The post Collecting Ribbon Barite around Quartzsite Arizona appeared first on Where to Find Rocks.
]]>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.
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 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! |
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 |
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.
The post Collecting Ribbon Barite around Quartzsite Arizona appeared first on Where to Find Rocks.
]]>The post GemShades Collection Debut at The Crystalarium – The Ocular Artistry of Naomi Hinds appeared first on Where to Find Rocks.
]]>Fine Jewelry artist Naomi Hinds assembled a dozen unique wire framed gemstone glasses for the showing. Naomi was on hand, along with the fun loving staff of the Crystalarium, to show off these pieces of functional, wearable, art.
Crystalarium, located on beautiful La Cienga Blvd, in West Hollywood, was truly a perfect setting for this exhibit. The staff certainly coordinated a fine affair, with a live guitarist, fruits and cookies, wine and hors d’oeuvres served through the night, while visitors were able to visit with the artist and get the chance to try on selected pieces.
Follow CrystalariumLA on Instagram to find out about upcoming events and general crystal shenangans going on in West Hollywood!
In addition to the fine works on display, the artist treated the visitors to some behind the scenes looks into how the frames and other works, are designed and made.
One case full of stunners included two custom accessory arm features and a fantastic custom woven metal base for a bold green tourmaline, making it look like it was ready to blast into space!
If you would like to contact the artist for information on these or other works, you can find Naomi via this business card, and view her works on instagram @NaomiHindsDesigns
I was all too happy to run into Barbie Petrosky, the_miniralogist – creator of HIGH quality mineral memes on Instagram. Be still, my heart!
The post GemShades Collection Debut at The Crystalarium – The Ocular Artistry of Naomi Hinds appeared first on Where to Find Rocks.
]]>The post Collecting Howlite an hour North of Los Angeles appeared first on Where to Find Rocks.
]]>To this day, tons of howlite still overflow at the mine dumps, dormant for over 100 years.
View Tick Canyon Howlite Collecting in a larger map
This location, clearly seen on the map above, is amazingly easy to find, park, and collect. The borate mine in Tick Canyon is called the Stearling Borax mine, which had its own mini railroad, a “dinky” sized rail, hauling borates out of the canyon to the station in Lang. The by product of colemanite mining at this location was an odd soft white material, with thin black spiderweb like inclusions running throughout. This material, Howlite, has no economic worth, as it is not an ore of borax, it is found littering the mine dumps.
The old mining area is now fenced off with no trespassing signs. Years ago, this main area was a common field trip location for clubs from all over Southern California. Uncommon minerals like Priceite and Veatchite could be found on the dumps, along with softball sized cauliflower shaped howlite nodules. You would think that with the original mine dump off limits, collecting would be impossible.
This howlite nodule was cut in half, then mounted in a block of plaster. Photo by MiddleEarthMinerals.com
Something wonderful for mineral collectors, a large amount of the dump was pushed to the other side of Davenport Road, into the canyon below. This huge dump pile is full of howlite, as we found out visiting this location on December 23rd, 2012.
Chunks of white Howlite can be seen in the dark gray dump
Forty pounds of howlite was gathered in what seemed like no time, with no digging required. The howlite was everywhere, even down the wash dozens of feet from the main dump pile.
Howlite is soft enough to carve easily, yet hard enough to be a popular lapidary item for cabbing, tumbling, and polishing.
You can see that the material was so unwanted, they would use it as a filler rock in concrete.
This location is a perfect place for anyone, it is easy, interesting and filled with desirable minerals!
The article above is an excerpt from The-Vug.com Quarterly Magazine Fakes Issue, which was reprinted in the compilation book, available for sale directly from the publisher!
The post Collecting Howlite an hour North of Los Angeles appeared first on Where to Find Rocks.
]]>