The post Beryl and Pegmatite Minerals at the Simpson Quarry, South Glastonbury, CT appeared first on Where to Find Rocks.
]]>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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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]]>Here is one of the cleaned specimens of garnet and staurolite in schist matrix from the creator of Mindat.org, Jolyon Ralph’s personal collection.
UPDATE EDIT NOV 11th 2012, just a couple weeks after this post was written: I have omitted the directions to this location, but leave the map up. The location has been sold and there have been no trespassing signs posted. The new land owners are not welcoming people to contact them and permission to collect at this location has been revoked. A sad fact, this is now a historical document. Who knows, it could always be resold to someone who appreciates keeping legacy going.
From the parking area it is just a quick walk through the woods…
To the “mine” which is a large area of mica schist filled with garnets and staurolite.
All over the area, garnets are simply sticking out everywhere you look.
In the tailings, there are tons of garnets, like the piece in the photo below.
Chunks of matrix like this one are all over the place. These little garnets are not as nice as the one below.
This sample shows that it has larger, solid garnets in the mixture of mica schist matrix. If you have a sand blaster, the mica schist comes off easily. If you do not have a sand blaster, you can simply try your luck splitting the matrix, sometimes you’ll get lucky and have a single crystal like the one below!
This specimen just popped out of the matrix. It is not cleaned, it still has a lot of mica attached to the surface.
The Green’s Farm Garnet location is a must visit site for anyone who loves minerals and is in the area!
We are EXTREMELY grateful to the owners for keeping a classic site like this open and accessible for all these years!
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