill holes for wedges. A gas rock saw is also an extremely useful tool for extracting difficult specimens by slicing them out of the rock.

PPE is required on this dig. Bring a hard hat, steel toed boots, safety goggles, and gloves. The former three are a requirement. Remember also to bring plenty of water as well as snacks. There are restrooms on site but it is far away, near the entrance.

Special Thanks to The Dolomite Group for allowing the special privilege of mineral collecting in their quarries.

Sources:

https://www.mindat.org/loc-18146.html

http://fredmhaynes.com/2016/10/14/walworth-quarry-open-house/

Beryl and Pegmatite Minerals at the Simpson Quarry, South Glastonbury, CT

Overview: One of many abandoned feldspar prospects in Central CT, this particular location has been a popular beryl collecting site for several decades. This location is one of the most visited pegmatites in Connecticut if not all of New England and is somewhat of a local classic for beryl.

Large, sharp blue aquamarine beryls have been found both in the dumps and in solid pegmatite at this location. A variety of other minerals can be found at this site as well, including some rare species.

Conneticut Beryl Aquamarine Crystal

37mm tall beryl dug in 2009 by CT field collector Adam Berluti

Radioactive Mineral Torbernite found in Conneticut

2cm tall specimen covered with minute green Torbernite crystals. Roger Sedgwick collection. (Source: https://www.mindat.org/photo-494986.html)

This is one of the first sites many collectors in CT visit, and it is not hard to find something worth bringing home. The collecting status of this location is unclear (and with all sites featured on this website, you are responsible for obtaining permission and checking current property ownership), and as of early 2021 it remains unposted and is still frequented by diggers in the area.

Quarry dumps at the Simpson. Dig through these dumps to find nice aquamarine beryl crystals as well as many other pegmatite minerals like almandine garnet, schorl, torbernite, and columbite. (Source: https://www.mindat.org/photo-123808.html. Image copyright 2004 Peter Cristofono)

Quarry dumps with foliage down. Taken April 2nd 2011 by Matthew Kimball. (Source: https://www.mindat.org/photo-390478.html)

Getting there: This mine is easy to get to. Park at the end of Michele Drive in Portland, CT. You will see a small path through the woods to your left. Follow the path until you see the very obvious big quarry dumps approximately where the pin in the photo is. You will have to cross some swampy areas. The location is approximately a quarter of a mile northeast from where you park. A word of caution, the collecting status of the location is not officially known. Many people dig here though it may be private property. The locality has been frequented by collectors on a near daily basis for decades.

Location of the Simpson Quarry, and location of beryl crystals.

Collecting: There are two main approaches to digging this spot- dump digging and hard rock mining. At minimum you will want to bring a shovel, crack hammer and chisels to the location but other tools that may be useful are hand rakes, a sledgehammer, sifters, small bags, and a UV light. Many rare minerals are found at this site, some of which, autunite and hyalite, are highly fluorescent. The mosquitoes get terrible at this spot in the summer, be prepared with lots of bug spray. Pegmatite is an extremely hard rock and will take persistence to break. The mica and quartz can be extremely sharp so wearing gloves is a good idea. Do not get discouraged if you have a difficult time working the hard rock. Digging pegmatite takes immense skill and practice. It is something that experienced New England diggers take years to hone.

A large 6mm microlite dug at Simpson by Andrew Kruegel. A unique feature about this pegmatite is the abundance of this rare tantalum mineral. This example shows the typical form and color. A loupe can help you spot these more easily. (Source: https://www.mindat.org/photo-525514.html)

Geology and Mineralogy: This locality is very similar to the other Paleozoic pegmatite in CT. It is linear in shape and not very pocket rich. This pegmatite also contains a great deal of heavier rare elements. Collectors often visit this site only interested in beryl, but perhaps more notable to the mineralogist is the abundant microlite found in sugary albite. Microlite contains the rare element Tantalum. These microlite occur in brown modified octahedral crystals. If you are interested in them, familiarize yourself with them on mindat.org. Microlite is often somewhat radioactive and will produce a radiation halo, which is a good way to spot them.

Sources:

https://www.mindat.org/loc-29587.html

Sea Cliff Zeolites at Oceanside, Tillamook County, Oregon – A Zeolite Tutorial

Volcanic Basalt Lava is found all over the world. Often the host for beautiful minerals and crystals of quartz, calcite, agate and a host of zeolite minerals. The Amethyst deposits of Southern Brazil/Uruguay are considered the best quartz in basalt find, as are the fine Zeolite deposits of Southern India. Before India, many places were considered to be the world’s best zeolite deposits, like Scotland or Iceland.

It just goes to show, deposits of minerals in basalt rock deposits are well worth searching out in your local area. Consider the volcanic basalts of Oregon/Washington. Beautiful examples of rare and exotic minerals were once only known from these basalts, including, shockingly to some collectors, Cavansite!

Small Cavansite crystals on matrix from the type locality in Oregon

Specimen of Cavansite from the first place it was found, in Oregon. Zeolite deposits found in volcanic deposits are well worth inspecting for rockhounding possibilities!

Found in volcanic lava that has interacted with water, zeolites are beautiful minerals which are found in a huge diversity of different appearances. They are known to form where enormous volcanic events have occurred in the ancient past when lava flows into a body of water.

The lava instantly chills, creating a unique bubbly, rounded texture called pillow basalt where within spaces between the rounded “pillows” grow delicate crystals of zeolites as steam chemically leaches the basalts and forms new minerals.

Steam may rise through the molten lava as well, where the rock may solidify before it escapes. This type of rock is called a vesicular basalt. Many minerals tend to form in the “bubbles” or vesicles in this type of rock.

Pillow Basalt that zeolites are found in

A recently formed pillow basalt at the Galapagos Rift versus an ancient pillow basalt in the Bonin Islands, Japan. Zeolite minerals are found between the “lobes” of the lava.
A vesicular basalt boulder. The holes are known as vesicles and represent where rising gasses got trapped in the rock. Minerals often form in these vesicles.)

The Cape Lookout area is the remains of a volcanic island that emerged in the Miocene period, about 16 million years ago. Cracks in the earth formed, releasing lava into the sea which cooled on contact with the water, forming pillow basalts and bubbly vesicular basalts which further altered to form zeolite minerals in the pores.

Many rare zeolites are found here, not the ones you would typically see in the large, flashy specimens from India many collectors love, but equally as beautiful if you can appreciate tiny things. Minerals you may encounter are erionite, mordenite, clinoptilolite, and dachiardite. Often these are found with calcite and clay minerals, the latter can give specimens some nice color and visual depth.

Specimens from this area are typically small, but absolutely stunning especially under magnification. A good, readily available microscope to view your microminerals with is the Dino-Lite, which you can attach to your computer via USB.

A Dino-Lite digital microscope.

On this page, our focus is on two collecting sites you can visit, though exploring the beach may yield many more discoveries. Keep an eye out for sprays and nodules of zeolite minerals in the rock, much of which occurs in vesicular basalt, which looks like Swiss cheese.

The first area is Short Beach. There should be a stairway near a creek where you can access the rocky beach below. Here you will find boulders of vesicular basalt that you can break up to yield minerals in the vesicles.
Bring a pocket lens or loupe with you so you can more easily see minerals in the vesicles. They will be somewhat obvious, appearing as white puffballs and sprays, but some may be more hidden.

There is said to be better collecting even still at Tunnel Beach, down the road to the south.

North of the tunnel, you will see pillow basalt cliffs. Formed as lava was ejected into the sea, these cliffs and the surrounding boulders are rich in zeolites and offer some of the best collecting in the area. Use the tunnel to access the beach.

Minerals: These localities are heaven especially to the micro-mount collector. Some beautiful photos of material from the surrounding area are on Mindat (these are copyrighted and we don’t care to hotlink, just click the links for some great photos).

Embed:
https://www.mindat.org/photo-750805.html
Caption: Found by Rudy Tschernich, famous PNW zeolite collector. 14 mm FOV Golden erionite hemispheres on a white backdrop, looking like a fried egg with a broken yolk
https://www.mindat.org/photo-750632.html
Tiny, bushlike mordenite in a tiny vesicle from Tunnel Beach. Found by Rudy Tschernich
https://www.mindat.org/photo-257230.html
About a 1 inch wide plate of green gray clinoptilolite on mordenite from Short Beach, collected by Bill Tompkins
https://www.mindat.org/photo-751603.html
Tiny, about 2.5mm vesicle of delicate golden erionite sprays. Found by Rudy Tschernich

Collecting Zeolites: To do the best job you can collecting these delicate specimens, you will need to be prepared to break the hard basalt rock. Use a heavy crack hammer and a chisel to smash the boulders open, revealing fresh material. Zeolites are extremely delicate and the freshest, nicest ones will be found unexposed inside the rocks.

As said above, loupe or hand lens will help you see what’s going on inside the tiny vesicles a lot better. Some of the most beautiful specimens from this location are extremely tiny so you may miss them without a lens.

Remember to wrap your specimens very carefully. Many of these specimens are extremely delicate to the point that even blowing on them may damage them. Do not wash anything very velvety, hairy, or puffy or even moisture can mat and destroy the crystals.

You will have to time your collecting with the tides at these locations. Be aware of the tides and weather conditions before you go to the beach and collect.

More Info:
https://www.mindat.org/loc-210854.html
https://www.mindat.org/loc-205422.html
https://www.netartsbaytoday.org/html/zeolites_of_oceanside.html

And, if the Cavansite deposit sends your imagination wild, check out this article:
https://www.mindat.org/article.php/964/Field+Trip+to+Cavansite+Type+Locaility

Digging Native Ruby and Sapphire at the Cherokee Mine in North Carolina – Pay to Dig

Red Ruby Crystal from the Cherokee Mine

A beautiful red ruby straight from the Cherokee Mine.

Digging your own precious native gemstone may sound too good to be true to a lot of folks. Many of the sluice mines in the Southeast “salt” their material, meaning they enrich it with stones from all over the world and this can be disappointing when you expected to find something right from the ground beneath your feet. The Cherokee Mine in Macon County, North Carolina offers awesome ruby and sapphire sluicing from 100% local, unsalted material right from their mine!

Though ruby, sapphire, and corundum in general are the focus, other minerals namely red rhodolite garnet, blue-white kyanite, and metallic red brown rutile can be found with them too. This material is alluvial, meaning these crystals weathered out of metamorphic rock and tumbled around for thousands of years until they arrived at the mine, so given this, the ore is in the form of soil that contains the weathered-out gemstones. It is up to you to screen through the material and identify what is a gem, and what isn’t… but the kind staff is more than willing to help you!

While at the time this is published, Feburary 2021, the mine is closed for winter and the Covid Pandemic, however, we are all looking forward to a re-opening of this location, hopefully, in summer 2021, if life works out well.

Check out Bryan Major digging at the Cherokee Mine video below to get an idea of what the experience there is like!

The Cherokee Mine is a fee dig site, meaning you pay to dig their material, but they supply a lot of the equipment you need to go through the gravel!
From their website:

$20.00/Per Person – Includes One (1) Pre-Filled Bucket of our 100% Unsalted Gem Ore. ( * See below for explanation of this change)
Age 5 and under: Free Admission with an accompanying paid miner (no mining screen or bucket of gem ore provided – Li’l Miners get to “assist” an older accompanying miner).
Only paid miners are permitted to sit on the flume line, other than Li’l Miners as noted above.  Other non-mining members of a group are welcome to enjoy our picnic area and lawnchairs.
Do not take Coon Creek Road.

Group Rate (20 people or more): $5.00 discount Per Person

Includes One (1) Pre-Filled Buckets of our 100% Unsalted Gem Ore.

Active U.S. Military and U.S. Military Veterans: $5.00 Admission Discount
(Military ID Card is Required Upon Admission)
One discount per customer. Discounts cannot be combined, conjoined, transferred, conferred, or multiplied.
$5.00 per additional bucket of our 100% Unsalted Gem Ore.
CASH ONLY.

Open May through October
Monday-Saturday: 9am to 4pm*
Sunday: Noon to 5pm*
*Weather Permitting
At the mine, you will be shown specimens of the gemstones so you know what to look for before they let you loose. Then they will provide you with a bucket of material to bring to the flume. The flume is a channel of running water used to clean the dirt off your gemstones, which you screen in it and carefully examine to sort the gems from the leaverites. They provide the screen.
Keep in mind that some of the gemstones might be extremely tiny or obscured by surface coatings. You might want to bring a magnifying device, tweezers, and plastic bags so you can extract tiny finds and save them in a place you won’t lose them. Mining can be tough on the hands so you might want gloves too. Bring sunscreen, water, bug spray, and food. Be prepared!
Directions:
For BEST results, FIRST please enter address of “4433 Bryson City Road” THEN enter address of “2586 Ruby Mine Road, Franklin NC 28734”. Any directions which state “Take Coon Creek Road” or “Flowers Gap Road” are INCORRECT! That will force you to turn back and start over.
4433 Bryson City Road is the intersection of Sanderstown Road and Bryson City Road (also known as Route 28). From that point you will proceed north to Cowee Creek Road, which is just after the Cowee Baptist Church, where you bear right. At the next intersection (1-1/2 miles), keep right at the “COWEE VALLEY” sign and the mine will be 2-1/2 miles on the left.
DO NOT TAKE COON CREEK ROAD or FLOWERS GAP ROAD.
DO NOT TAKE COON CREEK ROAD or FLOWERS GAP ROAD.
DO NOT TAKE COON CREEK ROAD or FLOWERS GAP ROAD.
DO NOT TAKE COON CREEK ROAD or FLOWERS GAP ROAD.

ADDITIONALLY:  It has been brought to our attention that the evil GPS will also try and lead you astray from the paths of righteous gem hunting, and try to tell you to turn onto RUBY KNOLL LANE, or onto GEMSTONE LANE.
IGNORE YOUR GPS IF THIS HAPPENS.  Please stay on Ruby Mine Road until you reach the Cherokee Mine.  Modern Technology is wonderful – especially when it works properly

See their website if you need more info.

Fluorescence of Ruby:
Ruby glows when exposed to green or blue laser light or UV light. It will fluoresce a brilliant, easy to notice orange color when exposed to the light. Keeping a laser pointer or pocket LED UV light can help you determine if you have a true ruby if you think you’ve found one. Take a look at this video where a green laser pointer is used to differentiate a natural ruby from a fake one:

The natural ruby on the right gives off a blinding orangey fluorescence. The rubies in your screen will do this too. It is due to the presence of chromium in the rubies and the ability for that element’s electrons to get excited and emit photons when they are exposed to the upper parts of the visible light spectra and the UV.
It is a good idea to buy a cheap green laser pointer or a tiny UV light to bring with you to this mine.
UV lights used to be expensive, but the prices have dramatically come down. Look at this great deal on Amazon for some pocket UV LED flashlights. This would be a great thing to bring to this mine.

The Cherokee Mine offers some of the fines, unsalted alluvial gem mining in the US. If you live in North Carolina or planning on travelling there, this is one of the finest places you can visit for gemstone flume mining. Few mines offer ore of high enough quality to catch the interest of locals if they didn’t salt it. For just $20.00 and a fee of $5.00 per extra bucket of ore, this is a great deal for the rockhound, gemstone, or lapidary enthusiast.

Smoky Quartz and Granite Pocket Minerals- Marathon County, Wisconsin

Rotten Granite in Wisconsin

By Jeremy Zolan – follow him on Instagram Leaverite_Tycoon

Overview: Specimens of smoky quartz forming in granite are commonly seen from Colorado, California, Montana, or New Hampshire and not associated with Wisconsin! Surprisingly, there have been quite a few nice specimens of smoky quartz and feldspar found in Wausau County, approximately around the Rib Mountain area. Known mostly among locals, this area hasn’t gained much popularity among collectors, but has the potential for many future great finds.

9 cm smoky quartz from wisconson

Smoky quartz from the Nine Mile Pluton in Wausau County, Wisconsin. 9cm field of view! Photo by Al Falster : https://wgnhs.wisc.edu/minerals/quartz/


Aquamarine Crystal from Wisconsin

A beautiful, gemmy beryl from the Nine Mile Pluton in Wausau County, Wisconsin. Tiny crystal. 2cm field of view. https://wgnhs.wisc.edu/minerals/beryl/

Prospecting: Even though most of the locations that yielded the specimens above are likely private, there are probably plenty of other areas one could find to dig crystals since specimens are recorded as coming from a variety of spots within the area. See Mindat for more info: https://www.mindat.org/loc-24286.html

Locations in Marathon County for Minerals

Localities in Marathon County recorded to mindat.org

Viewing the image above, one can see there is a huge amount of localities in this area. Looking at the mineral list and description on Mindat, the location is known for extremely old rocks and nice exposures of them- “ Marathon County displays some of the best outcrops of Precambrian rock in the state. Many of the rock occurrences are of interest to the mineral enthusiast.”
Many of the ancient intrusions that blasted through the complex igneous and metamorphic country rock are of unusual compositions. Additionally, they are extremely weathered and “rotten” meaning they are very easy to dig through.
Granite when unweathered tends to be one of the most difficult rocks to work, and hard rock mining it is a laborious task. Due to the fact that that the granite has been decomposed to the point where it falls apart means no hammer or chisel would be needed to dig them. Perhaps just a shovel or pickaxe!

Rotten Granite in Wisconsin

Notice how this granite is just falling apart into pebbles. At this particulat quarry, the Beilke Quarry, a variety of minerals were found including Microcline, Smoky Quartz, and Phenakite. This location is private and reclaimed.

It seems like the rotten granite occurs around Wausau. I would try to find some sort of public land you could freely prospect, or contact someone with interesting rotten granite or an abandoned quarry on their land. Crystals may be loose in the dirt, or may be clustered up and held together with clay within the weathered granite. Minerals found in the boulders are also reported. Weathering and alteration often left “cores” of more resistant rock.
This granite is “miarolitic” meaning as it rose when it was injected into the continent, gases dissolved within it bubbled out as it depressurized. These bubbles often were trapped in the solidifying rock before they could diffuse, and crystals grew inside as the rock cooled and vapors interacted with quartz, feldspars, and micas.

The premier location in the area appears to be the Bielke Quarry in Wausau, which unfortunately is reclaimed and off limits, but yielded beautiful specimens of amazonite that are of notable quality for the US. See: https://www.mindat.org/gallery.php?loc=24286&min=2704

Rib Mountain, contained within Rib Mountain State Park may be a good area to start learning about the local geology. Mineral collecting is likely not allowed in the park, but one could look around for crystals to understand the geology, but leave them be. Crystals have been reported as coming from Rib Mountain, so searching for pockets in granitic rocks exposed there may be a good place to understanding how to find them where you could regularly dig for them.

Quartz Crystal from Rib Mountain

Searching around, I found a local talk about finding a large pocket of fine smoky quartz in his back yard. Props to this guy for having some nice collecting he can do so easily!

Quartz Crystal found in Wisconsin

As you can see, a gorgeous smoky. Check his other Wisconsin minerals out here! http://huntforgems.com/minerals/wi.html
He states he found 32 crystals so far and they were embedded in a red clay. Interesting to note what he found them in.
Tools: Unlike some miarolitic granites which are very hard, these Wisconsin granites are often weathered to the point where you would expect to use a shovel, pickaxe, or hoe to move material. Use a screwdriver, chopstick, or bamboo skewer as a probe when you see anything that looks like a pocket. Wooden pocket tools are the safest for removing the crystals undamaged.
Unweathered granite is present in Marathon County too, and this can be mineralized. For this kind of rock, crack hammers, chisels, wedges, and prybars are likely your tools of choice.
There are a diverse array of minerals in this area of Wisconsin, so you will need to be creative and adaptable.

Conclusion: Considering the abundance of specimens of Smoky Quartz and Feldspar from Colorado, other locations with the same kinds of minerals are frequently overlooked. This example of such an overlooked area with similar mineralization deserves more attention, as it seems to be slipping into obscurity. This article serves as a guide to get the mental juices flowing, to help perhaps inspire a collector to make an exciting, beautiful find in this area.

Smoky Quartz Crystal Digging- Moat Mountain, White Mountain Nat’l Forest, New Hampshire

Scepter Smoky Quartz from New Hampshire

Welcome to Moat Mountain! Here is beautiful example of the typical smoky quartz and microcline combo found at this locality.

For more info and directions, Nat’l Forest Service page: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5382896.pdf

Background:
The iconic New Hampshire locality, Moat Mountain has been popular for its gorgeous smoky quartz and microcline specimens for decades. New Hampshire is known as “The Granite State” so it is fitting that specimens at its signature locality occur in a granite. In many ways, these specimens bear resemblance to other granitic quartz and feldspars from throughout the US, such as those from Colorado and Montana. The association of smoky quartz and feldspar is very typical in a miarolitic granite. More about how exactly these crystals form later.
One of the few if only free, open to the public dig sites in New England where pocket smoky quartz crystals can be found, this location is maintained by the National Parks Service and is accessible from mid spring to early autumn. The severe winter weather in the area makes collecting during that time impossible. Nearly the entire mountain has various mineral locations for smoky quartz, amethyst, microcline, and fluorite, but please respect where the parks service allows and doesn’t allow digging.

Geology and Minerals:
This locality occurs in miarolitic granite and these crystals are over 200 million years old. The minerals at this location formed at the contact between the Conway granite and the Moat Mountain volcanics. These volcanic rocks were part of a very active ancient volcano. As they rose and depressurized, gasses escaping from them were trapped by the surrounding Conway granite, forming the smoky quartz, microcline, and other minerals. The chemistry of the gasses was pretty simple, but enriched in fluorine which gave rise to some of the rarer, highly collectible minerals at the site.

Minerals:
Smoky Quartz: Commonly found in miarolitic pockets. Gemmy, very lustrous smoky quartzes are abundant. Usually they are an inch or less, but crystals to over a foot have been found. Some of the Moat Mountain pockets have been massive. It is still possible to find large pockets here, but it requires a lot of both work and luck.

Scepter Smoky Quartz from New Hampshire

Some fantastic examples on Mindat of smokies collected at Moat. Note the red mud on the freshly pulled piece. These gorgeous specimens are proof good finds at Moat can still be made.


Fine Smoky Quartz Crystal from the Granite of New Hampshire

Microcline: Blocky crystals of microcline provide the matrix for many smoky specimens. They represent the walls of the miarolitic cavities. Often overlooked, these microclines make fine specimens on their own. Beautiful blue green amazonite and Baveno twinned crystals have been found on occasion.

Old school specimen of smoky and amazonite from Moat Mountain

Topaz and Fluorite: The ultimate Moat Mountain specimen is a fine topaz, however this mineral is extremely rare here. When found, it is known to produce gorgeous gem quality champagne, pale blue, or colorless crystals that are sometimes slightly etched. Specimens can exceed five centimeters.
Fluorite crystals to several centimeters in diameter have been found on Moat Mountain. Also a rarity, they are quite sought after. Fluorite is a fragile, sensitive mineral so it often weathers away if it is at all present in a pocket. It occurs primarily in green, blue, and purple at this locality and can form cubic or octahedral crystals.

Directions (From Forest Service):
From West Side Road in Conway turn onto Passaconaway Road. Travel 1.2 miles and turn right onto High Street (dirt road). This road leads into the White Mountain National Forest, passing a gate at 1.4 miles. At 1.7 miles, bear left and continue 0.7 miles to the parking area at the end of the road. The Moat Mountain Mineral Collecting Site is a 0.9 mile hike from the parking area. On the Mineral Site Trail, keep right at both branches.
GPS Coordinates: • Moat Mineral Collecting Site Trailhead: 44.021700, -71.169500

Collecting Tips: There are many ways to collect this material. A popular way is to dig through loose, weathered rock paying attention for crystals and pocket sections. A hand rake and shovel are good for this. It pays to dig deep, past areas that have already been searched.
Another method is searching ledges for pockets and working the rock. Observe how plants grow, often roots will follow crystal bearing pockets and seams because they are open space easy for them to take hold in. Breaking the granite is hard work and requires a lot of hammering and chiseling. An assortment of wedges, chisels, hammers, and prybars would be a good idea to bring. Use large, flat wedges to exploit cracks in the rock.
This location is remote, so bring food, water, and bug spray especially if you plan on staying there for a while.

Using an App to find Property owners of Rockhounding Locations – onX Hunt- Finding Property Ownership Quickly for Prospecting

Laws regarding prospecting and recreational mineral collecting change with property boundaries. We can all think of famous old mines and localities that are now in someone’s backyard. What if you could contact that someone and get permission to dig an old spot, or even prospect for a new one where no one has looked? It never hurts to ask, but it is often hard to figure out who owns areas of interest or where property lines truly lie.
When you download the app, you get trial use of it for 7 days and a choice of boundaries in one state. This app is subscription based and offers a premium subscription for $29.99/year that allows you to view property boundaries for one state, or an elite subscription where for $14.99/month or $99/year you can view property boundaries in all 50 states for one year. It is geared towards hunters, but it can be very useful for other outdoor activities like rockhounding, too.
When I downloaded the app, I chose Pennsylvania. Below is a screenshot of land around Hometown, PA

Overview of what OnXHunt shows on a sample screen

Overview of what OnXHunt shows on a sample screen


As you can see, the boundaries of various properties are outlined clearly on the screen as well as town names and counties. In addition, various useful navigation parameters such as speed and altitude are displayed.
When you click on a point, the boundaries are highlighted in green. A green cursor also appears at the point you click. Here I click on PA state gamelands and clearly the owner of the property is displayed as well as the size of the area. It shows that the PA State Game Commission is responsible for this land.
Gamelands shown clearly on the app, OnXHunt

Gamelands shown clearly on the app, OnXHunt


Let’s say I wanted to check out the abandoned coal strippings west of town. Unfortunately, on the app this displays it is private property. When I click on the strippings, the pull up window provides the owner of the land, so if you wanted to explore it you could hypothetically contact them
Property Ownership information shown on OnXHunt

Property Ownership information shown on OnXHunt

Before this app was available, it was tedious searching records for owners and contacting them for permission. It is so easy here, in a very self explanatory maps like format.
Pros: Extremely intuitive and easy to use. An extremely practical app for mineral collecting that could be an indispensable tool that allows you to plan many more trips.
Cons: Kind of pricy, with a year subscription for 50 states costing $99. Perhaps it is really difficult keeping this app updated, as the task of finding property ownership is somewhat difficult at times. It would be worth it to someone who loves to rockhound, as I am sure your finds would exceed the cost of this app. Check out the website at OnXMaps.com

Dig Quartz – Milky, Smoky, and Amethyst at Diamond Hill, Antreville, South Carolina

Manganese and Iron Coated Quartz cluster from Diamond Hill Mine South Carolina

If you enjoy quartz and want to find your own, the Diamond Hill Mine in Antreville, South Carolina provides the public with one of the only opportunities to collect so many varieties of it in one place. Many of these quartz crystals also have a gorgeous oxide coating adding splotches of reds, yellows, black, and browns to the surface. In addition to the quartz, pegmatites containing beryl and other minerals have been dug on the site. This amazing variety and abundance of material on just under three acres of land is why so many diggers flock to this special site.

Iron stained quartz crystal cluster from Diamond Hill MineThese specimens of quartz, collected by John Krygier: https://www.mindat.org/gallery-13767.html, are typical examples of what you can find at this mine. The black coating is due to manganese oxides, and the orange coating is due to iron oxides.

Amazing amethyst cluster found by a guest to the mine. This photo of Diamond Hill Mine (Courtesy of Tripadvisor)

Smoky Amethyst Quartz Crystal from Diamond Hill Mine

Smoky amethyst found at the mine and featured in their online gallery.

https://diamondhillmine.com/gallery/

Geology: The Diamond Hill Mine is hosted in a granite, and is one of numerous quartz localities in the Eastern US to be hosted in such geology. As the granite cooled, water rich in silica and other chemicals became less soluble in the molten rock, escaping and creating veins hosting the quartz crystals. Pegmatites — coarse grained rocks also formed in the granite as a result of cooling, and these are where rare elements escaped to, forming minerals like beryl. Subtropical weathering broke down the feldspar in this granite into clay, exposing this deposit very slowly over the eons.

Digging: This is a site good for rockhounds of all experience levels. Hand tools are welcome and there are many strategies for collecting in the various pits at the mine. Be aware of which areas allow public digging. Machinery in the main workings dig up material for guests to search for in massive spoils piles. Surface collecting is your best option here. Bring gloves, a small rake or trowel, a screwdriver or stick to poke around, and some water to rinse off your finds.

You may also decide to try to find your own vein and work it. This method doesn’t guarantee you’ll get anything- the results vary, but there is a possibility for you to get incredible material if you develop a skill for understanding this location. You will need a hammer, chisels, pickaxe, shovel, buckets, and water for rinsing material to work these veins. You will likely have to move a lot of rock.

General Information & Pricing

Diamond Hill Mine
100 Diamond Mine Road
Abbeville, SC  29620
(864) 934-3744 or (864) 446-7357

Camping is available on site. Tents and small motor homes are welcome. Camping is free, but please call the mine in advance to make reservation. Call Gina Clary at (864) 934-3744 or email at dhmine@rocketmail.com.

Bring food and water! Also bring sunscreen and bug spray! The only facilities are an outhouse and picnic tables. There is no running water. The closest place for supplies is a mini-mart type gas station about 5 minutes away.

Digging is from time of registration to sunset.

Adults 18+ : $20
Teens 13-17: $10
Seniors 65+: $10
Children 6-12: $5
Children 5 & under: FREE (as well as non-collectors but they will not be allowed in the collecting area.)

For larger groups, discounts are available. Visit diamondhillmine.com for more information.

Article by Jeremy Zolan

Sources:

https://www.gamineral.org/_docs/11-16may04.pdf

https://diamondhillmine.com/

Visit the Trilobyte Me! Quarry in Delta, Utah for a Gourmet Trilobite Buffet to Snack on!

Known as the most prolific trilobite specimen source worldwide, the Trilobyte Me! Quarry operated by the folks at High Desert Gems and Minerals is where you can dig your own specimens of those iconic Utah trilobites. These classic specimens, most notably of the species Elrathia kingii are preserved in exquisite detail in the Wheeler Shale formation of Western Utah. The Wheeler Shale is a truly ancient rock and is 505 million years old, a time when Utah was very tropical, oriented close to the equator. The Trilobyte Me! Quarry gives the public a chance to explore one of the world’s best quality, most finely preserved fossil occurrences. Not only are a variety of trilobites found here, but other ancient sea life such as brachiopods, sponges, primitive crustaceans, and rare soft bodied animals.

Pile of Trilobites mined in a weekend
Trilobites in the typical shale matrix they are found in

Photos from the mine operators. The operators state on their site that the pile represents approximately the finds from just two days of basic digging! The trilobite specimens in matrix show what you might find splitting rocks

What is a Trilobite?:

Trilobites are ancient arachnomorph (arachnid-like) class of arthropod invertebrates, meaning they are related to insects, crustaceans, and arachnids. Despite their crustacean like appearance, they are most closely related to spiders, horseshoe crabs, and scorpions. They were among the most diverse classes of life on earth during the lower paleozoic but many became extinct in the Devonian, and were all finally wiped out in the Permian mass extinction event.

Trilobites remain so well preserved in the fossil record because of their hard exoskeletons, which were easily replaced by calcite over time. They range in size and shape greatly from a few millimeters to about a foot long and are found in paleozoic rocks worldwide. Trilobites have large, prominent compound eyes and a pair of flexible, sometimes long antennae as well as many pairs of segmented legs for moving and feeding, similar to a pillbug. Some trilobites had elaborate spines, but those species are not often seen in the Wheeler Shale. Many species could even roll up in a ball for defense. Trilobites were mostly scavengers or sifted through the substrate for food, but there is some suggestion a few species were carnivorous. A great diversity of well preserved species is found in the Wheeler Shale, and the Trilobyte Me! Quarry is an extremely rich source.

Trilobite Anatomy

The Trilobite body is divided into three main parts that can be thought of a head, torso, and tail. See the above figure, the head is called the cephalon (1) , the torso is the thorax (2) , and the tail is the pygidium (3). Lengthwise the body is divided into three lobes, the right pleural lobe (4), the axial lobe (5), and the left pleural lobe (6)

Some examples of trilobites found in the wheeler shale

Some species of trilobites encountered in the Wheeler Shale. Source: https://u-digfossils.com/trilobites/

Geology and Paleontology:

The area where the Trilobite me Quarry would have been 50 million years ago

The approximate location of Utah in the early Cambrian period (~505MYA) Source: https://www.trilobites.info/Utah.htm

The Wheeler Shale of Western Utah dates back to the early Cambrian period, representing a period in which oceanic invertebrate life greatly diversified. This unit consists of mudstone, shaley limestone, and a platy limestone. Before the Cambrian, most vertebrates were soft bodied, poorly preserved as fossils, and difficult to classify. The Cambrian is the period where arthropods such as crustaceans and trilobites, cnidarians like jellyfish and corals, and brachiopods came into existence and started to thrive. During this time Utah was located along the equator and the Wheeler Shale is the bottom of a shallow, warm sea. Think of the water being similar to a tropical destination like the Caribbean. That is the type of climate these trilobites thrived in. Elrathia kingi is the commercial trilobite species most sought after by collectors. It is the iconic trilobite from this formation and is one of the most abundant. Elrathia kingi specimens are the most commonly encountered American trilobite on the market. However, there is variety at the Trilobyte Me! Quarry and about 15 genera of trilobite total exist in the Wheeler Shale.

Many unusual fossils including peculiar ancient crustaceans and soft bodied animals have been found in the Wheeler Shale. Some of these fossils are not easily noticeable but may be significant or important. If you see an unusual fossil, even if faint, keep it and try to get it identified. There have been many important fossils of soft bodied animals found in Utah. In addition many fossils of trilobite-like fossils have been found. These organisms are closely related, but not true trilobites.

Pseudoarctolepis sharpi trilobite fossil

A fossil of a peculiar ancient crustacean from the Wheeler Shale- Pseudoarctolepis sharpi, a Phyllocarid. It is definitely important to look out for strange fossils at the Trilobyte Me! Quarry, you might find something rare and unusual. Source: http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Cambrian-Explosion/Utah-Cambrian-Explosion.htm

Collecting and Supplies:

To collect these trilobite fossils you will be splitting shale, which has a particular technique to it. Hit the shale in the direction it splits with a geologists pick or crack hammer and thin chisel. Use a sturdy tap, when this rock splits, it often happens all at once. For digging in the quarry, bring a prybar, pickaxe, and wedges to remove and split bigger pieces of shale. Also bring a screen to go through finer material, a bucket, gloves, and safety goggles. Bring plenty of food and water, sunscreen, and bug spray. From the High Desert Gems and Minerals website, several collecting options in different price ranges are available, but all give you the experience of digging tons of your own awesome quality trilobites!

Dig Gemstone Fossils
Open Daily April 1 – October 10th 9am – 5pm
No reservations required, just show up, any day!

Basic Trilobite Collecting

Split the shale or screen dirt for shale and find matrix specimens or loose jewelry grade trilobites.
Adults $50
8yrs-14yrs $35
7yrs/ under Free

Quarry Bank Digging

Dig and split shale using hand tools in the actual freshly exposed trilobite bearing shale layers of the quarry
Adults $100
8yrs-14yrs $50
7yrs/ under Free

E x c l u s i v e Digging Options…..
High-End Quarry Bank Digging

Our exclusive digging area reserved for our commercial trilobite operations.
Adults $200
11yrs-14yrs $100
10yrs/ under Free with paying adult

“Trilobite infested” Ore Pile

Our trilobite pay dirt shale dug up with our machinery and put in a pile for your convenience to sort.
$150/ pile
Price includes whole family

High-Grade “Trilobite Swarm” Ore Pile

Our exclusive commercial trilobite bearing shale dug up with our machinery and put in a pile for your convenience to sort.
$300/ pile
Price includes whole family

Directions: See Map
Map to Trilobite Me Quarry

Driving Directions
From the West: use Hwy 50 in Nevada at the state line border drive 56 miles into Utah.
From the East : use Hwy 50/ 6 out of Delta, Utah drive West 29 miles.
On Hwy 50/ 6 at mile Marker 56 & 1/2 turn onto dirt road North (Known as Long Ridge Reservoir Road).
0.0 reset odometer at the U-Dig Fossils sign/ cattle guard.
4.9 drive over cattle guard.
6.3 drive over another cattle guard.
Slow down! for tight curves in road.
10.1 intersection for Margum Pass sign.
15.0 intersection for Swasey Spring sign.
Slow down! curvy road.
18.8 intersection for U-Dig and Death Canyon, stay on road as it bears right.
18.9 immediate right turn into driveway of Trilobyte Me! Quarry.
Parking: cars continue on through the gate, RVs and trailers park before gate!
Follow these directions! The internet may get you lost!

Accomodations: Free camping and RV accomodation on site! Pet friendly! Bring your own food and water. There are hotels near Delta, Utah also available. Rancher Motel (435) 864-274, Delta Inn Motel (435) 864-5318, Days Inn (435) 864-3882, Antelope Valley RV Park (800) 430-0022

Sources:

https://www.highdesertgemsandminerals.com/html/trilobyte_me_quarry.html

http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Cambrian-Explosion/Utah-Cambrian-Explosion.htm

https://www.trilobites.info/Utah.htm

Trilobites

Finding Your Own Green Pyromorphite and Orange Wulfenite in Western Massachusetts!

Pyromorphite and wulfenite are highly sought after by collectors because they are some of the most intensely colored species in the mineral kingdom. Pyromorphite is known for its diverse hues and shapes ranging from vivid green, to yellow, to orange and from hoppered hexagon, to hexagonal prism, to semispheroid. Wulfenite almost always forms yellow to orange-red square shaped tabular crystals. When mineral collectors think of these minerals, exotic international locations pop into their heads like China, Arizona, Idaho, Namibia, Morocco, and Mexico. Little do many mineral enthusiasts in the Northeast US know, there is a wonderful site to dig these minerals in Massachusetts. It is just rarely represented in the specimen market because the crystals are smaller and less abundant than the really famous spots. Regardless of that, most collecting sites in New England don’t provide vibrantly colorful and diverse oxidized minerals like this place, and none exist where you can pan for wulfenites in the river like you can at Loudville!

Pyromorphite with Wulfenite

Beautiful combo of pyromorphite and wulfenite dug by my friend Alex Kim (@dirty_minerals on insta). Finding this piece is what inspired him to dig minerals. Check out more of his collecting adventures and amazing finds on his page!

History: The name “Loudville Lead mines” is used to refer to the many mines in a small district adjacent to the Manhan river in Northampton, Mass. Loudville is the name of a small village in the area on the Easthampton and Westhampton line that was the nearest settlement during mining activity (2). The Loudville Lead mines are some of the oldest colonial mines in the US. Discovered by Robert Dyer in the late 1670s (1), they experienced several periods of mining from the 17th through 19th century. The first phase was from discovery until the American Revolution, which halted operations. I have heard though I cannot confirm that lead from Loudville was used in Revolutionary munitions like musket and cannonballs. Ethan Allen, famous hero of the American Revolution worked Loudville in the late 1700s after giving up prospecting Mine Hill in Roxbury, CT for silver (3). This mine was worked intermittently throughout the 19th century, last in 1865.

Map of mineral deposit of Loudville Massachusetts

an early sketch of the geology of the lead ore vein at Loudville from
Richardson, Charles (1854): Northampton District. The Loudville Mine (Mining Magazine Vol. 2 pp 13-20.

Mineralogy: Pyromorphite and Wulfenite are the most sought after minerals at this location and often they are hard to see. When you find material that shows any hint of green or orange, save it and delicately clean it at home. Do not use chemicals on minerals from Loudville with the exception of quartz. Many of these minerals will react even with iron out.

Secondary, oxidized minerals like Wulfenite and Pyromorphite are extremely rare in New England. Many of the oxidized zones (called supergene zones) of metal deposits in the region were removed by glaciers leaving mostly just sulfides which generally are massive and not aesthetic at the majority of locations in the region. Finding just one pyromorphite or wulfenite crystal at a lead deposit almost anywhere else in New England is a very rare experience.

Pyromorphite with Wulfenite

Gorgeous specimens of pyromorphite collected by my friend Dustin Bartlett (@themodernnaturalist on instagra,) Dustin has collected Loudville extensively and his page is a good place to go to see what collectors are still finding there!

Lead secondary minerals such as cerussite, anglesite, and the rare leadhillite are also found at Loudville. Cerussite is expecially common and overlooked. The best way to spot it is by its high luster and understanding its unique crystallography. Frequently it exhibits twinning. Even though it is colorless, its appearance makes it immediately distinguishable from quartz and baryte- the two other colorless minerals here. The author has collected numerous fine cerussites at Loudville to nearly 2cm long.

Quartz is another very common mineral at Loudville that can be very pretty. Beautiful clusters of milky, smoky, amethystine, and combos of these three varieties of quartz can be found, crystals getting quite large! Many of the similar lead mines in the Northeast such as the closed to collecting Canton Lead Mine in Ct are known for colorful amethyst and smokies with lead secondaries. At Loudville, you will often find other minerals, especially pyromorphite and wulfenite coating the quartz.

Pyromorphite on Quartz

Beautiful combo of pyromorphite on dark smoky quartz dug by Dustin Bartlett @themodernnaturalist on insta

The list of minerals at Loudville is extremely extensive and represents so many interesting combinations of lead, zinc, copper, sulfate, carbonate, silicate, etc. Under the microscope, a whole world of collectible material becomes available. Please see Mindat if you want to learn more: https://www.mindat.org/loc-3832.html

Directions and Equipment:

When digging here, please respect the boundaries to the collecting area! There has been a lot of digging outside of it and if it continues, the site may be closed within the next few years. Saying that, there are many strategies to collecting there, I will discuss two of them.

The first strategy involves digging into the dump and breaking rock to expose vugs. Use a shovel, hand rake, etc to turn over the dump and a crack hammer and chisel to break the material. The river is a convenient source of water to wash pieces off you can’t see clearly. Often the mud can obscure the crystals. Move slow and be careful.

An especially interesting technique people have been successful with here is panning for wulfenite in the river using a gold pan. Wulfenite is very dense compared to other minerals and will readily separate out in your concentrate. Use tweezers to pluck them out and I strongly advise you put them into a vial of water since they are fragile and very easy to lose.

In addition to the tools I outline above, other things you will want to bring is food, water, bug spray (it gets bad in the summer), sunscreen, and waterproof footware. This is a great place to bring dogs as many of them love swimming in the river. Just keep them on leash and be respectful to other dog owners.

To get to the site, it is very simple. Navigate to the pin on the embedded map and look for a small parking area. Park there and make your way down to the edge of the river. The collecting areas are clearly marked.

Article By Jeremy Zolan

Sources:

https://www.mindat.org/loc-3832.html

(1) Trumbull, James R. (1898): History of Northampton Massachusetts from its Settlement in 1654, Gazette Printing Company, Northampton Massachusetts: 358-368.

(2) Robinson, G.R. Jr., and Woodruff, L.G. (1988): Characteristics of Base-metal and Barite Vein Deposits associated with Rift Basins, with Examples from some Early Mesozoic Basins of Eastern North America, in Studies of Early Mesozoic Basins of the Eastern US, Frolich, T.J. and Robinson, G.R. Jr., Editors, USGS Bulletin 1776: 377-390.

(3) Hall, Henry (1895). Ethan Allen: the Robin Hood of Vermont, Appleton and Company, New York.

Green Stuff in Vermont! Colorful Chrysoprase Agate

Green Agate color caused by nickel impurities from Vermont

Chrysoprase and Jasper Collecting- Newfane, Vermont

by Jeremy Zolan

Outcrops around the town of Newfane have long been known for interesting samples of bright green chalcedony colored by nickel. This popular and beautiful semiprecious stone is known as chrysoprase. The majority of chrysoprase is mined from commercial lapidary rough mines in Australia, but fine examples of the material are also known from Poland, Albania, Kazakhstan, Tanzania, and Oregon. It is a relatively rare stone worldwide so having an opportunity to find it is certainly unique. In addition to chrysoprase, a variety of other beautiful material can be obtained at this site such as jasper, serpentine, and small quartz crystals. The rare hydrated nickel silicate garnierite has also been found here.

Green Agate color caused by nickel impurities from Vermont

Chysoprase found in the streams of Newfane Vermont – Image courtesy of John Betts Fine Minerals

Chrysoprase forms from oxidized nickel impurities imparting a green color to the material. The source of this nickel is from rocks geologists call ultramafic. These ultramafic rocks were metamorphosed to form the serpentinite at the deposit. These rocks are from very deep in the earth and have a chemistry that differs quite a bit from other igneous rocks. Often these ultramafic rocks are very rich in magnesium, calcium, and iron. They are also frequently poor in silica and rich in elements like chromium and nickel. When these rocks are exposed to water as well as a tiny amount of heat ad pressure, they break down and form serpentinite. The metals leach into silica and other minerals giving them their color.

Collecting-

Most of the collecting at this site will be done in the stream, stream banks, or riverside outcrops. Collecting involves getting into the stream bank and flipping over rocks. You might want to bring a shovel or hand rake to remove material from the stream bottom. Inspect material carefully for anything interesting and keep an eye out for anything with a bright green color. Place anything you want to keep in a sturdy bucket. Heavy waterproof boots or waders are a must in colder months. When it’s warmer wear some waterproof shoes to protect your feet from the rough bottom. Bring a hammer and chisel in care you want to break open anything you find to inspect it further.

Directions-

Navigate to South Newfane and look for a bridge that crosses Adam’s Brook. It should be very close to the center of the small town. Find a safe place to park and enter the brook. Search material in the brook for minerals. There are serpentine boulders present. Nearby there are several outcrops near roadcuts along the brook that can also be dug for similar material. Always keep an eye out for a bright flash of green color.

Prospecting for Quartz in New York State – Ellenville Quartz Mine and Beyond

Green Quartz Crystal from Ellenville New York

Prospecting for Quartz in New York
By Jeremy Zolan

New York is a state with an abundance of quartz localities. These locations produce crystals of a huge
array of styles from many diverse geologies. While most famous for beautiful Herkimer diamonds from
the Mohawk river valley, there are many other kinds of deposits found within the woods of New York.
This brief guide will highlight some things to look for when out in the field and what tools may be
useful. There is a lot in NY state that may be overlooked!

Two beautiful smoky quartz crystals the author found in the Hudson Valley. The author used the techniques and tools in this article to find and collect these beautiful quartzes

Two beautiful smoky quartz crystals the author found in the Hudson Valley. The author used
the techniques and tools in this article to find and collect these beautiful quartzes

Most of the quartz deposits in NY differ considerably from the deposits in the Herkimer area, which are
the most well known. While the Herkimer “Diamond” deposits focus on a sea of isolated pockets that occupy layers in the host dolostone,
most of the other localities in New York work vein deposits. These veins often appear as white quartz
that shoots through the rock, twisting and turning in various lengths, rather different than the deposits the Herkimer Quartz is found.
Often there is a higher probability of finding crystals where you see these
veins intersecting because more space is available for growth at the meeting point. It is important to
take note of the geology in the area where you are to search. Often if you see faulting or contacting,
there can be movement of fluid that can produce crystals. As for contacting, notice that the richest
quartz deposits often form where two different rock types touch, for example sedimentary and igneous
or sedimentary and metamorphic. There is chemical exchange between the rocks which promotes
crystal growth. Getting familiar with some basic geology really does help. Here is a photo below of a
textbook example of a contact in NY of sedimetary rock with the metamorphic basement. If you see
veins originating at this junction of rock, there is a higher chance they will have interesting minerals or
nice pockets.

A contact between sedimentary and metamorphic rock in New York

A contact between sedimentary and metamorphic rock in New York


Original Image Source: By Michael C. Rygel – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29021804

Lets say you have found an interesting vein and are looking to assess it and its potential for specimens.
If you see a hole in the rock, it is in your best interest just to take a look.
It is important to look for pockets containing crystals, or loose material that may have fallen out of a pocket into the talus below.
If you see any mud coming from the veins, especially if it is a reddish or orange color, check it out it as that may
contain crystals! Sometimes pockets can be just filled with dirt or totally clean too.

There is a bit of a list of what tools you will need to prospect and dig quartz in NY. Preparation is
critical. Keep in mind that you will often be looking in rural areas where there will be little or no
service, and having a GPS is often essential. I personally use a Garmin GPSMap 64st which is great,
but if you wish to have birdseye satellite imagery available to you, the Garmin GPSMap 66 series will
make all your wildest GPS dreams come true.
As for the tools you need, I notice that I pack very differently when I am going to prospect versus when
I am going to dig somewhere I already know about. Talking to my good NY prospector friend Dustin
Bartlett (@themodernnaturalist on instagram) we have made some lists of supplies you can buy easily
to get started.
Prospecting Pack:
The goal of the prospecting pack is mobility and sample collection. Use a small backpack you don't
mind getting dirty for this. Remember to pack ample water and supplies as you may be in the woods for
hours looking. The focus of your tooling should be light and versatile. Choose tools that are good for a
variety of environments. Here are the tools I would choose for this-

Available on Amazon:
Estwing B3-3LB Crack Hammer 3-Pound

Stanley 16-332 FatMax Cold Chisel with Bi-Material Hand Guard

Stanley FMHT16556 FATMAX Flat Utility Chisel, 1-1/4"

Estwing Gad Pry Bar – 18" Forged Geological Tool with Pointed Tip & Chisel End – GP-18

Estwing Handy Bar Nail Puller – 15" Pry Bar with Wide, Thin Blade & Forged Steel Construction – HB-15

Sahara Sailor Survival Shovel, Unbreakable Tactical Shovel-180 Degree Folding Shovel (or similar)

Also:
A chopstick for removing crystals from pockets undamaged
Wrapping Material
Water and Food
Notebook and Camera

I really think these lists should give you what you need to prospect and mine nearly any kind of quartz
deposit in NY other than the Herkimer deposits. You'll find that there will be cases where you might
have to use other tools and leave some of these home. Be creative! You will have to be adaptable and
try different things for different locations. Go out there, get dirty, and hit pockets!

Chlorate included Quartz from Ellenville New York

Green Quartz Crystal from Ellenville New York

Gorgeous chlorite included quartz Dustin Bartlett (@themodernnaturalist on insta) dug from
his Lil' Give prospect on the Mass/NY line. Dustin discovered this brand new prospect and mined it
using the techniques and tools discussed above.


Locality:
Ellenville Quartz Mine, Ellenville, Ulster County, NY


To showcase one of New Yorks’ MANY quartz locations, we are showing you the Ellenville Quartz deposits. Once mined for iron and copper ore, this location has produced tons and tons of fine quartz crystals that form in quartz fissures.
This old mine has produced many specimens of quartz and pyrite over the years and there is still great
material there to be found. I recommend you park at Berme Road Park and walk to the mine, where the
red pin is. On the back wall you'll find pyrite and quartz crystals. Sometimes you can also find other
minerals like galena and sphalerite.

Pecos Valley Diamonds: the Desert is Paved with Diamonds

Pecos Valley Diamond in situ

Pecos Valley Diamonds, also called Pecos Diamonds, have been collected by New Mexico rockhounds and mineral collectors for well over one hundred years.

Like many other colloquial mineral monikers (another well-known example is “Herkimer diamonds”), these “diamonds” are not diamonds at all, but quartz crystals. The glint of reflected sunlight off the faces of these quartz crystals can give the barren desert the appearance of being “paved with diamonds” (Albright and Bauer 1955).

 

Article and Photos by Phil Simmons and Erin Delventhal at Enchanted Minerals LLC – enchantedmineralsLLC@gmail.com

Outcrops of Pecos Valley Diamonds are often densely concentrated. Each "pebble" in this image is a quartz crystal, most measuring ~1-2cm. Many crystals are broken. Field of view is approximately 1 meter.

Outcrops of Pecos Valley Diamonds are often densely concentrated. Each “pebble” in this image is a quartz crystal, most measuring ~1-2cm. Many crystals are broken. Field of view is approximately 1 meter.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

Pecos Valley Diamonds are found in the southeastern region of New Mexico, exposed in dispersed outcrops that span 100 miles long by as much as 25 miles wide. Though the area where outcrops are found is expansive, Pecos Valley Diamonds are limited to a very specific geologic unit: the Seven Rivers Formation, a back-reef segment of the Guadalupe reef sequence. The crystals are authigenic, meaning they have formed in place with no transportation via water or wind, though they often have weathered out of the much softer massive gypsum host rock. Though authigenic quartz crystals are known in ancient shallow marine carbonate and evaporite series across the world, Pecos Valley Diamonds are of note for their variety of colors and forms and for their impressive size (up to ~12cm, though more often ~2-3cm) for this type of deposit.

 

Surface outcrops of the Seven Rivers Formation (highlighted in yellow) in Southeastern New Mexico. Modified from Albright and Lueth 2003.

Surface outcrops of the Seven Rivers Formation (highlighted in yellow) in Southeastern New Mexico. Modified from Albright and Lueth 2003.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

 

Habits and Variations of Crystals

One of the most appealing aspects of Pecos Valley Diamonds is the immense variety. They occur as doubly terminated crystals (less often in radial groupings) in a multitude of colors ranging from reds, oranges, and yellows, to whites, blacks, browns, and sometimes even hues of purples, pinks, and greens, and a variety of habits including prismatic, quartzoid, pseudocubic, and pseudotrigonal.

Coloration

 

A grouping of Pecos Valley Diamonds showing some of the range of coloration in the quartz crystals. Center crystal is 2.5cm.

A grouping of Pecos Valley Diamonds showing some of the range of coloration in the quartz crystals. Center crystal is 2.5cm.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

The wide variety of colors in Pecos Valley Diamonds has not yet been fully explored. Observational evidence indicates the coloration is largely due to inclusions: Pecos Valley Diamonds found still embedded in the host rock take on the color of the gypsum, even to the point of preserving the color banding found along laminations or fracture joints (Tarr and Lonsdale 1929).

 

Crystals displaying color variations within individual crystals. Top crystal is 3.5cm.

Crystals displaying color variations within individual crystals. Top crystal is 3.5cm.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

The geological setting (see Geology below) of these crystals allows for the transition between gypsum and anhydrite, and zonal inclusions of anhydrite rather than gypsum have been reported (Nissenbaum 1967). However, the exact nature of those inclusions is still somewhat enigmatic: early reports refer to “ferruginous” (iron-rich) quartz or hematite inclusions in quartz, but analysis of similar quartz crystals from Spain indicate the red coloration is due to clay inclusions rather than hematite (Gil Marco 2013). Nearby occurrences of aragonite crystals also show coloration determined by inclusions of clay. Additionally, some coloration is suspected to be related to hydrocarbon inclusions (Albright and Lueth 2003). Of further interest, many of the quartz crystals are fluorescent, though the source of that phenomenon has not been explored.

 

A Pecos Valley Diamond embedded in the host rock of massive gypsum. These crystals appear to take the color of the surrounding gypsum, though the crystals tend to universally be darker. Specimen is 15.2cm across; crystal length is 3.4cm.

A Pecos Valley Diamond embedded in the host rock of massive gypsum. These crystals appear to take the color of the surrounding gypsum, though the crystals tend to universally be darker. Specimen is 15.2cm across; crystal length is 3.4cm.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

 

Prismatic Habits

An example of a fairly "typical" Pecos Valley Diamond - a doubly terminated prismatic crystal. The red coloration is also fairly common. Crystal is 5.9cm.

An example of a fairly “typical” Pecos Valley Diamond – a doubly terminated prismatic crystal. The red coloration is also fairly common. Crystal is 5.9cm.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

The predominant habit found is single doubly terminated prismatic crystals with the regular m prism topped by hexagonal pyramids of equal or near equal r and z rhombs. This habit of quartz is common all over the world, although the majority of crystals worldwide are not doubly terminated. This habit tends to have the most color variations of Pecos Valley Diamonds. Elongated crystals are more rare than short, stubby crystals, though they can be found in several known locations.

 

Elongated prismatic crystals are unusual in Pecos Valley Diamonds. Longest crystal is 5.5cm.

Elongated prismatic crystals are unusual in Pecos Valley Diamonds. Longest crystal is 5.5cm.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

Equant Habits

Though Pecos Valley Diamonds are most often found as prismatic crystals, the variety of equant (length, width, and depth are roughly equal) habits of quartz are of particular note.

 

Crystal diagrams of equant forms found in Pecos Diamonds. Modified from Albright and Lueth 2003.

Crystal diagrams of equant forms found in Pecos Diamonds. Modified from Albright and Lueth 2003.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

Crystals that display equal or near equal r and z rhombs, but significantly lacking m faces display a quartzoid, or Cumberland, habit. This habit is often erroneously referred to as beta-quartz, which is a high-temperature polymorph of SiO2 that is unstable at room temperatures. The presence of this habit in the low-temperature environments of Pecos Valley Diamonds indicates that the quartzoid habit is not tied exclusively to high temperature deposition.

Two unusual equant habits in worldwide deposits are relatively common in Pecos Valley Diamonds: the pseudocubic habit and the trigonal habit. Both are described by dominant development of r-faces with minimal z-faces and next to no presence of mfaces, though the latter two forms are never completely absent. The pseudocube and the trigon can be differentiated crystallographically by the orientation of z-faces: the pseudocube features alternating r– and z– faces across the a-axis, while the trigonal form shows r– and z– faces mirrored across the a-axis (see crystal diagrams above).

 

Comparison of equant forms with the left-hand side viewing the crystals down the c-axis and the right-hand side viewing roughly perpendicular to the c-axis. Top: quartzoid (Cumberland) habit; Middle: pseudocubic habit; Bottom: trigonal habit. Largest crystal is 2.1cm.

Comparison of equant forms with the left-hand side viewing the crystals down the c-axis and the right-hand side viewing roughly perpendicular to the c-axis. Top: quartzoid (Cumberland) habit; Middle: pseudocubic habit; Bottom: trigonal habit. Largest crystal is 2.1cm.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

Pecos Valley Diamond pseudocubic crystals are of particular note: while the pseudocubic habit is very unusual worldwide, Pecos Valley Diamonds boast an unusually high percentage of crystals in this habit and crystals can reach sizes in excess of 5cm. Given the tendency for crystals to be fully formed and doubly terminated, coupled with availability, it can be argued that Pecos Valley Diamonds are the world’s best source for pseudocubic quartz.

 

Various orientations of the pseudocubic form in Pecos Valley Diamonds. Left-hand crystal is 2.5cm; largest crystal in center grouping is 2.7cm; right-hand crystal is 1.5cm.

Various orientations of the pseudocubic form in Pecos Valley Diamonds. Left-hand crystal is 2.5cm; largest crystal in center grouping is 2.7cm; right-hand crystal is 1.5cm.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

Other Features

Pecos Diamonds often display different lusters on different quartz faces. This is typically found in lustrous terminations (r– and z– faces) and dulled, or pitted, m-faces. Luster can also vary between r– and z– faces, creating alternating finishes on terminations.

 

Two prismatic crystals displaying lustrous terminations (r- and z-faces) and dulled, or pitted, m-faces. Left-hand crystal is 3.0cm.

Two prismatic crystals displaying lustrous terminations (r- and z-faces) and dulled, or pitted, m-faces. Left-hand crystal is 3.0cm.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

Somewhat similarly, some Pecos Valley Diamonds are found with differing degrees of quality of quartz within the same specimen: very crudely crystalline “knobs” give way to well-formed and lustrous crystals. These are currently poorly understood and more research into the relationship between the crude crystals and their well-formed counterparts is needed.

 

Examples of Pecos Valley Diamonds displaying both crudely crystalline "knobs" and well-formed, lustrous crystals. Clockwise from top left: crystal is 5.1cm; terminated crystal is 4.6 tall; crude crystal is 7.2cm across; crude crystal is 7.6cm across; right-hand crystal is 4.7cm.

Examples of Pecos Valley Diamonds displaying both crudely crystalline “knobs” and well-formed, lustrous crystals. Clockwise from top left: crystal is 5.1cm; terminated crystal is 4.6 tall; crude crystal is 7.2cm across; crude crystal is 7.6cm across; right-hand crystal is 4.7cm.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

 

Groupings

Though Pecos Valley Diamonds are predominantly found as single crystals, crystal groupings can also be found. The dominant arrangement of multiple crystals is in a radial orientation, often with one central crystal oriented perpendicular to the rest.

 

Radially oriented grouping of crystals; specimen shown front and back. Crystal is 3.8cm across.

Radially oriented grouping of crystals; specimen shown front and back. Crystal is 3.8cm across.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

Previous reports (Albright and Lueth 2003) have indicated the presence of Japan law twinned Pecos Valley Diamonds, though it is the opinion of the authors that further examination is needed to determine whether these geometries are truly Japan Law twins. There are a number of other unusual relationships between multiple crystals that are also worth further investigation, including crystal pairs that show indications of potential relationships along the c-axis.

 

Unusual geometries in groupings of multiple crystals. Top left crystal is 3.1cm; top right crystal is 2.6; bottom right crystal is 3.1cm.

Unusual geometries in groupings of multiple crystals. Top left crystal is 3.1cm; top right crystal is 2.6; bottom right crystal is 3.1cm.  ©Enchanted Minerals LLC

 

For more information on the History and Geology of Pecos Valley Diamonds, see the full-length article from Enchanted Minerals LLC: Pecos Valley Diamonds: the Desert is Paved with Diamonds.

 

Where to Go!

As mentioned earlier, outcrops of Pecos Valley Diamonds are prevalent throughout the Seven Rivers Formation – this means that anywhere in the yellow area below is prime territory to find them.

 

Surface outcrops of the Seven Rivers Formation (highlighted in yellow) in Southeastern New Mexico. Modified from Albright and Lueth 2003.

Surface outcrops of the Seven Rivers Formation (highlighted in yellow) in Southeastern New Mexico. Modified from Albright and Lueth 2003.

 

We’ll give you directions to a few  of our favorite spots, but we encourage you to take some time to explore on your own!  You never know what you might find – though please  be sure to check land status of where you’re at and obtain proper permissions.

BLM land is fair game for surface collecting, but private land is not.  Many cattle ranches operate in this part of New Mexico – many times you can simply ask permission and you’ll be good to go.  Many oil and gas operations are also active in this area – surface collecting is legal around these operations, but be respectful of equipment (re: do not touch it), and also be very aware of any signs or warnings posted indicating the presence of H2S gas – it can and WILL kill you.  In short: be smart and be safe while you’re out!

 

Location 1: East of Artesia (click for map)

Location 1 features small to medium dark red crystals – mainly equant crystals, sometimes pseudocubic!

Location 2: East of Roswell (click for map)

Location 2 features druzy crystals ranging from light to dark red.

Location 3: Acme – northwest of Roswell (click for map)

Location 3 is the site of the first professional paper published on Pecos Valley Diamonds (Tarr, 1929) – crystals are white to pink and usually do not exceed more than 2 cm in length, but this is a fun spot for the history!

 

Other things you need to know:

The southern region of New Mexico is barren desert.  There’s usually not a tree, and if there is, it’s probably a short and stubby one.  If you are going to this area during the summer, be sure to be prepared for the heat: pack lots of water, bring sunscreen, etc.  Surface collecting without shade in July can be pretty miserable even with all these preparations, so we  recommend that you take this trip in the spring or fall.  Winter is also an option, but just as the desert is prone to extreme heat in the summer, it has a tendency to be bitterly cold in the winter.  New Mexico in the spring time is also known for wind – this is an unpleasant thing when your face is inches from the ground and you can’t see anything except the sand grains in your eyes.  There’s not much to be done about the wind, but be aware that it is a possibility.

 

Other things to do in the area:

If you’re making this trip, there are some other really fantastic things in the area worth checking out.  Schedule some of these into your trip, or keep these as a backup option if the weather is poor for collecting.

Number 1 for us on this list is Carlsbad Caverns National Park – this is arguably New Mexico’s pride and joy, and is around 2 hours from Roswell, New Mexico.  This National Park protects hundreds of miles of natural cavern systems, including it’s namesake Carlsbad Cavern.   There are many things to do while in this park: walking trails, cave tours, historical stops, etc., but we absolutely recommend that you try to make it for one of the Bat Flight Programs that are held from late May through October – this experience is absolutely magical.

Rock of Ages in the Big Room, c. 1941; photo by Ansel Adams

Rock of Ages in the Big Room, c. 1941; photo by Ansel Adams

Number 2: you’re near Roswell, New Mexico.  You know what that means.  Make a stop at the International UFO Museum and Research Center to explore your alien curiosity or grab some great knickknacks featuring little green men.

There are some other museums and parks in the Roswell area worth considering, including art museums, an aviation museum, and a number of wildlife refuges and bird sanctuaries.  Check out some of the options here: Roswell Area Attractions.  If you’re up for going out a little further, also consider: Carlsbad Area Attractions, and if you’re up for a real jaunt, consider White Sands National Monument and the White Sands Missile Range Museum.

 

Collecting Tourmaline at the Himalaya Mine, California

Tourmaline - 5.7cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

The Himalaya Mine is a location that rock and mineral collectors dream of: rich mineralization featuring gem minerals in stunning color!  The extraordinary minerals that come from this mine have made it world famous – lucky for you, the mine offers a pay dig site where you can keep all you find!

Before we get to the pictures of pretty minerals, let’s talk a little about the history of the Himalaya Mine!  (If you really can’t handle this part, you could scroll past, but you’d be missing out on some cool stuff!)  The Himalaya Mine was officially located in 1898, though early reports indicate that local Indigenous Peoples knew of the gem crystals.  Legend has it that white settlers located the mine after noticing Indigenous children playing with tourmaline crystals!

Gail Lewis was the original claim holder on the mine, though only held the property for four years.  In 1902, J.L. Tannenbaum, an employee of Tiffany & Company and a very controversial man, acquired the property through claim jumping.  Keep in mind, this is the original usage of the term “claim jumping,” meaning Tannenbaum filed another claim over the top of Lewis’ existing claim.  Much legal to-do ensued over this, but Tannenbaum retained the property.  The mine was then operated by Tannenbaum with J. Goodman Braye as mine superintendent.  Braye is a very interesting figure in mining history, as his position as superintendent was one of significant power and respect and he also happened to be an African American in the early 1900s.

First workings on the Himalaya Mine

Original caption: “First workings on the Himalaya mine at Mesa Grande, which was later to become one of the greatest tourmaline producers in the world. Left to right: Heighway, who filed on the Himalaya for Tannenbaum of New York; Vance Angel (center above) who was foreman 1900 – 1912; J. Goodman Bray, Jr., colored protege of Tannenbaum who was in charge of the Himalaya; Lohrer, first foreman of the mine; La Chapa, Indian worker. Photo courtesy Vance Angel, Mesa Grande.”  Reprinted from the bimonthly magazine Calico Print, Vol. IX, No. 4, July 1953, 40pp. The Calico Press, Twentynine Palms, California.

In the following ten years, reports indicate that 6 tons of tourmaline were shipped for use as lapidary material out of an estimated production of 110 tons produced by the Himalaya Mine and neighboring mines.  This would equal value at the time of more than $750,000!  By 1904, the surface workings were mined out and work had moved underground.

One of the principal demands for tourmaline was overseas in the Chinese market, where pink and red gemstones were highly prized by the Dowager Empress.  This drove a highly speculative market until the overthrow of the Chinese aristocracy in 1911.  The downfall of the Chinese aristocracy caused the tourmaline market to crash and ended the early production period at the Himalaya Mine.

Pink Tourmaline snuff bottles – 19th century – Qing Dynasty – photograph from Christie’s Auction House.

Sporadic small scale mining operations continued between 1913 and the early 1950s.  In 1957, Ralph Potter began another attempt at systematic mining at the Himalaya, including rehabilitating several older underground workings and driving several new tunnels.  Potter operated the mine for several years, but a collapse of the main tunnel in the winter of 1968-1969 ended underground mining.

In 1977, Bill Larson of Pala Properties International leased the property, later purchasing it in 1988.  This period saw extensive tunneling and underground expansion, and produced a relatively consistent stream of minerals in comparison to earlier projects.

The Himalaya Mine is now operated by High Desert Gems & Minerals, who also facilitate the pay dig site.

Over its life, the Himalaya Mine has produced an estimated 250 thousand pounds of tourmaline and mineral specimens.  In its most active 15 years, it produced more tourmaline than any other tourmaline mine in the world, including 5.5 tons in 1904 alone (the most tourmaline ever produced in a year).

For more on the history of the Himalaya Mine, see:

Fisher, J., Foord, E. E. and Bricker, G. A. (1999), The geology, mineralogy, and history of the Himalaya mine, Mesa Grande, San Diego County, California. California Geology 52(1): 3-18.

Jacobson, Mark Ivan (September 2010): Lippman Tannenbaum: President of the Himalaya Mining Co. and a Difficult Person, Mineral News, Vol. 26, No. 9.

Jacobson, Mark Ivan (January 2017): The Early History of the Himalaya Pegmatite Mine – San Diego County, California, Mineral News, Vol. 33, No. 1.


So, what you really want to know: what can you find?!

Tourmaline – Elbaite:

Tourmaline, Lepidolite, and Quartz - 14 cm across - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Tourmaline, Lepidolite, and Quartz – 14 cm across – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

The Himalaya Mine’s most notable mineral is tourmaline, a complex hexagonal boron-aluminum-silicate mineral group.  Most tourmaline from the Himalaya Mine is the species elbaite.  The tourmalines can range in color from black to vivid pink to apple green, and some crystals even feature multiple colors!  Blue tourmaline is also present, but is rarely found.

Approximately 5% of tourmaline from the Himalaya Mine are gemmy, meaning they have the high translucency that allows them to be faceted into glassy gem stones.

Elbaite - a gemmy crystal showing greens and pinks - 3.9cm tall - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Elbaite – a gemmy crystal showing greens and pinks – 3.9cm tall – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.


Lepidolite:

Lepidolite on Hambergite - 4.5cm tall - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Lepidolite on Hambergite – 4.5cm tall – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

Lepidolite is a series of the mica group minerals.  Lepidolite is rich in lithium, though the pink to red color of lepidolite is usually attributed to manganese content.  Because lepidolite is a mica group mineral, it is often very flaky, but some material can be used in lapidary work.


Quartz:

Quartz on Microcline - 7.8cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Quartz on Microcline – 7.8cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

Since the Himalaya Mine is a pegmatite mine, quartz is common throughout the deposit.  It can occur as clear “rock crystal” quartz, milky quartz, and even smoky quartz.  Some top specimens feature tourmaline or other minerals attached to quartz in beautiful ‘combination’ specimens.

Elbaite on Quartz - 6.0 cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Elbaite on Quartz – 6.0 cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.


Microcline:

Microcline (Carlsbad twin) - 6.0 cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Microcline (Carlsbad twin) – 6.0 cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

Like quartz, feldspar is an integral part of the mineralogy of the Himalaya Mine.  The most common feldspar species found is microcline.  Microcline from the Himalaya Mine is often beige to colorless, and can featured etched surfaces as well as crystallographic twinning.  Microcline is rarely gemmy from anywhere in the world, and this is also true at the Himalaya: it will likely appear as blocky opaque white-ish crystals.

Etched Microcline (twinned) with Albite and Lepidolite - 10.1 cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Etched Microcline (twinned) with Albite and Lepidolite – 10.1 cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.


Albite – variety Cleavelandite:

Albite on Orthoclase with Tourmaline – 8.6cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

Albite is another of the feldspar species present at the Himalaya Mine.  It often occurs as the variety Cleavelandite, which occurs as thin, platy crystals.  Cleavelandite at the Himalaya Mine often occurs in beautiful rosettes of colorless to very faint blue, and can often be somewhat translucent.

Albite on Microcline with Quartz and Lepidolite - 25.0 cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Albite on Microcline with Quartz and Lepidolite – 25.0 cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.


Fluorapatite:

Apatite - 2.3cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Apatite – 2.3cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

Fluorapatite from the Himalaya Mine is a uncommon, but is worth looking for!  Colors range from colorless to blue to intense pink.  Fluorapatite from the Himalaya Mine is light sensitive, so be prepared for colorless crystals on the surface and be sure to protect any colored crystals you happen to find.

Apatite on Quartz - 4.1cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Apatite on Quartz – 4.1cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.


Beryl, topaz:

Beryl (etched) - 2.9cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Beryl (etched) – 2.9cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

While beryl and topaz do occur at the Himalaya Mine, they are exceedingly rare.  Keep an eye out for oddities though – you could get lucky!  Beryl can occur as etched “floater” crystals, though fully formed crystals have also been found.  Beryl colors at the Himalaya include goshenite (colorless), morganite (pink), and aquamarine (blue).  Topaz is so rare at the Himalaya that we couldn’t even find a photo to share with you!  Both beryl and topaz will likely look much like quartz, though there are physical qualities to help distinguish them – be sure to make use of the staff at the mine to help answer questions you have about your finds!

Beryl (morganite) - 11.7 cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky

Beryl (morganite) – 11.7 cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.


Hambergite:

Hambergite - 4.4cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Hambergite – 4.4cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

Hambergite is another relatively rare pegmatite mineral that often occurs with beryl.  Well-formed crystals of hambergite are hard to come by from anywhere in the world, but they can be found at the Himalaya Mine.  They occur as creamy white crystals, but can also range from an orange-ish tint to a salmon orange-pink.  They are sometimes opaque and sometimes gemmy, sometimes etched and sometimes sharp.  Again, if you have questions about what you are finding, ask the staff – they’ve seen a lot of this material and have a lot of knowledge to share!

Hambergite – 2.9cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.


Stilbite:

Stilbite-Ca - 5.5cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Stilbite-Ca – 5.5cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

Stilbite occurs at the Himalaya Mine as white to cream colored crystals often found in “wheat sheaf” shaped sprays of crystals.  Stilbite is technically a super group of zeolite  (framework alumosilicate) mineral species, but that chemistry makes it even more interesting at this locality!  Stilbite rarely makes stand-alone specimens at the Himalaya (though that’s still possible!) – but look for it in combination with other minerals!

Stilbite on Tourmaline - 2.8 cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Stilbite on Tourmaline – 2.8 cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.


Stibiotantalite, Columbite-(Mn), and other “ugly” minerals:

Stibiotantalite (zoned) - 1.8cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Stibiotantalite (zoned) – 1.8cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

For those of you who also love the “ugly” minerals of the world, keep an eye out for some of other pegmatite rarities: stibiotantalite and columbite-(Mn)!  These minerals will occur as black to root beer brown colored crystals, usually with a somewhat flattened shape.  Some stibiotantalites even exhibit a beautiful color zoning!  These minerals, though lacking the vivid colors of some of your other possible finds, have a fascinating chemistry (they include rare elements like tantalum and niobium!) and are fairly rare in worldwide deposits – don’t throw them away!

Stibiotantalite on Tourmaline - 6.0 cm - photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

Stibiotantalite on Tourmaline – 6.0 cm – photograph from Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

There are a few other minerals we haven’t mentioned (mostly because they’re super rare or uninteresting or both), but you can see a complete list and more photos on mindat.org here: Himalaya Mine, Gem Hill, Mesa Grande Mining District, San Diego County, California, USA.


Dig info:

Himalaya Mine Finds! - photograph from Himalaya Tourmaline Mine

Himalaya Mine Finds! – photograph from Himalaya Tourmaline Mine.

So now that you’re ready to pack the car and go, here’s the rest of the important information you need to know!

The Himalaya Mine dig site is open year round on Thursdays through Sundays from 10am to 3pm (Monday digs can be arranged by reservation only).  The mine is located near Santa Ysabel, California and is open to the public.  Visitors can dig and screen through ore from the mine in search of pink, green, and black tourmaline, quartz, garnet, lepidolite, cleavelandite, and more!

Screening for Gems - photograph from Himalaya Tourmaline Mine

Screening for Gems – photograph from Himalaya Tourmaline Mine.

The cost for adults is $75/day, 13-15 years old is half price ($37.50/day), children 12 years and under are free with a paying adult, and additional children are $20/day.  Senior and active military discounts, rain discounts, and group rates are available.

Be prepared to go digging: it’s going to be dirty and weather is going to happen.  Be sure to bring appropriate gear (sunscreen, raincoats, shoes that can get muddy, etc.) as well as food and water.  Sorting through material can be made easier with toothbrushes and rubber gloves.  Don’t forget baggies/buckets and wrapping material for your finds!

How to Get There:

LISTEN UP, FOLKS!  Do NOT use Google Maps or Map Quest to take you to the “Himalaya Mine” – this will NOT take you to the right location and you will end up LOST!

Instead, use the address Lake Henshaw 26439 Hwy 76, Santa Ysabel, CA 92070 to take you to Lake Henshaw Resort.  You will need to go into the store (across from the lake and in the same building as the restaurant), ask for the mine dig, and the cashier will give you a code and further directions.

Make use of the MAP provided by High Desert Gems & Minerals by clicking here.

Be sure to check out High Desert Gems & Minerals’ website for any further information on the dig: Himalaya Tourmaline Mine Dig.

Himalaya Mine Tourmaline - photograph from the Himalaya Tourmaline Mine

Himalaya Mine Tourmaline – photograph from the Himalaya Tourmaline Mine.

 

Exploring the North Calico Mountains, Barstow California

Justin Zzyzx inspecting boulders at the Noble Prospect.

Written by Justin Zzyzx – Author of “Rockhound Barstow”
This location and many others are featured in the field guide – Click here to buy a copy for yourself

Click the Cover and Order your copy today!

Justin Zzyzx inspecting boulders at the Noble Prospect.

Justin Zzyzx inspecting boulders at the Noble Prospect.

I just love exploring the nooks and crannies of the hills and mountains around Barstow California. The area around here is known for the beautiful geological formations all around, such as Rainbow Ridge, as well as the silver mines of Calico, once a silver boom town, now a commercial tourist attraction. Barstow, a perfect place to set up base and explore the Cady Mountains, Afton Canyon, Opal Mountain, Mule Canyon, Alvord Mountain, Yermo’s rolling hills of alluvial agates and jaspers and so much more. There is a veritable treasure chest of mineral adventures to be had in these colorful hills, visiting is a thrill, and I, as a resident, love to take full advantages of these rock deposits.

As a frequent leader of field trips and author of the “Rockhound Barstow” field guide, I’m always looking for new places to take people to collect interesting minerals and lapidary materials. My personal favorite is finding places where there are both nice crystallized minerals, as well as colorful lapidary material, that way, out of the dozens of rockhounds who have joined me over the past year on each monthly field trip, everybody is happy with what they can find. Exploring mining information on MRDS.org, I noticed several mines located in the Northern parts of the Calico mountains. I could see, just 10 miles away from my pistachio grove I call home in Newberry Springs, there was a Wollastonite mine, a Nickel mine and an Arsenic mine, all bunched up to the West of Coyote Dry Lake.

View looking out to Coyote Dry Lake from the un-named Nickel deposit

View looking out to Coyote Dry Lake from the un-named Nickel deposit

On our first outing to this string of locations we tried to access it from the East, coming up Coyote Dry Lake road. The dry lake was not as dry as we expected, in fact, it was quite moist and with no desire to go “muddin”, we turned back and tried the other way into the area, all the way around the Fort Irwin road passage, 20 miles to the West. Fort Irwin road is a VERY busy two-three lane road that connects Fort Irwin to Barstow and highway 15. Fort Irwin, a large Marine base, requires a large amount of workers from the Barstow area to work the service industry jobs, as well as the tech jobs, along with all the contractors, you can imagine this is a very busy road. We drove through the pass on the West side, looking at all the remains from the silver mines that made the Calico district what it was and what it is today. The ore was mostly chloragyrite, a silver mineral that is toxic to process, proving to be costly and environmentally unsound, so, the silver mines stand dormant, forever.

Entering on Madrugador road, Eastbound from Fort Irwin road, you pass by a Wollastonite deposit to the North, which we inspected with little of interest to be found, then, continuing along on this fairly smooth, slightly rocky road we turned off to the Northeast on a power line road which then takes us directly to the Wolly Wollastonite #5 deposit, a long abandoned deposit of this interesting white mineral. Some field guides have published this location, however, they always refer to it as an Onyx deposit. Onyx, a name for Calcite, is found at lots of places around the Calico mountains, however, at this deposit, there is only the non-stop white bliss of massive Wollastonite.

Long fiber Wollastonite crystals on the surface of massive Wollastonite

Long fiber Wollastonite crystals on the surface of massive Wollastonite

Wollastonite is a mineral that can be found as part of a Skarn deposit. Common related minerals are Grossular Garnet, Calcite, Quartz, Hedenburgite, and Epidote. The grains of the skarn deposits can be quite dense, leading to amazingly hard stones that can be worked into lapidary objects like vases and pillars. The wollastonite here was most likely mined for use in the pottery industry. Wollastonite, CaSiO3, a Calcium Silica Oxygen mineral that often has impurities of iron, manganese and magnesium, all elements found in abundance across this mountain range. Crushed, this powdered rock would be used for adding to clay, reducing cracking when ceramics are fired in a kiln, as well as added to paint base, a filler to make paint thicker.

At the Wolly Wollastonite deposit we would find tons of massive white wollastonite with the choice mineral specimens being the small bits and thin plates of acicular “long fiber” wollastonite crystals, which form flat on the surface of the rocks and boulders. Along with these, a bit of orange Grossular garnet can be found forming in the sharp borders between the wollastonite and the county rock. Finding larger pieces of this material is uncommon, but possible, however bits of wollastonite with thin areas of garnet are fairly common along the waste rock piles. In the quarried areas, along the rock wall, you can see several veins of garnet, but, in my opinion, they are not terribly thrilling. One thing is for sure, the guides that have continuously pegged this as an Onyx deposit can now be corrected in the next printing! The deposit takes up the Northern side of this far outlying mountain, spilling out of the most Northern part of the Calico mountains. Various bits and smears of other minerals have been spotted, like epidote and hedenburgite, so with further exploration you might uncover something interesting.

Spessartine garnet masses found in conjunction with the wollastonite deposits of the North Calico Mountains

Spessartine garnet masses found in conjunction with the wollastonite deposits of the North Calico Mountains

A few months before I decided to visit this Wollastonite deposit, I was told by a gold miner in the Hesperia area that there was a Wollastonite deposit up in the North Calico mountains that had terminated grossular garnets. Wollastonite forms as a part of skarn deposits. One of the best mineral deposits in these formations are calcite pods with glossy grossular garnets underneath. Locations around the world produce specimens like this, the calcite acts as a blanket for the garnets, protecting them from any harm, until we, rockhounds, remove them from the ground and soak them in acid to dissolve the calcite and reveal the beautiful garnets underneath. While massive garnet is found at the Wolly Wollastonite deposit, the lack of calcite pods at this and every other Wollastonite deposit I’ve visited has turned up fruitless. Yet, chasing this lead has brought me to explore some infrequently visited areas of the rocky desert hillsides.

Going back in reverse from the Wollastonite deposit, you can head South in the first turn, which is a wash that leads up to the solid hillside and upwards on a road that leads to a former Nickel deposit, resting on this craggy spire, a semi steep climb leads to a non-connecting circular road around the peak. From here you have spectacular views of the valley below, the vast white/tan of Coyote Dry Lake, the Coptic monistary, and hey, I can even see my house from up here! Looking at this location from the comfort of my home, with my imported mine marker data from MRDS, I could see this Nickel mine and also find out more information about it. It referenced a mention in a a Southern Pacific Railroad booklet on Mineral of Industry, Volume 3, which mentions the deposit geology as “niccolite, arsenopyrite, annabergite, and uvarovite in a verticle silicic dike that strikes NE along a shear zone in hornfels and quartzite.”

View from on top of un-named Nickel deposit

View from on top of un-named Nickel deposit

Off we went, to go visit the un-named nickel deposit. The wind on our first visit makes the location very memorable. We can have wind gusts over 65 miles an hour on some days around these parts and that day the wind was so forceful we were quite worried we would be swept off the mountain. Maintaining a tight foothold, we explored the area, looking for bright green crystals of annabergite and chrome green uvarovite garnets. Instead, we found the meaning of “silicic dike”! All of the minerals we have found at this location have been frozen in blocks of silica. While this does not do anything for us mineral collectors, it makes for a unique lapidary material. The same stuff as the classic German “Nickel Quartz”, this green stone takes a nice polish and the contrast of white and green makes for an interesting stone. Floating around in this silica, tiny bits of chrome green uvarovite garnet are found, while nothing to write home about, they do add a little something to some of the slabs and tumbled stones we produced out of this ore. If there were crystals here, this could be one of my favorite locations, but even in massive lapidary form, this in a rare treat in terms of mineralogy, a geat view-point in this area of the North Calico mountains and yet, just one of many locations in a short distance in this mountain range.

Tumbled nickel quartz from the un-named Nickel deposit

Tumbled nickel quartz from the un-named Nickel deposit

Just off to the Southwest, the road takes you to the Puerto Negro mine, a series of rock dumps that stop at a mine entrance a few hundred yards south of the beginning of the dumps. This is an Arsenic mine that produced an arsenic rich ore with the occasional bit of calcite and realgar. While I have not found many specimens at this location, the few I have found have been quite uncommon, orangy red realgar in layered clear calcite crystals. Drive North to connect back with the power line road and drive over to the next canyon to the South, taking Madrugador Road, home to several prospects for copper and gold, before heading back out to Fort Irwin Road. These gold deposits do not have much in the way of collectables for mineral or lapidary enthusiasts, however, they do produce chunks of calcite and masses of red, iron stained, quartz.

Entrance to the Arsenic Mine, the Puerto Negro

Entrance to the Arsenic Mine, the Puerto Negro

From here, it is time to go across Ft. Irwin Road, just a few hundred yards to the South, a road stretches out towards the Northwest, reaching out to several locations were crystals and lapidary materials can be found. The road is a very nice, mostly smooth flat desert dirt road. There are a couple tiny washed out areas, but most any passenger car can navigate the area. Immediately to the North, a small set of ridges spread out, the ridge to the West of the hills contains two locations to explore. A massive Barite locality called the Ball mine and a funky Wollastonite deposit with some odd rocks to be found. You pull off this new dirt road and into a wash road that loops around, park here and hike into the mountain valley to find the Ball mine, which is easy to see and high up on the hillside.

The Ball mine was a series of tunnels and surface workings that produced massive white barite, which can be found in abundance as lumps of heavy white rock. While unassuming, when exposed to UV light, these lumps glow a pleasing green and pink. There are tons and tons of this material laying around the mine adits, so you will have plenty to choose from. Continuing North into the canyon you will come across a Wollastonite deposit that has bits of calcite and some black rock that is said to be chromium bearing.

Rockhounds collecting Garnets at the Nobel Prospect

Rockhounds collecting Garnets at the Nobel Prospect

Back on the main dirt road, you continue Northwest for a mile or so until you come across a faint road headed South which leads to a large pile of rocks in the middle of the flat desert. It is unusual to see a pile of rocks such as this, however, this outcropping of rock is a happy accident for all of us. Here you can find a great deposit of Onyx, a flowing series of banded tans and yellows, along with bright red caused by iron impurities, along with areas of quartz, in the center of the stones as well as on the surface. Druzy specimens of quartz and calcite can be found, the only drawback is the size of the matrix they are sometimes attached to! The large chunks of stone cut to reveal beautiful patterns, while being nice and crack free, solid cutting material. It is remarkably easy to find, within a half hour at the location, cutting material to keep you occupied for days and weeks.

Sliced Travertine from the large travertine outcrop in the North Calico Mountains

Sliced Travertine from the large travertine outcrop in the North Calico Mountains

Traveling only another thousand yards to the West along the main dirt road, you come across the Noble prospect, a mineralized zone consisting of a short canyon wash to the East, with short adits that pushed out garnets, quartz, epidote and calcite. While we were hoping for garnets trapped inside calcite pods, these garnets are frozen in a quartz matrix, an while crystals can get up to an inch across in size, there is no way to free them from the host rock. Still, terminated garnets can be found in this area and the masses of quartz, epidote and garnet make for interesting lapidary materials. Just a short distance from this wash, a road takes you a few hundred feet to a bench in the mountainside, filled with boulders containing calcite crystals and quartz druzy, the druzy areas measuring up to and over one foot in size on several of the boulders. The trick is to find specimens that are small enough to take home. Several pieces showed evidence of layers of quartz covering and replacing the calcite crystals, which make for very interesting mineral specimens.

At the Noble Prospect, Boulders of Calcite with Crystals growing in vugs can be found.

At the Noble Prospect, Boulders of Calcite with Crystals growing in vugs can be found.

Calcite crystals plucked from the walls of the Noble Propsect.

Calcite crystals plucked from the walls of the Noble Propsect.


Rockhound Barstow (California) Book Cover

If you like this article, check out the 28 page full color field guide “Rockhound Barstow” for sale online at the following links
Buy it on eBay
  Order it on Amazon, or Buy it for Kindle eBook Readers

Or, hey, here is the map…

Leading Field Trips – How To Show Other People Where To Collect Minerals

Justin Zzyzx Helping Rockhounds

Being a field trip leader is a rewarding experience for some people. People who serve as field guides get the opportunity to take people to interesting locations they might have never seen otherwise. In our hobby of Rocks and Minerals, we are looking for places where samples of minerals can be found, such as minerals featuring distinct crystals, or solid minerals, things a lapidary artist would enjoy, to cut and polish. Fossils, natural formations and other odds and ends round out the range of natural science themed excursions. For those individuals who step up to the challenge of field trip leaders and guides, this is my tale, take from it the bits of advice I, Justin Zzyzx, discovered first hand.

Justin Zzyzx Helping Rockhounds

Over the course of a decade, I have lead mineral collecting field trips for individual clubs I was a member of, clubs I was not a member of, the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies, public field trips to advertise my natural science themed art gallery, paid trips with tickets for Atlas Obscura and for over a year, a private run monthly field trip service. During that time I had to research locations, go on terrible trips, go on amazing trips, get lost, get found, get insurance, advertise, fix cars, fix people, change plenty of tires, pop plenty of tires and met hundreds of great people.

Becoming a Field Trip Leader –

Rocking With OthersIf you are just thinking of stepping into the ring as a field trip leader, my path starts like many others, going to a local rockhound club. From here your path can follow two directions, simply participating in whatever outings the club has and taking the experience from that, or, by furthering your experience by being a helpful participant and offer to lead additional trips or fill in for the field trip leader a month or two. Many clubs experience a bit of burn out when it comes to field trips. It is a somewhat stressful job to be in charge of a group of people’s entertainment. As such, many clubs find themselves in dry spells when it comes to field trips. Sometimes a little bit of fresh energy is a much needed thing, so check out the local scene and see what the general vibe is towards local collecting spots. Club members can be a wonderful source of information on local collecting spots. In addition to the first hand sources of going on field trips with leaders, there is plenty of research to be done with books, the internet and field research.

Books and Your Research Library –

Afton Canyon, CaliforniaOver the years of field collecting I’ve made it a habit to buy as many field guides from any age and any print style. Locations that might have been popular 80 years ago, then fallen out of favor might resurface from investigating old field guides. Important information that got skipped over in future editions, or vice versa, information in contemporary guides that might save you time! From this information field research can begin, because one of the most important rules of leading a field trip should be…One Should be INTIMATELY FAMILIAR With the Location Before Taking Any Group. For there could be fewer things in life as painful as wasting the time of any number of people expecting you to take them somewhere and understand what the deposit is about.

You can find contemporary and classic books for sale on amazon and ebay by using the links on this page http://wheretofindrocks.com/field-guides/ and also at your local bookstores. I’ve personally had the best luck at mineral shows and buying on ebay and amazon. ebay tends to be the place where you can find all sorts of oddball field guides and lots of regional guides you would only find online and at local rockshops of the area. In addition, members of your local rockhound community can be the best sources for literature, as they might be able to direct, sell, loan or otherwise help with sourcing local rockhounding literature.

 The local library is often a wonderful source for local mineral collecting literature. For example, while visiting a location 2500 miles away from my home, I found at the library some documentation talking about the mining districts in the 1910’s. I then matched these locations up to a current map and saw that TWO of these location were on land that I could visit and inspect for minerals. Dig deep and you can be rewarded with historical information that can turn up some amazing re-discovered mineral deposits.

Initial Field Research –

Visit the Location Beforehand and Collect Samples

Visit the Location Beforehand and Collect Samples

I would rather not take people on a wild goose chase. I did that one time and if I can help you avoid it, my heart will sing. Early in my days of leading field trips, I took a group of 8 individuals up the Garcia Trail in search of the Felix Fluorite deposit, just overlooking a vast neighborhood near Azusa California. What I did not know was, the deposit is not UP the Garcia trail, that is just where you START, after 100 feet you hop off and up to the deposit via a fire road that is snaking alongside the hills, not going STRAIGHT up it, like the Garcia Trail. After an hour of strenuous hiking, several of the participants cursed my name and vowed to never go on another trip with me.  At that moment I vowed to never make that mistake again!

Remember to Consider Parking for Everyone that May Come on your Field Trip

Now I make sure I have personally visited any location I plan on taking people to, no surprises. I try to map out alternative directions, ease of use, parking areas and identify where the guests will be collecting and locate a few samples to have on hand on that day. It might be easy to find parking for a handful of cars, but a few times I have had upwards of 50 vehicles all pouring down one lane tracks in the desert, wondering where they will all line up and how they will leave. At the very least, all locations must be visited twice, once beforehand and once for the actual trip. The best locations are ones that you are VERY familiar with, ones you have spent time visiting, researching and so forth. There are several locations I have visited well over a dozen times, places I could, and in fact, have given, educational talks about. That is how well I want to know a location I will take people to. I mean, a little less than that works too, but to really love and understand a deposit, that is a place that will love you right back.

Never take Parking Considerations for granted - Where To Find Rocks

Rancho Palos Verdes California

For example, Rancho Palos Verdes California. It is a PERFECT location for field trips, for research, for developing literature of its own. RPV (and the surrounding areas of this peninsula off the south west of Los Angeles Harbor contains a variety of crystallized minerals, fossils and plenty of public areas where collecting is permitted and encouraged. It has a story involving a land deal/mining claim gone dirty to allow for housing tracts in this once rural farmland. It has ample scientific study material to draw from, both past and current, interesting geological features, along with plenty of natural features to keep people interested. I have given no less than 20 trips to RPV to collect crystallized dolomite, barite and play in the tidepools with the starfish. I have given a 45 minute talk to several clubs in the Southern California area on the subject of this very peninsula. That is why field trips to this location are a favorite of mine to lead, can be done at a moments notice and so forth. If I was a field trip leader of a club in Southern California, a trip to Rancho Palos Verdes would be a yearly pilgrimage.

Rockhounding Photo Collage

Annual Salt Dig in Trona, CaliforniaI spent at least 3 years doing weekend adventures with my working friends. Many of my now lifelong friends joined me for many of our private adventures. You can be sure that several places visited during that time would fit right into my list of regular locations. It is ALWAYS advised to have one or more friends out with you when exploring. Safety. You have no idea how many crazy adventures would have been that much worse if I did not have compatriots. It is these trips that, when they end in failure, who cares? You are hanging out with like-minded individuals, enjoying the trip. Finding the minerals, on private prospecting trips can often be a happy accident. On a guided trip, that BETTER not be the case!

Waiting to Make Sure Field Trip Participants of all Fitness Levels Make it to the LocationsMy crew of local collectors have a list of locations we visited a half a dozen times or more before we found them. Like stupid STINKO california…well, That is what we call it. Cinco, a location for Feldspar crystals, it is SO EASY to show you EXACTLY where it is on a map today, but for our group, we went to that place nearly 10 times before finding the correct deposit. The blackberry bushes used to be my bane at the Mount Baldy Corundum location, now, I try to plan a trip there in August to enjoy the fruits along the PATH into the deposit that we could not find until our 9th trip into the river valley. I can easily feel confident taking up to 60 people into that location, knowing all of them will find quality materials, that it is relativity safe, easy to get to and legal to collect at.

 

Make a List of Viable Locations –

This step is highly variable. Some guides focus on just one or two locations. Perhaps they lead a regular trip for one specific group. My local attraction near my house does a private tour of underground workings of an old silver mine. That is the only tour they offer. They know that tour REALLY well. I, on the other hand, can take you to 12 locations, easily, to collect minerals and lapidary materials within a five mile radius of that place. Having access to open BLM land makes the task quite a bit easier. Depending on the area you are in, having a location where you can bring small and large groups to might be a challenge. One option is to limit the amount of people that can go on a trip. This is not an uncommon solution.

Many People on a Mineral Collecting TripOnce you are familiar with your area, make a list of places and start working the pro’s and con’s on taking people to the location. Access, Safety, and Material. I do not mind taking people to a location that is “sub-par” like, for instance, the tiny quartz crystals by Mount Baldy are not show-stoppers, but they are THERE and such fun to find and in such a beautiful location, it was worth-while, even if the material is just so-so. I also love to do double trips, if possible, go to a location that is good for lapidary and one that is good for crystals. Some trips I’ve lead have gone to three locations in one day without any complaint from the collectors. I find most collectors are ready to head out after an hour or so, moving them to a few locations can stretch their interest out a few hours. Pay to play locations are ok, most of the time. Not the scam salted dig sites, but the gem dumps in Southern California, the Sunstone mines of Oregon, the Quartz mines of Herkimer New York. Many of these locations make great trips for rockhounding groups. Don’t be a afraid to find the best places to use in your field trip list.

Insurance –

Rockhounding One of the perks with rockhound groups is by being a member you are covered by the Federation’s insurance policy. Rockhounding can be dangerous. It is up to me to create as safe as an experience as I can. Accidents happen. Accidents can be expensive. You better be insured. To make sure you are covered, it is worthwhile to purchase liability insurance if you are leading private field trips. If it is just myself and a couple friends and an accident happens, that’s up to fate. If something happens while on a sanctioned club field trip, the Federation’s insurance policy covers it. When I lead field trips for a public tour group as a freelancer, they covered the insurance policy. When I lead private field trips, it is my duty to provide insurance coverage. In my experience it is typical to find a rate for a year of 1 million dollars in liability coverage for around $800.00 USD as of 2017. Insurance is a must have.

 

Safety and First Aid –

Mineral Collecting Supplies - Where to Find RocksThere are two things to consider – How can we prevent an accident from happening BEFORE it does and How can we be prepared for an accident if it does happen. My first step is making sure that everyone on a trip I lead understands the basic “Rules of Rockhounding” with my own little tweeks.   My personal add ons are –

#1 – Leave all the animals alone. You can do what you want on your own time, but with me today, please leave all animals, lizards, bugs, birds and other wildlife alone.
#2 – Children love to climb, but not today. If you see a really amazing loose tallus slope to slide down, more power to you, but not today on this trip.
#3 – 100% NEVER allowed to enter mine tunnels, adits or undercut a digging area. Come back on your own free will, I tell the visitors, if you want to explore underground, however I advise against it 100% of the time if for NOTHING else then, see the part about Insurance.

Injury Can happen when Rockhounding

Even while you must tend to an injured field tripper, other participants are unaware, and are still rock hounding. Both are your responsibility.

If I allow any of these to happen, I could potentially void the insurance coverage. What we need to avoid is Negligence. In addition, being trained by your national safety organization
in First Aid, like the NSC here in United States is a valuable skill for any human. Click here to learn about First Aid Training by the NSC.

A first aid kit is a must have for every field trip leader. At the very least you should be able to issue ibuprophen, bandages for minor cuts and scrapes, at the worst, be ready for someone who could break a bone or sustain an eye injury. You make sure people who are hammering are wearing appropriate safety gear and being mindful of those around them, and then, making sure that people exploring are aware of the people digging, you can avoid eye injuries. Sure, it can seem like you are “restricting” some people’s fun, but safety should always be a TOP concern.

A first aid kit like this is perfect for the rockhound field guide
You can get this on Amazon for a steal! https://amzn.to/2sshYj1

Preparing for Vehicle Troubles –

Flat tires, busted oil pans, bring to me your problems, oh, field trippers and I will make sure to spend the extra hour to make sure you make it home!

Think about having the following…Flat Tire

• Road building tools. Usually the same stuff as rockhounding, make sure you can dig out someone who is stuck in mud or sand.
• Carpet scraps or two, for under wheels of stuck vehicles.
JB Weld Clay. Holes in various pans can be very problematic. JB Weld clay can be used to patch holes in oil and transmission pans.
• Oil and transmission fluids. If space permits, having a spare quart or 5 can be VERY handy.
• Duct Tape – more patching!
Tire inflator – Like this one
Tire Patch kit – If it was a puncture by a sharp tire on the tread, this is very handy!
Jumper cables – because, dang it, we left the lights on and the radio on and the phones charging and I don’t know why this dang thing went dead…

 

Promotion and Options –

There are several reasons WHY you are interested in being a field guide. You might be leading people to one or two locations because it is commercially related to another business, like mine owner tours to their own mine. You might want to participate in your local club, hopefully you are already and simply reading this for fun. You might see a commercial viability in leading field trips, as there is, to an extent.
Basically, whatever I’m covering in this niche can be applied to most natural and outdoors topics. I could just replace the words rocks and have been talking about hunting antique marbles, making gravestone rubbings, geocatching or IDK, whatever topic someone might want to share with a group of interested people.

Rockhounding

Here is what I did.

 In 2003-2006 I lead field trips for various clubs and one trip for the California Federation, as well as attended many lead by members of the Mineralogical Society of Southern California.

During 2006-2008 I would simply take friends out collecting and join club field trips. During this time we were also traveling for 6 months filming over 250 mineral collecting locations all across America and Canada.

In 2009 I started doing free public field trips where I would simply post on various online bulletin boards in the Los Angeles Area and invite people to join me at a specific time and place for the trip. I would have between 2-20 people join me on those trips.

Well behaved children are always welcome on rockhounding trips2010-2012, I used these to promote my natural science art gallery. We would host quarterly, free public field trips.

2013-2014 I was being contacted by various groups and individuals to lead private paid field trips. My favorite was Atlas Obscura, who would sell the tickets for a field trip for $40, they would sell out within a week and those people were some of the happiest rockhounds I ever met!

Around 2015 I had moved to the high desert and I was still doing free public field trips. During one of these trips I met Cyndy and Lois, who were local club members in the Victorville/Hesperia area and informed me that the local clubs were lacking field trip leaders. They opened a wonderful rock shop in Hesperia and it was not long before we came up with the idea of doing a paid monthly field trip. For $40 you got a 6 month subscription to the field trip list. Once a month you would get an email telling you where and when.

Collecting Fluorite in Ludlow

For those 6 months, you could come, or not come, at your own discretion to each month’s trip. The costs would be insurance and the tour guide’s wages, but for the sake of the business readers, let’s say, $800 for a year of insurance, let’s say $3000 for your field guide ($250 per month), you are at 100 users per year to break even, or 50 paid tickets every 6 months. Anything above that is gravy, so if you are a shop owner and want to try something like this, there is a good reference number. I’m not 100% on how many tickets were sold during my 18 months of field trips, however, I’m certain we beat these minimums quite handily.

Conclusion –

If you want to get into this position as a member of a rock club or to promote your local interest, if you want to simply share the joy of Rock Hounding to the public, it is best to be prepared with;

Justin Zzyzx giving a Lecture a SoCal Mineral ClubKnowledge
Time Devotion
Safety Training
Reasonable People Skills (hopefully)

For this, you can have the joy of spreading the topic of your interest and parlay that into writing articles, giving talks and additional paid gigs. If you found this article useful, feel free to link to it on your club website, facebook account or include parts of it for reprint in your club newsletters.

Dig Your Own Gemstones – Oregon Sunstone – A Guide to the Spectrum Sunstone Mine Dig

watermelon sunstone from the spectrum sunstone mine

Spectrum Sunstone Mine- Dig Your Own Fiery Gemstones in Oregon

It is very rare that a mine producing something as gorgeous and valuable as Oregon sunstone and the folks at High Desert Gems and Minerals are allowing you to do that at their site located northeast of Plush, Oregon in the High Desert! Featured on the History Channel’s Cash and Tresures, The Spectrum Sunstone Mine currently produces some of the most gorgeous gem sunstone out there in amazing colors, but mostly hues of red and orange but some amazing exotic colors too like purple, green, watermelon, and schiller-effect material. This gem can only be found in Oregon and nowhere else in the world. To be specific, this sunstone is a variety of labradorite but appearance and chemistry wise it differs from the classic, bluish iridescent material from Madagascar or Finland. There is nothing out there quite like them, a truly unique and gorgeous American gemstone.

gorgeous freeform stones cut from Oregon sunstone by master gemcutter Dalan Hargrave- dalanhargrave.com

gorgeous freeform stones cut from Oregon sunstone by master gemcutter Dalan Hargrave- dalanhargrave.com

gorgeous freeform stones cut from Oregon sunstone by master gemcutter Dalan Hargrave- dalanhargrave.com


About the Gem-

Unlike many precious gems such as diamond or sapphire, sunstone is prized for its variations of color and inclusions. Many faceters prefer to work with these inclusions when cutting stone, adding to the uniqueness to each piece. The high hardness (6.5 to 7) gives this gemstone enough durability that it can be set in jewelry without much worry of chipping or cracking the stone. Value of these stones varies from tens of dollars per carat to thousands and depends on color, saturation, and how the inclusions if present catch the light. These beautiful colors and inclusions are formed by inclusions of copper that precipitate from the molten feldspar as it is crystallizing. The copper included gem sunstone is extremely unique to Oregon. Many amazing carvings by the finest artists in the world have been made from sunstone rough, highlighting the amazing degree of variation held inside.

History-

Sunstone is Oregon’s state gem, granted that status in 1987 after being recognized by the US government as a gemstone in the 1970s. Interest in Oregon sunstone and mining for it in the Plush area was happening decades before the 1970s, however. Sunstone was a prized stone collected by Native Americans who were likely the first people to ever assign value to the gemstone. They believed the sunstones held great power and would even bury them with their dead.

There is local Native American lore about the sunstones, and they were used ceremonially among certain tribes. The legend goes as follows: An ancient warrior was hit by an arrow in battle and his blood dropped on the ground, where it scattered on the sunstones, giving them sacred power. It is not only the beauty, but this power that the natives valued and drove them to use these beautiful stones in their jewelry.

A picture of sunstone with evidence of working by Native Americans- published in the Ore Pit, a publication of Oregon State University's Mineralogy Department

Collection of sunstones in the Jacksonville (OR) Museum believed to have been brought into the area by Indians.

Sunstones didn’t gain popularity among europeans until beautiful, desirable material was discovered in Scandinavia in the early 1800’s and Eastern Siberia in the late 1800’s. Later on, settlers discovered deposits of sunstone in Oregon’s Warner Valley and interest grew in mining these stones. In 1908, Utah prospector Maynard Bixby announced his findings Tiffany & Co. of New York City acquired mining claims in the Plush area in the early 1900s which they no longer mine. One of these claims, which they did previously mine is now the Spectrum Sunstone Mine!

Interest has continued to grow to the point where many private claims and several commercial mines have been opened, the Spectrum Sunstone Mine offering some of the finest, deeply saturated material to the public to dig! Chris Rose and High Desert Gems and Minerals has continued the legacy of mining for this special gem and has opened many world famous sunstone mines, 11 total, producing a dazzling array of gems. Here is your chance, provided by High Desert to take part in the legacy of mining your own American gemstone.

Geology-

Sunstone forms in basaltic rock laid down in a giant lava flow and were formed around 15 to 16 million years ago. The source of this rock were volcanic eruptions that built the terrain of eastern Oregon. The sunstone itself is a form of feldspar, specifically a calcium rich labradorite. This labradorite is very different from the bluish shimmering material from Madagascar and elsewhere many of you likely have seen.

Feldspar is an important rock forming mineral, one of the most significant worldwide but that with the high gemminess and color of Oregon sunstone is very rare. The sunstone forms in unique flows of porphyritic basalt. The term porphyritic referring to large crystals suspended in finer grained matrix. These crystals are the sunstones and they formed within the lava freely floating before it cooled, so they became suspended in a finer grained rock matrix. Porphyritic texture in basalt is relatively common, but most of the time the feldspar porphyroblasts from elsewhere are opaque and never worth saving. The Oregon sunstone deposits are some of the few mined for this kind of gem material. The presence of copper in the flows of the Plush area, which give these gems their color is unique to the region.

Although basalt is very abundant in the Pacific Northwest, the basalt flows produced in the various eruptions during the region’s past are small and produce some chemical and geologic variation regionally. The geochemistry and petrology of these rocks still needs more detailed description, so there is a lot of opportunity to research this area in detail for anyone academically involved

Mining Yourself-

Map to the Spectrum Sunstone Mine

The Spectrum Sunstone Mine is a patented mining claim and is open daily to fee digging seasonally from May 15th to Nov 1st . They are open to mining from 9am to 5pm every day! The site is located I the remote Oregon high desert. Remember to bring plenty of snacks and drinking water to the site. It’s pretty far out there! It is a good idea to brig your own tools and bags to the site though loaner screens are available. The onsite shop also sells some tools. You will need a screen, buckets, shovels, rakes, baggies for your finds, and if you plan on working the pit a hammer, chisel, prybar, and other appropriate rock breaking tools. Some of the roads getting to the site are rough, so be sure your vehicle and the driver can handle it. Here is a map above and directions from the High Desert’s site:

When driving from the south follow these directions :
(Stay on the main roads according to our directions. After Plush, OR… if you are unsure:  do not turn unless there is a sign that says sunstone (some of the signs are very weathered). You will cross 5 cattle guards on the dirt road.)
Follow highway 395 north through Lakeview, OR and then head east on highway 140 towards Adel.
After mile marker 15 you will see “Plush Cut-off” sign, turn there (left).
Set odometer at Hart Mountain Store in Plush, OR to 0.0 miles.
Follow road (Co. Rd. 3-10, a.k.a Hogback Rd.), (which takes a sharp bend to the east at 3.6 miles).
At 5.2 miles the pavement ends, continue on dirt road.
At 10.1 miles turn east (right) onto Co. Rd. 3-11.
Go 1/2 mile (reads 10.7 on odometer) and turn north (left).
(Do not turn until you reach the next sign…)
At 19.2 miles you will see the “Sunstone Area 5 miles” sign, turn left.
Slow down!! Dangerous curves, especially at 20.4 miles and 22.4 miles.
After the cattle guard you will see several mines in the distance. We are the furthest mine… look for the tipi!
24.1 miles turn right on road after passing Dust Devil’s sign. You will be heading towards the Public Collection Area.
(If you are expecting to arrive at night please set up camp in Public Collection Area (follow signs)…continue directions in morning!)
Take the first left or the second left (before reaching Public Collection Area bulletin board)!  Follow the road. Please sign in at the office, and don’t run over the sage brush.
IF YOU ARE DRIVING FROM THE NORTH, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION.
From Bend, Oregon take highway 20 east to Riley.  Take highway 395 south.  Turn left – east- on Hogback Rd (near mile marker 64 – which is north of Abert Lake). Follow Hogback Rd. until the turn for Co. Rd. 3-11 (about 19 miles) where you turn left. Continue with directions above from Co. Rd. 3-11.

Conveyor Belt Mining for Sunstone in Oregon

They offer several kinds of mining in different price ranges you can participate in.

High Grade Conveyor Belt Run-

This option allows the miner to go through unsorted material immediately coming from the mine! Material is passed down the conveyor belt and is just washed off by water by you to reveal the gems. The cost is $200/hour and though steep, allows you access to premium material immediately as it comes out of the mine. Approximately six tons of mine material are processed per hour through the conveyor, so it is definitely a high volume dig.

High Grade Ore Piles- The mine offers high grade piles of ore you can search through for $150 to $200 each. Water available for washing. You get to keep everything as always!

Super high quality sunstone gem rough from the mine

All You Can Eat Buffet Ore Pile- The miners will pile up concentrate for you to sort for over the course of two days! This is a great choice to get the sunstone mining experience and to score some amazing gems. It’s a great family activity and is perfect for groups! Limit is 2 people for $300, 3 for $350, 4 for $400, and groups of 5 or more for $100 each extra.

Pit Digging- For $100 to $200 per person, you will be allowed to dig in the high grade pit with tools! Perfect for the avid rockhound and those who really want to understand the geology behind this deposit or just do some hard rock mining.

A fine sunstone that was found at the Spectrum Sunstone Mine

Mine Run Material Through Mail- If you want to get your hands on some Spectrum Sunstone Mine material now, you can buy mine run high grade and have it delivered right to your house! They run about six tons of ore through the conveyor and send you what they pick out after one hour! It isn’t the same experience as digging your own, but will hook you up with some awesome material.

Accommodations-

Primitive camping is available free of charge at the site as well as RV camping. Electricity hookup is not available for RVs. Cabins are also available with provided hot water, showers, and restrooms for $45 a night or you can stay in a tipi for $40 per night! Bedding and cooking supplies not included- you bring your own.

A general store for supplies is located nearby but otherwise this location is very remote. Please plan appropriately. See www.highdesertgemsandminerals.com for more info.

An amazing, rare watermelon sunstone, top quality rough, and some premium facets from the Spectrum Sunstone Mine

An amazing, rare watermelon sunstone, top quality rough, and some premium facets from the Spectrum Sunstone Mine

Sources:

http://www.doubleeaglemine.com/HistoryOregonSunstone.html

https://www.highdesertgemsandminerals.com/html/spectrum_sunstone_mine.html

https://geology.com/gemstones/sunstone/

http://www.dalanhargrave.com

https://www.oregongeology.org/milo/archive/MiningDistricts/LakeCounty/UnclassifiedDistrict/SunstoneAreaClaims/SunstoneAreaReport.pdf

http://www.4facets.com/sunstone.html

https://oregonsunstoneguide.com/mineral-data.html

The Fluorite Deposits of Afton Canyon – Cady Mountains – Southern California Mojave Desert

Looking down on a Fluorite deposit in Afton Canyon

While researching mineral locations for the field guide “Rockhound Barstow” we noticed a few different fluorite deposits listed with vague pinpoints associated. One of our favorite spots to visit is the area south of Afton Campground.

Highway 15, halfway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles with Afton and Basin, the West and East ends of Afton Canyon seen and the popular agate/jasper collecting spots of the North Cady Mountains in the lower half of the map.

Afton Canyon is a remarkable place, featuring dramatic walls surrounding miles of washes leading into the Northern Cady Mountains, a wonderland of agates, jaspers and various mineral oddities. To the North, there are two exits that will take you from the 15 down to Afton Canyon and the North Cady’s. Afton Road will take you to the campground and for those with 4×4, you can take the Spanish Trail East and you’ll pop out on the other side of the mountain, otherwise accessible by Basin Road, the next exit Northbound on the 15 from Afton Road. Taking Afton Road will get you to the campground where you can proceed into the area on foot, or, by taking Basin Road, you can drive to the deposits on rugged dirt/rock/sand roads.

Afton Campground with parking, leading to the large canyon, Pyramid Canyon, with the popular collecting site Hanging Canyon seen in the center, just to the East of Pyramid Canyon.

For our trip, we can go two ways. We can drive in on Basin Road and then take a series of washes and mountain roads and bam, you can drive right to the fluorite prospects. It is a tough drive and with some satellite maps and planning, you can attempt to reach the location via vehicle. We do not go in this way. We walk in from Afton Campground, through Pyramid Canyon. You start by going under the railroad bridge and across the shallow waterway of Afton Canyon to head South into the giant canyon wash. This wash continues for about 1.6 miles taking you through some magnificent large canyon walls, ending at a giant block of black basalt with a waterfall opening some 100+ feet from the bottom. Instead of walking to the back, we walk up a switchback .2 miles before the end, which takes us up to the top of the canyon. A road and path lead you to the upper wash, which would spill out into the lower wash we just hiked up. This whole area is a treasure box of crystals and lapidary goods, with different things found on different hills. Tons and tons of red and yellow jasper is found all over, zeolite included agates and jaspers, crystals of quartz and calcite and even some odd-ball zeolites, casts and epimorphs are found tumbling out of the basalt hillside. The basalt here features areas of intense gas bubble inclusion, resulting in literally MILLIONS of quartz pods filling the ground. Some of these have crystals, some of them did weird things, like replace zeolites and anhydrite, some of them have calcite on top of quartz, sometimes the quartz is over the calcite. It is a fun, uncommonly visited, vast in area, place, most often visited by people in search of agates and jaspers.

Satellite view of Pyramid Canyon

The Pyramid Canyon wash leads you to the near end of the lower canyon, then a out of use dirt road takes you up and to the Eastern side of the canyon and up into the black basalt deposits that make up the upper part of Pyramid Canyon.

Satellite view of the Upper Pyramid Canyon Wash

Satellite view of the basalt hills at the end of the Pyramid Canyon heading to Afton Campground. At the bottom of the photo you can see the “Mixing Bowl”, to the right of that the Fluorite deposits are found.

Continuing South on the upper wash of Pyramid Canyon you come to what we call the “Mixing Bowl”, which is an area that had three washes mix into it, making what looks like a pool in the wash. To the South there is a 10 foot waterfall wall which most can scale up with little assistance. To the SouthEast there are two washes, both of which lead to the Fluorite deposits of Afton Canyon. Yet, they are not really terribly close to Afton Canyon, we just had to walk nearly 2.7 miles to get there, from Afton Canyon. Maybe the Fluorite deposits of Near the wash that leads into Pyramid Canyon did not have the same ring.

Satellite view of the "Mixing Bowl" near the end of the wash above Pyramid Canyon

Satellite view of the “Mixing Bowl” near the end of the wash above Pyramid Canyon

Mixing Bowl near the furthest point of Afton Canyon. Waterfall to the Right leads to the Cattail fossils, to the Left is the wash that leads to the Fluorite deposits.

Mixing Bowl near the furthest point of Pyramid Canyon. Waterfall to the Right leads to the Cattail fossils, to the Left is the wash that leads to the Fluorite deposits.

To the North of the "Mixing Bowl" there is a 10 foot tall rock wall, a former waterfall, you have to climb up, or down.

To the North of the “Mixing Bowl” there is a 10 foot tall rock wall, a former waterfall, you have to climb up, or down.

If you hop up the waterfall you can walk over to a deposit of “Cattail” reeds, or Typha. You will see hundreds of reed stalks along with dozens and dozens of pods of seeds, the familiar “Cattail” part, which have been turned into quartz and calcite geodes, sometimes with banded red and white jasper/agate. Those ones are particularly showy. Some lapidary collectors have taken advantage of the pretty banded agate/jasper available, yet literally tons more are there, not including another deposit further North with the same type of material. More deposits of Typha fossils must exist in more locations in these hills.

Fossil Bearing Matrix of Typha, Cattail reed fossils. They have been silicated and contain colorful jasper and quartz crystals.

Fossil Bearing Matrix of Typha, Cattail reed fossils. They have been silicated and contain colorful jasper and quartz crystals.

Cattail or Typha, fossilized and replaced with a core of quartz crystals. You can see two of them in the center of this photo.

Cattail or Typha, fossilized and replaced with a core of quartz crystals. You can see two of them in the center of this photo.

Hollow casts of Cattail fossils found in Afton Canyon

Hollow casts of Cattail fossils found in Pyramid Canyon

From the cattail fossil site, there is a road that takes you Westward towards the Basin Road area via a DEEP dip Southwards via Baxter Wash. Just a short distance West on this road and a faint turn off will be visible on the North side of the road. This turn off leads you to the start of the Fluorite prospects.


Rockhound Barstow (California) Book Cover

If you like this article, check out the 28 page full color field guide “Rockhound Barstow” for sale online at the following links
Buy it on eBay
  Order it on Amazon, or Buy it for Kindle eBook Readers

The Boulders to the side of the wash contain numerous fossils of Cattail reeds.

The Boulders to the side of the wash contain numerous fossils of Cattail reeds. Note the faint road to the side. This road is navigable from Basin Road.

After 2.7 miles of hiking, we found the start of the Fluorite deposits of Afton Canyon.

After 2.7 miles of hiking, we found the start of the Fluorite deposits of Cady Mountains.

The area is quite long, up to a mile of prospects dart the hillside. The fluorite found here is green and purple and requires some real work to move hard rock and discover undamaged crystals that have not been hit by the sun. The sunlight turns these green crystals to a bleached white, as with most fluorites. Even with the sunbleached specimens, the UV reaction on these is amazing, LW, the most common type of inexpensive UV light source, makes this material GLOW!

The white areas in the distance are all prospects for Fluorite. The deposit spans nearly a mile in distance.

The white areas in the distance are all prospects for Fluorite. The deposit spans nearly a mile in distance.

Crystals of Fluorite hidden away inside a pocket on a boulder at one of the many prospects for Fluorite in the Headwaters of Afton Canyon.

Crystals of Fluorite hidden away inside a pocket on a boulder at one of the many prospects for Fluorite in the Headwaters of Pyramid Canyon.

A few specimens of Fluorite we found as we were looking for the Afton Fluorite Deposits.

A few specimens of Fluorite we found as we were looking for the Afton Fluorite Deposits.

Skin of Green Fluorite on Matrix

Skin of Green Fluorite on Matrix

Spheres of Fluorite on Matrix. Originally Green, faded in years of sunlight.

Spheres of Fluorite on Matrix. Originally Green, faded in years of sunlight.

As you can see from these photos, hard work and tools are required to unearth new, colorful specimens. After learning about the historical mixup on the true location of this deposit, we hightailed it to the location and hiked the 2.8 miles of washes, switchbacks, trails and amazing scenery that if you are near this area, you really should come and see. We had to hurry and hike back out just as quickly so we could get out before nightfall. While we did not uncover any amazingly bright green crystals, we did not dig, we just examined what we found on the ground and in the ground at the prospect holes around the area. It takes about 1 hour to walk from the campground to the “Mixing Bowl” waterfall in the upper part of Pyramid Canyon. Driving into the area takes about 45 mins to an hour from Basin Road. Walking in you get some serious exercise! Driving in, you can haul a lot of tools. Walking in you really get familiar with the landscape and areas, driving in, you get to business. Either way, the Fluorite deposits 2.8 miles South of Afton Canyon, near the headwaters of Pyramid Canyon, are ready for you to come and visit.
Plenty to see and explore all around this area for those fit enough and respectful enough of our beautiful desert mountains.

Finding the Princess Pat Mine, lighting up Shadow Mountain California

Princess Pat Mine Short Wave UV Rocks

I enjoy seeing rocks light up under Short Wave Ultra Violet light, so do millions of other people in the world. It is exciting to see brilliant colors coming from, what commonly is, a not very visually stunning rock. While large exotic crystals can fluoresce, many times it is something drab and visually unappealing that shows brilliant reaction to “black light”. As the field trip leader for an active group of rock hounds, my monthly trip for February of 2017 was to the area known for brightly fluorescent rocks in the Shadow Mountains, just West of highway 395, in the high desert of Southern California.

Cars parked to go collecting in California

Every month we lead a field trip for the Mining Supplies and Rock Shop in Hesperia California, visit the shop and join us!

Princess Pat Mine Short Wave UV Rocks

This photo shows the typical rocks found at the Shadow Mountain Tungsten District under normal light and under SW UV light.

To start out my planning for this trip, I did a basic Google search for what I thought the name of the mine was, the “Princess Pat Mine”. Google brought up some pages with various bits of information, some photographs, but no real indication of where the mine was specifically located. I then turned my attention to MRDS, as talked about in Rockhounding 101, this site can give me a list of mines, pinpointed on a map, showing what has been found in the area. It was a surprise to see that while there were a dozen or more deposits for Scheelite, the highly UV reactive mineral we were after, none of the mines were called “Princess Pat”. However, looking at the Google map, I noticed the road that takes you right to the majority of the scheelite deposits was called “Princess Pat Mine Road”. In fact, you simply turn west off the 395 onto this unmarked road and go for 5 miles until you hit the collecting area. But, why was I having such a pain finding the “Princess Pat Mine”?

I broke open Pemberton’s “Minerals of California” to find an entry for the Shadow Mountain Tungsten deposits on page 337, where it states “6. In the Shadow Mountains, on the northwest flank of Silver Peak, there are a number of scheelite deposits consolidated as the Just Associates quarries. The scheelite occurs in quartz veins cutting garnet-epidote-quartz tactite.” – however, no mention of the “Princess Pat Mine” – So, could it have been that the name “Princess Pat” was older or newer than this 1983 tome of California minerals? With this, I pulled out the Murdoch and Webb version of “Minerals of California”, 1966 edition, which leaves out the Shadow Mountain tungsten mines from the entries on scheelite in San Bernardino County.

Luck would serve me up a reference to “California journal of mines and geology”, Volume 49, which featured a fantastically in depth article on ore bodies of San Bernardino County, which reads

Just Tungsten Quarries (Just Associates, Princess Pat, Shadow Mountains Mines). Location: sees. 30 and 31, T. 8 N., R. 6 W., S.B.M., on
the northwest flank of Silver Peak, Shadow Mountains, about 13 airline miles west of Helendale and 14 airline miles northwest of Adelanto.
Ownership : Just Associates, E. Richard Just and Oliver P. Adams, 726
Story Building, Los Angeles, California, own unpatented claims totaling 440 acres. The property is leased to Just Tungsten Quarries, E.
Richard Just and associates, 726 Story Building, Los Angeles, California.

The deposit, now known as the Just Tungsten Quarries, was discovered in 1937. Operations from late 1937 to early 1938 by the Shadow
Mountains Tungsten Mines and W. A. Trout and C. A. Rasmussen re-
sulted in the recovery of about 750 units of W0 3 from nearly 3000 tons
of selected ore treated in a 40-ton mill on the property. The operation
was not successful and the mill was dismantled. During the mid-1940 ‘s
lessees mined about 400 tons of ore, and during the late 1940 ‘s the
Princess Pat Mining Company leased the property but apparently produced no ore. Operations from April 1952 to mid-1952 have yielded a
few hundred tons of ore of undisclosed grade.

The scheelite occurs in quartz veins cutting garnet-epidote-quartz
tactite bodies which exist at the contact between a Mesozoic granitic
rock and Paleozoic ( ?) metamorphic rocks, mostly impure limestone and
schist. The foliated rocks strike slightly north of east and dip gently
south. Scheelite-bearing tactite also has been developed, away from the
contact, along beds in the limestone, to form thin bodies of ore separated by barren limestone beds.

The deposit was explored during 1937-38 by 1800 feet of zig-zag
trenches, 10 feet wide and 6 to 10 feet deep, excavated by a power shovel
up a moderate slope in a southwesterly direction. A 65-foot vertical shaft
was sunk near the lower end of this trench system, but no mining was
done underground.

Employed in the early prospecting was a large field-type lamp requiring a 110-volt current, and a portable gasoline-powered motor generator set. This may have been the first practical application of a lamp
of this type.

Ore is being mined from a bench cutting into a trenched area about
50 feet north of the shaft. Mining operations are carried on at night,
and the ore is sorted with the aid of ultra-violet light. Shipments have
been made to both the Jaylite and Parker custom mills in Barstow.

There you go, the “Princess Pat Mine” has the distinction of being a mine that produced no ore.

As it was, the tungsten mines produced little more than some naming confusions and quite possibly some bad debt, as the scheelite riches would never quite materialize from this deposit. Tungsten is an element that was listed by the United States Government as a strategic reserve, as most of our Tungsten comes from China, during WWII it was known that it would be scarce, so efforts were made to ensure production could be met at home. Plenty of trenches and tunnels were driven in this 140 acre unpatented claim, in the end, producing nothing more than a playground for collectors with an UV light.

Princess Pat Mine Short Wave Minerals

The mostly smooth desert road is littered with rocks that glow under SW UV light

There is often a little confusion as to what kind of Ultra-violet light one needs to get the enjoyment out of collecting UV minerals. I have used many varieties of products and I’ve found what I like and what I do not like. Obviously, a light with ample power is what one wants. Small hand held units are commonly available in 6 watt and under, which gives you a reaction when you hold the light VERY close to the specimen. However, the difference between a low wattage light and something in the 9, 18, or even, 36 watts will astonish every viewer. If you want maximum enjoyment out of UV collecting, a dual wave 18 watt light is a sound investment. Some minerals glow under Long Wave (365nm) range, but honestly, I find Long Wave to be the most limited, while Short Wave (285nm), produces amazing effects. When it comes to companies, well, some come and some go, while some are longstanding companies that I do not personally enjoy, when it comes to price vs. what you get, so, I would like to steer you in the right direction. At this time, in winter of 2017, there are no good companies to purchase a UV light from on Amazon.com. In fact, I would push you in two directions. #1, UVTools.com – They have been producing some fine lights, which come accompanied by a great informative kit. I highly recommend all the units they sell, even the sub-9 watt lights. #2, on eBay, the seller topazminer_minerals_and_fossils has been having great deals on a fine selection of high powered lights, at very reasonable prices. I would suggest viewing their offerings when looking for a great UV light.


Rockhound Barstow (California) Book Cover

If you like this article, check out the 28 page full color field guide “Rockhound Barstow” for sale online at the following links, now including the Princess Pat Mine Area, indepth!
Buy it on eBay
  Order it on Amazon, or Buy it for Kindle eBook Readers

As part of the field trip series that I lead for the Mining Supplies and Rock Shop in Hesperia California, we took a trip out to the “Princess Pat Mine” area, or, as it should be known, the Just Associates Tungsten area, or, even still, the Shadow Mountain Tungsten area. You simply follow Princess Pat Mine road from highway 395 for 5 miles and you will find yourself facing the various prospect pits and trenches filled with cobbles and boulders of mostly white rocks that will glow readily under short wave light. You will see bright orange from the potassium rich calcite caliche, you’ll see bright green from the uranium included quartz. The bright white/blue scheelite is the real winner, appearing as belts of star-like dots in the rocky background. Rarely, one can find bright red from the wollastonite found in the area.

Cars parked to go collecting in California

We have lead field trips for various groups and organizations

Tailing pile of minerals at the Shadow Mountain Scheelite Deposit

This pile of ore rubble was waiting for us at the parking area 1/10th of a mile from the start of the major trenching. This pile of rocks glows brightly if you do not wish to go into the rocky tailings beyond.

A group of about 30 of us descended on the mine area around 5pm, getting a view of the area before the sun set, by 6pm we were ready to see some rocks glow! Many of us came equipped with various powered UV lights. Some of the inexpensive LED Longwave lights were causing the calcite to glow a slight pinkish, but that was all, while the Shortwave lights were causing the whole area to light up. Everything around the area was glowing light wild, which lead to lots of happy rockhounds and many people remarking that they could not wait to come back and bring friends to show this wonderful area to. In this lonely desert, with no lights besides the moon and the stars, one can get some amazing results with a short wave ultra-violet light!

Collecting at the Princess Pat Mine

There were plenty of trenches pushed into the mountain which make great areas to illuminate the walls in search of black light rocks

Collecting Short Wave Ultra Violet Rocks

In the dark, scanning for rocks that react to SW Ultra Violet Light is a blast!

Short Wave Light glowing Rocks

Here is a rock responding to SW UV light on the mine dump at the Princess Pat Mine/Just Associates Mine

So, go out and enjoy a day or night at the Shadow Mountain Tungsten District. There are no active claims, there is no ore of worth, it is just you and the coyotes, howling at the moon and looking down at the twinkling scheelite stars…

Rockhound Barstow – Collect Agates, Onyx, Dioptase, Celestite and more in this Mojave Desert Town

Check out the new expanded Rockhound Barstow, in full color and larger size!

UPDATED 3rd Edition Released August 2020 – Get it now direct on a PayPal link, or check it out on Amazon, eBay and Etsy





The Mojave desert is a mineralogically rich area. One small town of less than 30,000 people serves as a great jumping off point for dozens of fantastic collecting sites. Many of these locations are Southern California classics, found in field guides dating to the early 1940’s and surprisingly, still producing to this day. The Cady Mountains are an endless source of material. You can be sure that enough time spent in the loving folds of the Cady mountains will reveal some mind blowing treasures to the lapidarist.

Top Notch Agate being cut into slabs.  The Cady Mountains produce beautiful treasures you'll love working with!

Top Notch Agate being cut into slabs. The Cady Mountains produce beautiful treasures you’ll love working with!





A sampling of cabochons made from material found in the Cady and Alvord Mountains

A sampling of cabochons made from material found in the Cady and Alvord Mountains

Just a few miles outside of Barstow you hit the Calico Mountains with a vast silver district, an amazing series of borate deposits, celestite for days, tons and tons of fine selenite and ample supplies of petrified palm root just pouring out of the hills…and silver lace onyx and calcite concretions that can have celestite and quartz replaced spiders and flies inside! That is just the things you can find in a small mountain range just four miles north of highway 15!

Polished Celestite from one of the many celestite deposits found along with the Borates of the Calico Mountains

Polished Celestite from one of the many celestite deposits found along with the Borates of the Calico Mountains

Gem crystal clusters of Colemanite are found in the Calico Mountains, ready to come home with you!

Gem crystal clusters of Colemanite are found in the Calico Mountains, ready to come home with you!

Colemanite glows bright in Short Wave Ultra Violet Light, like MANY of the minerals found in the area.

Colemanite glows bright in Short Wave Ultra Violet Light, like MANY of the minerals found in the area.

One of the reasons Barstow is such a great starting point for rockhounding in this area is the prime location. Just 2 hours north-east of Los Angeles and 2 hours south-west of Las Vegas, this town has most everything you need for traveling in this area. Gas, groceries, hotels, restaurants, even the Diamond Pacific Rock Shop, attached to the Diamond Pacific Lapidary Equipment factory. Emergency services, like tire and vehicle repair can be found in Barstow so that even in the worst of conditions, there is somewhere “local” to take care of any problems. Convenience is what Barstow provides and there is no reason why that is not a good thing!


Rockhound Barstow (California) Book Cover
Buy it on eBay
Order it on Amazon, or Buy it for Kindle eBook Readers

Who better to write and produce this Barstow rockhound field guide than the field trip leaders, Justin and Brandy Zzyzx – locals to the area and avid rockhounds, each of the locations in Rockhounding Barstow have been visited by Justin and Brandy. Justin wrote the text and Brandy designed the maps, as you can see in the sample below.

Sample page from the Rockhound Barstow Field Guide - Lead Mountain, just a couple miles from highway 15, a great place to visit and collect colorful crystals!

Sample page from the Rockhound Barstow Field Guide – Lead Mountain, just a couple miles from highway 15, a great place to visit and collect colorful crystals!

Many of the locations have been written about before, while some of them are being published in this field guide for the very first time. One of the locations that is very exciting is the North Cady Mountain collecting, including the Top Notch claim, prospected by Bill Depue and John Pickett, of Diamond Pacific. This spot has been producing some really lovely material, bright red, golden siderite, fortification and banding of clear and lavender agate. Oh, a day collecting here just can not be beat! You are going to get directions to this very spot and over 30 more locations, just waiting for you to come visit.

Bright Red and Golden Top Notch Agate from the North Cady Mountains, featured in the Rockhound Barstow Field Guide

Bright Red and Golden Top Notch Agate from the North Cady Mountains, featured in the Rockhound Barstow Field Guide

Siderite is not a common inclusion in agates so it is a welcome site to see this material, rich with gold and red along with beautiful gel agate from the North Cady Mountains

Siderite is not a common inclusion in agates so it is a welcome site to see this material, rich with gold and red along with beautiful gel agate from the North Cady Mountains

Another interesting feature is the interactive rockhound map provided in the guide. Simply type in the website address and on your phone google maps will open up and you’ll be provided with a pinpointed map featuring all the locations in the book PLUS additional locations, each of them showing you EXACTLY where to collect. Most of the locations in the books will have cell phone service, allowing you to use the interactive google map as a guided satellite directly to the collecting location. Truly a first in terms of mineral collecting field guides!

This fun "Nickel Quartz" comes from the North Calico Mountains now printed in the pages of the Rockhounding Barstow!  Nickel Quartz, Wollastonite, Garnet, and so much more await you, with new locations added occasionally.

This fun “Nickel Quartz” comes from the North Calico Mountains Nickel Quartz, Wollastonite, Garnet, and so much more await you, with new locations added occasionally.

By now I’m sure you are chomping at the bit to find out how to get your copy of this booklet. This digest sized field guide, with a color cover, color photographs of what you can expect to find, over 20 collecting locations, all this can be yours for $14.99 plus shipping and handling! That’s right, just $14.99 plus shipping gets you a fountain of information, right at your fingertips!

Simply use PayPal to order directly by Credit Card or your PayPal account or purchase a copy from Amazon, Etsy or eBay.






The abundant Gypsum/Selenite in the Calico Mountains is great for tumbling, polishing, carving and collecting.  We use it as a water softener.

The abundant Gypsum/Selenite in the Calico Mountains is great for tumbling, polishing, carving and collecting. We use it as a water softener.

The Lavic Sidling Jasper location is not just limited to the classic areas, but also spilling out to the West and North of Pisgah Crater, as you'll see in the Rockhounding Barstow Booklet

The Lavic Sidling Jasper location is not just limited to the classic areas, but also spilling out to the West and North of Pisgah Crater, as you’ll see in the Rockhounding Barstow Booklet

Chalcedony Roses are very abundant out in the Mojave Desert

Chalcedony Roses are very abundant out in the Mojave Desert





Collecting by Air – AirMindat takes to the Skies to Collect in Arizona

The Crew loading into the helicopter in search of Arizona treasures

What do you do when you’re in Tucson at the Gem and Mineral Show on the Friday, when the show is full of school children and you really don’t want to have to be there dealing with them all? Simple. You go collecting. But you need to be back at the show by mid-afternoon? No problem. Let’s hire a helicopter!

The Crew loading into the helicopter in search of Arizona treasures

The Crew loading into the helicopter in search of Arizona treasures

At the TGMS show in 2009, several of the regulars from the mindat.org online chat room got together to organize just such a trip. The late Roy Lee was the leader of this trip, which we were hoping to make an annual event. Sadly he died just one year later, so this has remained so far the only mindat.org helicopter collecting trip.

We boarded the helicopter at Tucson Airport, after some concerns that too many of us were carrying extra weight. And I’m not talking about hand tools. But, the helicopter made it into the sky and we started our flight towards the Catalina Mountains – flying directly over the Davis Monthan Air Force Base and the “boneyard” where all the retired US military aircraft are stored. It was quite alarming to be flying over the main runway as a C-130 transport was making it’s final descent, seemingly flying straight at us at one point. Having survived our encounter with the US Air Force, we headed off towards our first destination – the Grand Reef Mine.

Mike Rumsey collecting mineral specimens

Mike Rumsey collecting specimens without the worry of washed out roads, boulders or rock slides!

This mine is notoriously difficult to access, with no nearby access roads. So the luxury of being able to fly right up to it and practically land on it was the stuff that mineral dreams are made of. The Grand Reef Mine is famous for linarite and other rare lead/copper secondary minerals. We spent about 90 minutes exploring the locality, collecting on the extensive dumps and admiring the scenery. Everyone in the party found decent specimens.

But what’s better than flying by helicopter to a great mineral locality before lunchtime? Flying to a second – so after we’d finished at the Grand Reef mine, we headed off again to the Table Mountain Mine – which is well known for dioptase crystals. The helicopter made an impressive landing on an exposed ledge (which happened to be made out of glassy slag from the smelters), and we again disembarked and wandered up to the tips to collect.

We all found nice dioptase specimens, but Jim Beam found a fabulous little ‘christmas tree’ of dioptase crystals, and between us we found specimens of conichalcite with possible austinite and duftite. Some samples appear to have minerals previously unreported from the locality, and once they are confirmed they will be reported on mindat.org.

Dioptase collected at the Table Mountain Mine in Arizona

Jim Bean shows off his little christmas tree shaped dioptase cluster collected at the Table Mountain Mine

Finally, we boarded the helicopter for the flight back to Tucson Airport and a short drive back to the Convention center, and we were back in the show almost as the last of the school buses full of kids was departing.

Editor Note – Yes, you can get to these locations, with a helicopter, or a lot of hiking. This article was originally published in The-Vug.com Quarterly Magazine, Vol 4, Number 3. You can get the reprinted book on Amazon, or directly from the publisher on MineralMagazines.com

This photo features a bright white plate of matrix hosting dozens of crystals of beautiful dark blue azurite and bright green malachite that is replacing some of the azurite

Click this photo and find more amazing mineral photos of mind blowing crystals

A Tale of Two Cities – New Mineral Shops in Los Angeles and New York City

FasanaRock Shop in Monrovia

Two new mineral shops have opened up on both sides of the continent, in two of the most heavily occupied cities in America. Rock shops are great places to add new beautiful crystals to your collecting, but also to gain knowledge and information. It is certainly helpful to know what minerals look like when you are gearing up for a rock hunt!

In the Los Angeles area, we have a beautiful boutique of crystals in FasanaRock, located near the corner of Foothill Blvd and Myrtle Ave in the foothill city of Monrovia, just a few miles East of Pasadena. FasanaRock is the result of Christina and John Fasana, producing one of the most beautifully designed boutique rock shop! In FasanaRock you will find amazingly colorful and inexpensive tumbled stones from around the world, beautiful and colorful polished crystals, well selected and diverse crystallized minerals, raw crystals and all sorts of educational and decorative items of the natural sciences.

FasanaRock Shop in Monrovia

Sulphur Quartz, how Unique! Rub them together and smell ! FasanaRock on 114 South Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia California

FasanaRock crystal shop with unique display features

How great is this? Colorful furniture contain drawers full of raw crystal goodies! You can find all sorts of colorful additions to any collecting here!

Tumbled Stones in Los Angeles

The wooden trays are the perfect way to offer this beautiful selection of tumbled stones!

John Fasana has worked for Rock Currier and Jewel Tunnel Imports for decades, making his knowledge of stones known in the fine selection at the shop.

Mineral specimens for sale in Los Angeles

Great selections of mineral specimens at very fair prices!

Christina Fasana has outdone herself with the store decor, incorporating thoughtful and functional design elements into the presentation of the stones. Along with their family, the Fasana’s have put a lot of heart and soul into this new mineral shop and it is well worth your time to visit it if you are in the Los Angeles Area – Check them out online at their website http://fasanarock.com/ and on Facebook and Instagram

FasanaRock carries Gem Hunt, educational gemstone dig kit – a perfect gift item for christmas!

Rock Shop in Los Angeles, FasanaRock

A store that can provide beautiful minerals and stones at very fair prices, centrally located in the foothill community, FasanaRock is well worth a visit!

In New York City, an off-shoot of Astro Gallery of Gems, we have Astro West, a store with all the things you know and love about Astro Gallery, with cases of fine minerals, beautiful fossils, and a diverse section devoted to educational natural science kits and interactive crystal features like “crack your own geode” in a sleek looking geode cracking machine.

Astro West - A great place to visit in the Upper West Side New York City

Astro West – A great place to visit in the Upper West Side New York City

Beautiful Crystals line the cases, ready to be wrapped up and taken home!

Beautiful Crystals line the cases, ready to be wrapped up and taken home!

The Geode Cracker is fun for all ages and the educational kits are selected for everyone who loves rocks, fossils and natural science!

The Geode Cracker is fun for all ages and the educational kits are selected for everyone who loves rocks, fossils and natural science!

You can find Astro West online at AstroWest.com and also, find them on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Astroweststore

It is easy to see why AstroGallery is known for beautiful crystals, all over New York City, now you have two locations to visit!

It is easy to see why AstroGallery is known for beautiful crystals, all over New York City, now you have two locations to visit!

Check out the website FindARockShop.com for rock shops in your area and as always, thank you for visiting WhereToFindRocks.com!

Dinosaur Aged Amber from the Sayreville New Jersey Clay Pits

Article and Photos by Paul Cyr- eonphader@hotmail.com

New Jersey is no stranger to geological anomaly. Most American rockhounds are familiar with the fluorescent minerals of Franklin and Sterling Hill, and thousands of people from around the globe have graced their collection cabinets with prehnite and other traprock minerals of the Watchung mountains, giving a classic “old school” scientific feel to that shelf of the display. New Jersey has also produced its fair share of paleontological specimens, including many holotypes and species completely new to science. Some of the most interesting finds include gem grade amber with insect inclusions from the Sayreville and Cliffwood Beach areas.

Insect inclusion in a large polished piece of Sayreville amber collected December 3, 1995. FOV 7mm.

Insect inclusion in a large polished piece of Sayreville amber collected December 3, 1995. FOV 7mm.

The amber occurs within the lignite peat layer above the deep deposits of the South Amboy Fire Clay. The New Jersey amber is the oldest in the Americas with insect inclusions. From this amber, researchers have discovered several new species of ants, including the oldest ones ever documented, giving new branches in the evolutionary line of ants. According to a paper by the American Museum of Natural History researchers, there are a dozen or more amber producing localities in and around Sayreville, but here will will focus on one. In the 1990’s, this locality was monitored by the research department of the AMNH. This study accumulated hundreds of pounds of amber from the Sayreville area, including thousands of specimens with insect inclusions. This was a part of a grand study involving insects included in amber from all over the world. Through this research, many new species of insects were added to taxonomy. Did we mention there is pyrite too?

A nice sized piece of gem amber on clay matrix, with lignite. Fresh harvest.

A nice sized piece of gem amber on clay matrix, with lignite. Fresh harvest.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Amber, Pyrite and Lignite in one specimen. With some careful transport tactics, examples like this can be preserved.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Amber, Pyrite and Lignite in one specimen. With some careful transport tactics, examples like this can be preserved.

You can find the author Paul, along with the website owner, Justin Zzyzx, at the Edison New Jersey Mineral Show – April 7-9th 2017 It is a CAN NOT MISS Event- Click the Banner and sign up for the mailing list for more information!
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For tools, it is recommended to bring various shovels, picks, small metal rakes, and other digging and scraping apparatus. The porous, but thick and sandy clay behaves differently depending on how wet it is, so you may want to try a few different tools to figure out what works for you. Bring a small plastic vial or jar to keep your amber isolated and safe.
If you have nothing else, a nearly empty plastic water bottle with a bit of liquid left in it will keep your amber safe, and clean it up a bit too.

Fully prepared, gem grade amber pendant shows off a warm glow in sunlight.

Fully prepared, gem grade amber pendant shows off a warm glow in sunlight.

In my experience, most of the pyrite is found on the surface, and appears to form due to the iron and sulfur nucleating in the center of the puddles in the cracked clay mud. The pyrite is mostly unstable, and will quickly lose its luster and begin to disintegrate if special precautions are not taken. The main key is to keep it completely dry. I have heard that putting it in a cool oven can help remove all moisture. I have used 3-in1 oil to give them a day dip, and take them out to dry. After the pyrite nodule is dry, apply a few layers of spray acrylic. Unfortunately, only a few of my specimens have held up to this point, but they are unique items in our inventory. Some post-pyrite secondaries seem to be found in microcrystals on some of the pyrites as they alter in the weather. Melanterite and jarosite may be present. More research needs to be done on the pyrite alteration at this locality.

No pyrite in the tire, I checked.

No pyrite in the tire, I checked.

The amber can be founded in small rounded grains along the surface. If you are looking for the large pieces with insect inclusions, you’ll have to dig. The lignite layer is a few feet down (I have heard anywhere from 4 to 9 feet subsurface). Lignite is the precursor to coal, and looks almost exactly like burnt wood. When you get down to this level, you are on the right track. In and around the lignite, you should be able to find evidence of amber soon enough. A nice sized piece with an insect inclusion could be the reward for your hard work.

Fresh amber in the field.

Fresh amber in the field.

Same pile of amber after first cleaning.

Same pile of amber after first cleaning.

Closeup of the amber.

Closeup of the amber.

Plant matter within the amber has been found to be in the juniper family. The lignite peat deposits were probably formed by ancient coastal cedar swamps. The age of this amber has been recorded from 90-92 million years old, in the midst of the Cretaceous Period. Amazing that something so fragile can still exist! This is one of, if not the ONLY locality that produces amber from the same time as the dinosaurs. If Jurassic Park was to happen, we would be thanking New Jersey amber for the DNA. Some of the forms are stalactitic, showing evidence of where it dripped from the tree. It is remarkable to find such objects. Some of the amber is opaque and looks like tan to brown wood opal, with similar luster and conchoidal fracture. The amber ranges from a yellow-hued honey color to a rich cherry red, and can also be brown. It is transparent when wet or polished, making for a beautiful finished product when worked. One gentleman has told me that if you have a big and stable enough piece, it can be polished with a toothbrush and toothpaste- but it takes quite a while. I have a specimen he polished this way in my personal collection. It is almost an inch tall and has a distinct and complete winged insect inclusion. It is one of the treasures of my New Jersey collection.

It's fluorescent. Most of the amber glows brightly in standard longwave UV light.

It’s fluorescent. Most of the amber glows brightly in standard longwave UV light.

To get there, plug in Lakeview Drive Sayreville, NJ into your GPS. When you get on this road, you will be in an apartment complex. Keep following to the end of the road, and park in the little cul-de-sac conveniently located at the trail head. The trail may look enticing, but avoid it unless you plan on exploring for possible separate amber pits. On the left side of the path, climb up the hill right next to the parking area and cross the railroad tracks. You’ll come to the other side where there is a trail. Make a left onto the trail, soon the terrain will flatten. Walk a few hundred feet down, and look for a dip in the brush on the right side. It is crude getting in to the pits, and ticks can be plentiful- use caution.

The Railroad to Amber. Cross over here. Beware of trains.

The Railroad to Amber. Cross over here. Beware of trains.

Ramble through the deer trails- a shovel or sifter can act as a shield through the thicket. Out in this stretch of bush you’ll reach the mud pits, dotted with amber and pyrite to the discerning eye. You may want to check a satellite view on Google Earth for a precise look at the field.

You've made it. Welcome to the locality.

You’ve made it. Welcome to the locality.

A happy amber collector enjoying the ancient fruits of the labor.

A happy amber collector enjoying the ancient fruits of the labor.

This locality is known for its aesthetic cracked mud.

This locality is known for its aesthetic cracked mud.

For lunch, I recommend White Castle in Parlin- new veggie burgers are delish! Good luck, and email me if you find anything substantial! Paul Cyr- eonphader@hotmail.com – you can also find Paul and his minerals for sale on Facebook – at the Deep Seeded Trading Post

This video will give you a visual idea of what to expect at the location

Collect Amber and Pyrite in Sayreville New Jersey created by Justin Zzyzx in 2005, now hosted on Vimeo.

Again, don’t forget to sign up for the mailing list for this great rock and mineral show in Edison New Jersey, one of the biggest shows in the United States!
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Red Jasper and Celestite Geode Specimens found near Hanksville Utah

Every year we look forward to visiting one of the most beautiful places in the world, the San Rafael Swell, a series of sandstone, shale and limestone that has been worn down by erosion by water, air and time.

San Rafael Swell landscape

A group of rain clouds hangs in the air above the dramatic rock formations of the San Rafael Swell

One of the best things is that the collecting locations are fairly close to highway 70, a road we travel every year in order to go back and forth from California to Colorado for the annual Denver Mineral Show, which is taking place as I type this.

For rockhounds and lapidary artists, the bountiful red/yellow jasper found in this area is worth stopping for. The jasper nuggets are found with a bubbly rind, colors caused by iron oxides, accepting a fine polish.

Red and Yellow Jasper with a bubbly rind, found near interstate 70 in central Utah.

Red and Yellow Jasper with a bubbly rind, found near interstate 70 in central Utah.

Bubbly Red Jasper Rind on a Crystal Filled Geode

Bubbly Red Jasper Rind on a Crystal Filled Geode

There are several areas to collect jasper, as you can see on this map, the two main areas are directly south of I-70, both accessible with a standard passenger vehicle. The first location is just north of a dirt road you enter heading West, .7 mile from the exit on route 24. The next location is on a dirt road heading east 4.2 miles from I-70, or 3.5 miles from the first dirt road.

map to jasper locations near hanskville utah

Two Jasper locations off highway 24, just south of interstate 70

The exciting thing to find while out looking for jasper are thin walled geodes with crystals of celestite, calcite and quartz inside. By gently splitting along the cracks in the walls of the geodes, you can find bright blue crystals of celestite, up to 4.5 cm, along with calcite in various forms and colors and druzy quartz, sometimes with an amethystine color.

Celestite Crystals inside a geode of Red Jasper

Celestite Crystals inside a geode of Red Jasper

Thin blades of Calcite forming on the inside of a red jasper geode

Thin blades of Calcite forming on the inside of a red jasper geode

The geodes are created due to the fact that they were originally filled with anhydrite, which then dissolved, mixed along with the marine sediments, giving the proper environment for celestite to form. The celestite in this area used to be mined commercially back when celestite was in demand. Now, there is very little demand for the raw material, which can be sourced very cheaply from sources around the world. The celesite is now mined for mineral specimens, sporadically.

Orange Calcite crystals with Blue Celestite crystals from the Swell

Orange Calcite crystals with Blue Celestite crystals from the Swell

Gray sparkling Quartz in a Jasper Nodule

Gray sparkling Quartz in a Jasper Nodule

When looking for these jasper geodes, you can often tell if there are crystals inside by the weight. Be careful not to shake the geodes violently, as loose crystals can smack into the crystals attached on the matrix. You most certainly do not want to smash these geodes open with a hammer, you can typically find a crack or fissure in the wall and pry it open with a screwdriver.

Utah is a beautiful place. This remote, yet, heavily traveled, area of the world, is a perfect reason to stop and stretch your legs! I hope you enjoy a trip to this area at least once in your life!

Cover of the Rocks and Minerals issue with a very well written article about the Celestite Geodes of The San Rafael Swell.

Cover of the Rocks and Minerals issue with a very well written article about the Celestite Geodes of The San Rafael Swell.

We highly suggest this issue of Rocks & Minerals photographed above. Rocks & Minerals is well worth subscribing to, they are one of the best mineral magazines ever printed.

Every mineral collector and rockhound should have these books by John Sinkankas

Cover of the Book Mineralogy

Rockhounding is a great hobby, rewarding and full of adventure. Few people know that to progress in knowledge about this hobby is easy as can be, it just take a little bit of reading and we have the perfect selection of books to talk about today, ones that will give you a full understanding of minerals.

All of these books were written by Captain John Sinkankas, a well noted and respected author who has a way of explaining things that many thousands of people have enjoyed and understood.

The most important thing about this article is the perception of mineral information, versus the reality. Guidebooks like the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks or the handy Smithsonian Handbook, well, they just do not do a good enough job, in our opinion. Sure, they are colorful and glossy, most starting collectors will have one or the other at some point in their life. However, if you have more than just a passing curiosity about rocks and minerals, there is a better way.

Cover of the Book Mineralogy

John Sinkanas’ book “Mineralogy” is our #1 pick for must have mineral books



Mineralogy
is the #1 book that we recommend to all mineral enthusiasts. The writer, John Sinkankas, has an easy way of explaining how atoms form crystals, and why the crystals different properties make them look different from each other. It is technical mineralogy explained in a way that most anyone can understand. The book can be treated as a college level book on the subject, yet, can be enjoyed casually with chapters devoted to different topics including over 300 photographs and line drawings, this is the must have book for everyone interested in the subject. You can find this book on Amazon and eBay. It was originally published in the 1960’s, any edition is worth owning. You will find it as a “Used” book, it typically retains value as it is a book that all mineral and rock collectors have loved for decades.
Cover of the book, Gem Cutting: A Lapidary's Manual, by John Sinkankas

Gem Cutting: A Lapidary’s Manual, by John Sinkankas



Gem Cutting: A Lapidary’s Manual
is John Sinkankas’ perfect tome devoted to all the basics of lapidary. The mystery of most every lapidary art is reveled, along with photographs and drawings to guide you to understanding the complete basics of lapidary arts. In the first chapters you are introduced to sawing, grinding, lapping, sanding, and polishing. Rock drilling is a common question, this book gives you the knowledge on that, plus, all the tumbling, cabbing, faceting, sphere-making, carving and engraving and mosaic and in-lay work information, including tools of the trade, tips on techniques and so much more. When I need to know what polish to use when I’m tumbling stones, I look to this book. This has an amazing wealth of information on this subject. The second edition is the edition we suggest and the big paperback edition is a great addition to any library.

Book cover of Prospecting for Gemstones and Minerals

Prospecting for Gemstones and Minerals is the best book to teach you about mineral collecting


Prospecting for Gemstones and Minerals is a perfect primer to understanding where to find rocks. Deposits are explained, how to find them, what is inside of them, and how you can get crystals out of the ground. This book serves as a primer to all topics on the subject of rockhounding. Over 350 pages of quality information, that, if you were to read, would put you in the ranks of the top collectors.

All three of these books are easy to read and understand, teach you the basics and the nuances of each subject are highlighted and explained. To read and understand these three books is to have a near complete general knowledge on this subject of rock and mineral collecting.

Petrified Wood Near Colorado Springs – Pairing Old Information with New technology!

Cover of Gems and Minerals, August 1967 with a stone horse on the cover.

Rockhounding is a hobby that anyone can pick up, with very little in the way of costs besides time and transportation. Colorado is a wonderland of mountains, forests and rocks. Petrified wood is always fun to find and in many places around Colorado, abundant. Let’s show you a fun way to research locations from old data sources.

Cover of Gems and Minerals, August 1967 with a stone horse on the cover.

Available on eBay, Amazon, and at mineral shows across the nation, old magazines are full of rockhounding information!


By old data sources, we mean, old magazines, books and pamphlets about collecting minerals. Rockhounding was very popular in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, which lead to the production of all sorts of printed material for rockhounds and lapidary enthusiasts. Today, even if rockhounding was nearly as popular as before, the internet is the land of independent media, yet, the information from those sources is so niche, it takes people specialized in transferring that information over to bring it to light, instead of waiting around for others to research and publish, you can take charge and research many things from your computer, using information from sources like this one, The August 1967 edition of “Gems and Minerals”.
article in 1967 Gems and Minerals about collecting Petrified wood in Colorado

Click to see at full size


The article, entitled “Petrified Wood in Eastern Colorado” by Eugene M. Beason, describes a large wash where petrified wood is plentiful. Due to the nature of these alluvial rock deposits, every year new material is churned up by erosion by wind and rain, so if there was ample material in 1967, there would be ample material in 2016. Property ownership is always evolving and changing and must be verified by any possible explorer.

Map from 1967 Petrified Wood in Colorado Article in Gems and Minerals

Original Map to the Petrified Wood Collecting area in the 1967 Gems and Minerals article.

Many things have changed since this article was printed, nearly 50 years later. Instead of the turn being the “Skelly Station”, we can see the map is pointing to “Peyton Highway”, which runs north to go over a mountain pass and turns hard left (west) on “County Road 74/82”, which parallels the wash that is talked about in the article. I do not think there is any need to stop at the farmhouse listed in the article to ask for permission, as the ranch land gave way many years ago to the need for housing, as the populations in nearby Denver and Colorado Springs swelled, so did the growth out into the nearby countryside. 50 years ago there were just cows and a couple windmills, now there are hundreds of houses dotting the landscape. The issue is that the property in Colorado has two things going against it – Waterways can be included in property lines and property does not have to be POSTED to give first refusal to entry, as in most states in America.

map showing petrified wood collecting area north of Peyton Colorado

This map shows the area as shown in the illustrated map above.

As we searched google for information on this location, the terms “Peyton Petrified Wood” were coming up nearly blank. We did find an entry for it on Mindat.org, but it did not show anything directly from this location. Additionally, PeaktoPeak, a well known website for Colorado collecting, has a bit about petrified wood from that general area. Digging through field guides to Colorado, we could not find this location listed, could it have been one of the locations that simply slipped through an information hole, getting a two page article and then just…relegated to maybe popping up in a mention in a local club newsletter. It IS possible to contact the property owner, Tim Richardson, at timothy.k.richardson@gmail.com for guided tours of the petrified wood deposits.

map showing the distance between denver and colorado springs and petyon colorado

as you can see, Peyton is not a far drive from Denver or Colorado Springs

Researching where rocks are found is necessary and interesting – don’t neglect to inspect old magazines and field guides from 40, 50, 60 years ago. You never know when a good location has simply fallen through the cracks and is waiting for you to find it and come explore! You’ll find that property ownership has changed over the years, however, don’t neglect to contact current property owners about that old information – many people are excited to find colorful rocks and minerals and are surprised they are underfoot.

photo from gems and minerals article "Petrified Wood in Eastern Colorado"

“Looking down the wash where the good petrified wood is found. Floowaters that uprooted the tree in the foreground also uncovered new gem material.” – Photo by Eugene M. Beason.

quote talking about how when it rained in 1967, the wash turned over new material.

So, when ever the rain is hard in colorado, new material is unearthed!

Collecting Peridot in New Mexico – Olivine Bombs at Kilbourne Hole – Find Green Rocks in a Volcano!

Peridot Grains in a Volcanic Bomb of basalt

One of the more common questions that is asked about where to find specific minerals is…”Where can I find Peridot
With the distinctive green color and hardness that lends itself to faceting, along with being a popular gemstone from antiquity, the gem variety of the common mineral Olivine is often a subject of rockhounds.

Peridot Grains in a Volcanic Bomb of basalt

Peridot Grains in a Volcanic Bomb of basalt – Notice the larger grains on the left side of the photo. These grain are almost large enough to produce a cut stone.


Large, beautifully formed crystals of gem peridot were mined on an island in the Red Sea, off the coast of Egypt. These peridot crystals were a staple of the green gems associated with Egyptian royalty. Today, fine crystals of peridot are mined out of Pakistan, but is more to peridot than crystals, there is gem rough! One out of this world example is peridot being found inside meteorites that have landed on earth. These meteorites, when sliced, show the gem quality inside, metallic webs wrapping a dark olive color, which can be cut into gemstones. The other type of peridot to be found is gem rough that forms alongside volcanic eruptions, forming “peridot bombs” or Xenoliths. A xenolith is a fragment of rock that gets caught up in a flow, in this case, chunks of peridot were caught up in the lava erupting from the ground, creating these chunks of black basalt in which lumps of cracked, fragmented peridot can be found. Not every lava flow has peridot, but when they do, they become noted to rockhounds all over the world.

Kilbourne Hole Satellite Overview Map from Google Maps

Kilbourne Hole Satellite Overview Map from Google Maps – Peridot is found all around, best places are to the North East.


One of these lava flows containing peridot, that is open to collecting, is the Kilbourne Hole, located a few dozen miles outside of El Paso Texas, in New Mexico. Just think of that, readers in El Paso, Las Cruces, Western Texas, rejoice, a site for you! For the rest of us, a long drive! Kilbourne Hole is a place where one can explore and discover gem peridot – a trip for those with a AWD or 4×4 vehicle, as this is a sandy area with poor dirt roads. The lava flows that created this area were low erupting, not like what you have in mind in terms of a tall cinder cone, but rather a very wide crater, windswept and buried under millions of tons of sand. To collect here, you can either walk around the areas where chunks of dark black basalt are laying, chipping at them to see if they have peridot inside, or work into the walls of the flow, where you can see the layer with the basalt. It doesn’t always jump out at you!

When you are looking for gem peridot, it is all about size and color. You want clean green and a size large enough to cut away at in order to make a gemstone.

Large Peridot Grain ready to be faceted

Large Peridot Grain ready to be faceted

Two Peridot Lava Bomb Samples and one large grain, ready to be faceted

Two Peridot Lava Bomb Samples and one large grain, ready to be faceted

Google Map Directions to Kilbourne Hole Peridot Location

Google Map Directions to Kilbourne Hole Peridot Location

Close Up of Kilbourne Hole Rim Peridote Location East Side

Close Up of Kilbourne Hole Rim Peridot Location East Side – Notice the two thin dirt roads going around the perimeter of the Lava Crater.

Close up view of Peridot Grains in a Basalt Volcanic Matrix

Close up view of Peridot Grains in a Basalt Volcanic Matrix

Now, if Kilbourne Hole is too far for you to go – Check out our fun Gem Hunt – Gem Rough Mining Kit!
We have 12 gem rough, including Peridot, found in every kit, which featured a brick of hard sand, just add water to the box and then search with the included tweezers through the thick sand for your gems, sort them into the included gem cups and identify them and learn about gemstone mining and identify what you found in our 16 page full color Gems 101 Booklet – Perfect for ages 5 and up, Is it good for a science minded 7 year old? Yes! It is for EVERYONE who wants to play around and find real gemstone crystals. You always get a Herkimer Diamond, a Blue Zircon, Green Peridot and much more – Buy one through this page and get a FREE Peridot Xenolith, just like the ones on this page – Until December 15th –

Gem Hunt - Mine Your Own Gem Rough - Educational Toy Kit

Buy one of these from us before December 15th and get a FREE Peridot Xenolith with your order!


For $34.99 plus $8.99 shipping to USA – You get one of these high quality Gem Hunt kits, a perfect gift idea for almost all ages – Plus a Peridot “Bomb” approx 2 inches in size! Order one now, supplies are limited! Use the button below to order via PayPal or email FortySevenPress@gmail.com – re: GemHunt Peridot Order





Michigan’s State Stone – Fossil Coral called Petoskey Stones and YOU can find one!

Hexagonaria percarinata close view - photo by Wilson44691
Unpolished Petoskey Stone with cm scale - photo by David J. Fred CC

Unpolished Petoskey Stone with cm scale – photo by David J. Fred CC

Take the Petoskey Stone. Don’t worry, hundreds of thousands of these stones have been picked up from the beaches, fields, quarries and roadsides near Michigan’s Traverse Bay. Local tourism welcomes you to take a few home with you fromTraverse City and upwards through the towns of Ames, Elk Rapids, Torch Lake, and up to Charlevoix, where many suggest visiting the beaches in order to find these stone fossils. These stone replaced corals are abundant and often take a fine polish, used for tumbling, cabbing and slabbing. The floral patterns and semi-hard, easy to polish, calcite replacement make this a stone that was sure to bring rock collectors of all walks of life to this area of the world.

This vast area of Michigan was once covered by an ocean full of corals, the Hexagonaria percarinata, among others, which at some point in time were covered up with rock, turning into vast limestone deposits with countless bits of these dead corals well preserved, from millions of years ago. Bring the glaciers into the picture and suddenly the stone corpses of these corals are spread out all over the state, wherever the glacier dragged chunks of this limestone about. People have experienced finding these Petoskey stones all over the state, however, the most popular locations for collecting are on the shores of Lake Michigan, as the frost and rain pushes and pulls the sands and gravels, revealing more each year.

Hexagonaria percarinata close view - photo by Wilson44691

Hexagonaria percarinata close view – photo by Wilson44691

This rock collecting area is all about exploring. You can find hot spots where the specimens seem to crop up everywhere, you can walk for a half mile and not see a one. Anywhere there is gravel, that is a great place to hunt. There is a world of information about these stones, so many websites, books, articles, parks, dedicated to these funky fossils. This year it was all about the 90ish pound boulder specimen pulled out of Lake Michigan. I personally saw the photo pop up on instagram, then get taken down. The state has a limit of 25 pounds collected at a time! There is a photo of President Obama with one of these stones on his desk. It is the state stone of Michigan and certainly a draw for tourism. So, I highly suggest grabbing a copy of this book, The Complete Guide to Petoskey Stones

Check out the following links below for more information on Petoskey stones and click here or on the banner below to check out Petoskey Stones available for sale on eBay.
The Petoskey Chamber of Commerce has a great website detailing information about Petoskey Stones and where they can be found and purchased, locally, in Michigan!
You can check out our friends at RockTumbler.com for information on tumbling, polishing and grinding your specimen of Petoskey Stone. That site has great information.
Here is an article about Obama’s very own pet Petoskey Stone
Here is an article about the Petoskey Stone that cause the big news in 2015.

Photo of a polished Petoskey Stone, Hexagonaria percarinata

Photo of a polished Petoskey Stone, Hexagonaria percarinata – Photo CC

The best thing about hunting Petoskey Stones is the beauty that is Upper Michigan. The beach views of Lake Michigan are said to be breathtaking, the landscape is full of greenery and wild flowers in the spring.



Montana “Diamonds” Quartz Crystals for Rockhounds!

Judith Peak

Dead center in the great wide state of Montana, a deposit of quartz crystals can be found. Typically double terminated, squat crystals with very short c-axis, these come in clear, milky and smoky and available for people of all ages to find!

Photo of Quartz Crystals from Judith Peak Montana

This photo was used in the October 1971 issue of Gems and Minerals Magazine. This shows how they can be confused with actual diamonds, with their form.

There are dozens of locations around the world where quartz “diamonds” are produced. You see, people want diamonds. Marketing has told us how desirable they are, how they signify love. Just wait until the November through March, non-stop jewelry store commercials pushing whatever diamond scheme they have this year on everyone. In 2014 it was those terrible “chocolate diamonds” which are one step above industrial grade. The truth is, there are way more diamonds in the world than there will ever be a need for, so it is an artificial market kept afloat by you and me. With that in mind, a random that has very little knowledge about minerals can pick up a double terminated, squat quartz crystal and think “DIAMOND!”. This gives the name to so many deposits. Cape May New Jersey Diamonds, Herkimer New York Diamonds, Montana Diamonds, Pecos New Mexico Diamonds, Pakistan Diamonds, Tibetan Diamonds…all…quartz. Well, everyone loves quartz crystals, so hey, even if someone was disappointed that they didn’t find diamonds, us rockhounds are happy with what they found!

Montana Diamonds are found about 20 miles from the town of Lewistown Montana, nearly smack dab in the middle of Montana. On the top of Judith Peak, an open area for collecting with hand tools, an abandoned radar installation is located. All of the road construction and removal of trees and overburden for the buildings has uncovered ample ground for searching and rockhounding. At an elevation of 6,386 feet above sea level, an igneous deposit of rhyolite has been pushed up to the surface. The rhyolite cools at different rates, the slowly cooling rock giving more time for the quartz crystals to grow larger. This deposit hit the right notes, leaving a layer of rhyolite that contains these well formed crystals.

Map with Judith Mountain Peak pinpointed

The Judith Mountains are located in Central Montana. Judith Peak is about 20 miles outside of Lewistown.

Satellite map of Judith Peak Quartz Crystal Location

The pinpoint on the map shows Judith Peak and the pin covers up the main collecting area.

Judith Peak

This area is a great place to start prospecting – This is home to an defunct US radar installation.

In the USGS publication Geology and Mineral Resources of the Judith Mountains of Montana By Walter Harvey Weed, Louis Valentine Pirsson it is written about this area in 1898! (This book can be downloaded as a PDF by clicking this link)

Judith Peak itself is composed of quartz-bearing porphyry…The small, angular light colored flakes compose the crest and slopes. Pine trees grow thickly upon it, and in places they have been burned and the porphyry has been reddened or blackened by the fire.
On the north side of the slopes fall away into several steeply descending, half-funnel gulches. The angles of slope of the broken porphyry is extremely steep, and the gulches have almost the aspect of amphitheaters. Farther down the blocks of the broken porphyry naturally becomes larger.
Almost at the summit of Judith Peak, a few hundred yards north-west, the porphyry appears crushed and filled with narrow quartz seams, which are stated to carry low values in gold. Southward from here, although the porphyry is greatly rotted and broken down, it can be seen that there is a gradual increase in the number and size of the quartz phenocrysts until,…these quartzes assume a large size, the phenocrysts being often an inch or more long. The quartz crystals weather out as pebbles, and very perfect specimens may be obtained

Collector at the rhyolite deposit at Judith Peak Montana 1971

In this photo from the 1971 October issue of Gems and Minerals, you can see a collector searching for quartz crystals in the rhyolite.

Well over 100 years of collecting quartz from this location and yet…there is still more to be found! So, if you find yourself in Montana, right about dead center, you’ll be close to some fantastic quartz collecting!

Collecting Rare Earth Element containing Minerals near Mountain Pass, between Las Vegas and Los Angeles

Typical-Cut-Rock-From-Mountain-Pass-District-With-Radioactives
Mountain Pass is a famous mineral deposit that is found between Baker California and Las Vegas, immediately off the sides of highway 15, making access to the huge deposits of rare earth elements absurdly easy.

However, easy as the deposits are to get to, please don’t think of giant sparkling crystals…or even dull, earthy, single crystals. The diverse mixture of minerals found in the Mountain Pass district occur as frozen crystals in a barite-carbonate deposit. That means, these are just…rocks. Or, rather, solid chunks of minerals, requiring some lapidary work to enjoy the wonderful mineralogy found in this interesting deposit.

The history of the Mountain Pass district is quite interesting, from the original prospecting for silver, gold and sulphides, to the uranium boom in the 1950’s, when it was discovered that much of the belt of rolling hills north and south of the Sulphide Queen mine, which is right on the side of what is now highway 15, contained large amounts of radioactive rocks. While there was no uranium, the rocks are rich in heavy elements of cesium, lanthium, europium and neodymium. Mineralogically, we find a host rock of barium, dolomite and calcite that can have various mixtures of mica, apatite, bastensite, zircon and more. Take a peak at these microscopic drawings of thin slices of rock from Mountain Pass, as found in the USGS report HERE http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0261/report.pdf
Camera-Lucida-Drawings-Rare-Earth-Elements-Mountain-Pass

If you want to read more about the deposit, we suggest these links for more information as to the current production of ore at the only operating REE mine in the USA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Pass_rare_earth_mine
https://www.hcn.org/issues/47.11/why-rare-earth-mining-in-the-west-is-a-bust
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rare-earth-elements-not-so-rare-after-all/

This is not TellMeAboutMineralDepositHistory.com, this is WhereToFindRocks.com! So, let me tell you how to add a specimen or two of this interesting mineral deposit to your collection!

We can start with MRDS, one of our favorite websites and a prospecting field collector’s best friend. This site lists a vast majority of all claims made for mineral deposits and lays them out in a way that makes prospecting readily accessible to everyone.

We start out by getting close to the area we want to review, in this case, the Mountain Pass district.

MRDS-Locating-A-Claim-Mountain-Pass

Once we have this area outlined, we can request the data, using the button below the map. Personally, I enjoy using it with Google Earth and I will show you how that is done.

MRDS-Downloading-Google-Earth-Data

By selecting the google earth data output, we are given a page that shows a downloadable link to the data. Clicking the blue link and saving that file will give you a .kml file. If you have Google Earth installed, you simply need to double click this file and google earth will open up, showcasing the X’s and crossed hammers of mine sites as shown on the MRDS map.

MRDS-on-Google-Earth-Baker-to-Vegas

From here we can move into the map and start looking at the landscape surrounding the deposit. We can see the Mountain Pass Molybdocorp mining area to the north of highway 15, in addition to that, there are an abundance of X’s South of highway 15.

Google-Earth-Close-up-of-Mountain-Pass-REE

Clicking on the X’s we can see the prospects, both inactive and active, for REE-Barium, scattered all over the hillside. You can clearly see the outline of the deposit from the borders of the prospects and note that many of these prospects are on the brown/tan outcrops along the mountainside. One simply needs to exit on Baily road and turn South. Several outcrops are readily available immediately off the road with minimal hiking.
Huge-Deposit-of-REE-Carbonate-Rocks
There are so many deposits along these well graded dirt roads, one could investigate them all day…or, simply stop here and stretch your legs on a trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and pick up a piece of this interesting material.

Close up view of a slabbed specimen of carbonate-barite REE mineralization from the Mountain Pass District.

Close up view of a slabbed specimen of carbonate-barite REE mineralization from the Mountain Pass District.

UV-SW-Carbonate-Barite-Bastnaesite-Sample

This photo was taken with a 18 watt Short-Wave UV light, showcasing the carbonate content reaction.

Collecting Zeolites around Marysvale, Utah

The noon sun hung in the sky with a dull yet irritating heat. It was early Spring, and I was traveling to a place nobody had any reason to be, an empty valley in Central Utah. I grabbed the canteen swaying from my hip, took a hearty swig, and wiped the small beads of sweat slowly forming on my brow. The dry earth crunched with each trod of my heel, one after another like a rhythmic drum, each thud forming a slow monotonous beat.

marysvalezeolites-june-16-02

I took in my surroundings. At surface level there was not much to see, canyon walls and plateaus, little wildlife, and less trees. What little vegetation was found here often amounted to sagebrush. It peppered the dirt in various shades of chartreuse, flowing lightly with the siblant hissing of the wind. I was two miles south of Marysvale, Utah, a small town with less than five hundred residents. On this particular expedition, I was alone.

marysvale-june-16-01

The area I was headed to was the now abandoned Elbow Ranch. On my shoulders slung a backpack stuffed lightly with supplies: a fold up shovel, a pair of gloves, a chisel, a spray bottle of water, a rag, the morning newspaper, a loupe, and a geologists hammer. I also made sure to leave some empty space for any of the various specimens I hoped to collect.

marysvalezeolites-june-16-03

I’d spent the earlier half of the day in the Durkee Creek area. Durkee Creek was much easier to reach than the hike to Dry Canyon had to offer. Most Rockhounds with already impressive collections probably wouldn’t have bothered spending the time there. The red-brown earth of Durkee Creek offered an abundance of zeolite, but they were often small specimens that didn’t equivocate to the effort involved.

It wasn’t until one o’clock that I found an area that had seemingly been untouched. I unfolded the shovel, wedged it between the cracked earth, and began digging. With each downward stroke I hope for the sound of metal scraping rock. It was four feet down where I found it: mordenite, an orangeish pink rock like rusted iron. With my chisel and rock hammer I chipped at the rock, a tedious process requiring delicate precision. When I’ve made enough of the outline I wedge the pick in and remove the specimen like a loose brick.

marysvalezeolites-june-16-05

A quick spray from the bottle and a wipe of the rag gave the rock a quick polish. The mordenite was about half a centimeter thick, forming a crust for the interior of crystalized white quartz. I held it over head where the light could reach, twisting it in hand, watching it blink and shimmer in the afternoon sun. I recall thinking a familiar thought, an image of this same area long ago. A memory strung together from vague recollections of scientific studies and my own personal imagination. It was a hostile world, fiery and volcanic, but one small pocket of that world had been preserved. A fracture of time lying dormat, imprisoned and pressurized for thousands of years, found by me after a series of seemingly coincidental happenstances.

marysvalezeolites-june-16-01

I tore a page from the classified section of the day’s paper and wrapped the mordenite with care, then I climbed my way out of the hole. The sun stood due west, glaring. My wrist watch read 4:00 pm. In Marysvale Utah many of the residents are returning from work, preparing for dinner and the days end. I grab the canteen, and wipe my brow. Then I gather my gear and continue on. I’ve yet to try my luck at the Blackbird Mine.


Gem Trails of Utah Book Cover
Gem Trails
by Various Authors

The Must Have, if nothing else than to have an IDEA about the collecting spots in your state, the gem trails books are a wealth of information at a low price. The perfect beginner guides that are refrenced by serious field collectors! Click on the book covers to view them on Amazon, or search the eBay link below.

Gem Trails on eBay

How to prepare your 4×4 for rock collecting – Rockhounding Preparedness Series

How to prepare your 4×4 for rock collecting.

Rock collecting may be a popular, family oriented activity, but how often do you think of the safety of your family first when you go off the beaten track to hunt for that one, perfect example of a billion-year-old rock? How often have you heard of people being stranded without food and water for days, just because the driver did not check his vehicle before leaving home? Don’t let this happen to you and yours! Simply follow the few easy-to-follow tips listed here to reduce the possibility of vehicle breakdowns when you could be hundreds of miles away from the nearest repair shop.

Check radiator hoses.
This might appear to be self evident, but according to the AAA, engine overheating is the leading cause of vehicle breakdowns in America. Radiator hoses must be firm to the touch, and free of oil, and even oil residue. Oil degrades the rubber of radiator hoses, which makes it imperative that oil contaminated hoses be replaced before your next trip.

Check all V-, and other drive belts.
You may think your belts are OK, but the most damage occurs when the pieces of a broken drive belt work themselves in under the other drive belts. This can cause all your belts to jump their pulleys, and because of their high rotational speed, the flying pieces can destroy the radiator, the battery, the radiator fan, and critically important wiring. When in doubt, don’t procrastinate, replace all the belts, and observe the proper tensions on all.

Check the charge rate.
The proper rate of charge on 12 V vehicles is 14.2 – 14.6 Volt. Anything above or below this value is indicative of a faulty alternator, or maybe worse, damage to wiring in places where you cannot repair it in the wilderness, so fix it now, while you can.

Check battery condition.
Don’t just look at the outside, and maybe clean off acid accumulations. A battery needs to be able to deliver specific currents at certain times, such as during starting. Have an authorized battery dealer perform a draw test, to determine the ability of the battery to deliver sufficient starting current. Also, compare the specific gravity of the electrolyte in each cell against the specs for your battery. Differences of one or two percent are normal, but differences or deviations that approach 5% are not, and you should replace the battery.

Getting Jump Started in the Desert

You don’t even want to THINK about how much it costs to get a jump start in the desert, 80 miles from nowhere.

Check the suspension.
Check the suspension and steering systems for excessive free play between related components such as ball joints, tie rod ends, steering dampers, draglinks and control arms. You may think that since the tie rod ends have been a little loose for the last two years, they are OK because they have not pulled from their sockets yet, but off-road driving places extreme loads on a vehicle, and the last thing you want to happen is to lose your steering while going down a steep, rocky hillside. Think of your family, and replace all worn components before you leave home.

Check the brake system.
Check the entire system for signs of leaks, and do NOT forget to check the slave cylinders inside the brake drums. These cylinders can lose up to 60% of their effectiveness before they even start to show signs of leaking, which means you could be driving around with less than 50% of your braking capacity. Moreover, if you had been topping the brake fluid reservoir regularly, but cannot see a leak, remove the master cylinder from the brake booster to check if the brake fluid is not leaking into the booster. If this is the case, replace the entire master cylinder because you can never be sure the rubber seal kits available today will not fail you when you need them most; such as when you are going down a steep, very narrow mountain pass, with a 1000-foot drop off, and no safety barrier.

Basic Preparedness is Essential for Rockhounding!

Better safe than sorry.
Performing basic vehicle maintenance procedures before heading into the wilderness is not a hassle: it is a vital precaution against being marooned hundreds of miles from the nearest repair facilities. It is also great way to prevent potentially fatal accidents caused by parts that failed because they should have been replaced months ago, but was not. Think of the safety of your family, if not your own, get your vehicle into great shape, and enjoy the rock hunting, which is what you go into the wilderness for, right? Only make sure that by taking care of your vehicle, you can safely make it out again!

Field Trip: Midwestern Geode Localities


By: Jeremy Zolan

Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium

Supplies Needed:
Safety Goggles
Water
Insect Repellant
Shovel
Crack Hammer and Chisel
Paper for Wrapping Specimens
Bucket
Prybar (Optional)
Pick Axe (Optional)
Wheeler-Rex 590 Soil Pipe Cutter (Optional)

Search for Minerals from Iowa

Description:

View a map of the locations of these geodes by visiting MinDat.org’s copy of this map
Click Here to Load Map
Geodes in the Warsaw formation of Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. Each ‘x’ is a geode location. Originally from Arthur E. Smith (1997): Geodes from the Warsaw Formation of Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois, Rocks & Minerals, 72:6, 420-423. Updated and colorized by William W. Besse.

Many sites in the tri-state area of southeast Iowa, northeast Missouri and western Illinois produce geodes of world class quality. In fact, nowhere else in the world is richer in geodes than this strange area of the Midwest, where the Mississippian geode bearing Warsaw limestone formation is exposed near the surface. The geodes can reach 20cm across or larger and are mostly lined with quartz crystals though a variety of minerals like calcite, dolomite, sphalerite, and even millerite have been found in geodes. Geodes can be found wherever the Warsaw formation can be found outcropping. They can also be dug from riverbanks. Many fee dig sites for geodes are found in the areas of Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois rich in geodes.

wheelerrex-590-lg

A pipe cutter, specifically the model above (Wheeler-Rex 590 Soil Pipe Cutter) is great for opening geodes. Simply score the geode around the perimeter lightly with a hammer and chisel, clamp the cutter around the perimeter of the geode, and then carefully apply pressure until the geode splits. It is most desirable to split geodes into two equal sized hemispheres.

quartzgeodeiowa
Large quartz geode from Keokuk area- 20 cm diameter. Collected by David Wixom. K. Nash specimen and photo.

dolomiteiowageode
Typical geode and associated minerals (calcite and dolomite) from Keokuk, Iowa area. 4cm x 4cm. Rolf Lutcke specimen and photo. Ex. Paul Griswold

Rhodochrosite is what this picture is, with sharp dogtooth style crystals in a blood red color you would never believe

Geodes sometimes have carbonate minerals inside, like Calcite. But, wouldn’t it be cooler if they had crazy red Rhodochrosite crystals like this. Click here to see more amazing photos of crystals

Localities:

Sheffler Rock Shop and Geode Mine:
RR1 Box 171
Alexandria, MO 63430
At junction of Highway 61 and 27, 6mi S of Alexandria

Tim Sheffler
(660) 754 – 1134
tsheffler@mchsi.com
$25 per day for 50 lbs of material. 75 cents for each additional pound

blackiowageodes
Calcite and quartz geode from the Sheffler Geode Mine. A good specimen for the locality. 10 cm wide. Roger Sedgwick specimen and photo. Collected by owner.

Geodes are very abundant at this locality, hence the high limit for material. They are typically filled with quartz crystals but some other interesting mineralization can be observed. Dolomite, calcite, and pyrite are common accessories. It is best to use a prybar to free the geodes from the limestone matrix and open them at home or wherever they can be carefully cleaned, opened, and sorted.

Des Moines River, Iowa and Missouri

Geodes can be found abundantly in the outcrops on the shores of the Des Moines river. Bring a shovel to loosen geodes from the muddy banks and wash them in the river so the surface features can be seen. Some rocks at these riverbank localities may be deceiving and look like geodes but are just cobbles that have been well-rounded by erosion. These geodes can be filled with a wide variety of minerals and be of extremely varying but most will only contain quartz and typically at most one other species such as calcite or dolomite.

Jacobs’ Geode Shop and Mine:
823 East County Rd 1220
Hamilton, IL 62341
(217) 847-3509

iowacollecting
Caption: Collector with large pile of geodes in Jacobs’ Geode Mine workings. E. Harrington photo.

Call before visiting. It is best to dig while the owners are around so they can show you the best technique to use at this site. It’s a good idea to call in advance to make sure they will be at the mine. The all day fee is reported to be $20. Apparently the owners only allow visitors to crack certain geodes on site so most of the prep work should be done at home. Reported to produce very nice material

calciteiowageode
7cm geode with 3.5cm calcite crystal. E. Harrington specimen and photo.

Modified by CombineZP
Marcasite crystal in geode. FOV 4.5mm. Collected and photographed by David Hanson.

Dennis Stevenson Geodes:
625 S. 18th St., Hamilton, Illinois
Call ahead to plan a trip: 309-337-3089 or 217-847-2952
$20 for one bucket, $15 for each additional one.

Mostly quartz based geodes, but some have nice calcite crystals as well. A staple Midwestern geode locality.

Find out what minerals Iowa is and has produced, check out what is new on eBay

Collecting Copper in Michigan’s Copper Country

Field Trip: Copper Country Collecting in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula

By Jeremy Zolan

Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

Supplies Needed:
Safety Goggles
Water
Sunscreen
Insect Repellant
Crack Hammer
Chisel
Shovel
Wrapping Paper for Specimens
Bucket
Sledgehammer (optional)
Prybar (optional)
Metal Detector (optional)

Description:

The Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan has been nationally famous for over 100 years for its history of highly productive copper mining. The local basalt is criss-crossed with many thick veins of native copper that made up the main ore of many of the mines. Solid natural masses of copper weighing hundreds of pounds were found with relative frequency at the mines. Though these pieces certainly were the most valuable ore, the best specimens from the area are clusters of well formed copper crystals. Other metallic minerals can be found with the native copper such as silver, domeykite, mohawkite, and chalcocite. Many other interesting minerals like datolite, analcime, prehnite, agate, and thomsonite are also abundant in the Keweenaw Peninsula. While all the mines of the region are closed to copper production, many are maintained as museums and fee dig sites. There are also many abandoned mines in the area that can provide good digging in the dumps but be sure to acquire permission from landowners before visiting any location on private land.

Localities:

Central Mine:
US 41
Central, MI 49950

central_mine_Michigan
Photo by Dave Maietta

Map:

The large tailings piles of the Central Mine are visible from US 41 in Central, Michigan. Many collectors have had good luck recently working this location. Occasionally, contractors remove large quantities of tailings for construction purposes and this exposes fresh material. In addition to the standard copper specimens, copper included calcite and prehnite can be found here. Silver has also been found with copper here but it is rare. A metal detector is very helpful for sorting trough dump piles like those found at the Central Mine.

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Caption: Calcite with copper inclusions. Central Mine, Central, MI 4.9 cm x 4.6 cm x 4 cm Ex. Rukin Jelks Rob Lavinsky Photo

Caption: Unusually large copper crystal. Central Mine, Central, MI. George Vaux collection at Bryn Mawr College. Scale bar is 1” long with rule at 1cm. Rock Currier Photo.central_mine_copper

Caledonia Mine:
Website: http://www.caledoniamine.com/
906-370-1131
202 Ontonagon St,
Ontonagon
Michigan 49953

The Caledonia Mine is a fee dig site that requires an advance reservation. When digging at this site, collectors are given a large pile of stockpiled copper ore and tools to go through it. Weekly collecting events on Thursdays and Saturdays are also held from the first Thursday in June to the last Saturday in August on the ore pile. Advance reservations are needed for these too. The workings of the Caledonia Mine are impressively preserved and tours are offered too. The mine tours aren’t necessarily just geared for casual guests. Many kinds of tours are offered, some with a very in depth historical or scientific focus. It is best to check the museum calendar to see if any events are happening during the time of your visit.

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Caption: Representative specimen of native copper from the Caledonia Mine’s recent workings. 5.6cm wide. Rob Lavinsky Photo

A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum
Website: http://www.museum.mtu.edu/
Michigan Technological University
1404 E. Sharon Avenue
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295
E-mail: tjb@mtu.edu
Telephone: (906) 487-2572

Michigan Tech’s A.E. Seaman Mineral museum is among the finest mineralogical museums in the world. Its laboratories are also critical in performing much of the cutting edge mineral research currently being performed. During the period of most intense copper mining in Michigan, many specimens of local minerals were donated to the museum. Their collection of Michigan minerals is the finest in the world and there is a strong local emphasis on their displays.

Check out our custom search and view all the minerals from Michigan for sale on eBay. Not only will you see lots of neat stuff for sale, you’ll also get an idea of what localities are producing in the region.