Holiday Gift Guide: What to Get for the Rockhound in Your Life

Rocks! (Or maybe more properly in this case: "Minerals")

The holiday season is rolling in quickly and that means it’s time for gifts!  But what do you get for that special rockhound in your life?  We’ve compiled a holiday gift guide for you!

Disclaimer: Every rockhound is going to be a little bit different, but here are some ideas for you to consider.  Once you’ve spotted the perfect item, we suggest a Google shopping search to find the exact model that will work for you.  We can make some recommendations of items that have worked well for us, but take a look around and shop smart!

1. Rocks.

Rocks! (Or maybe more properly in this case: "Minerals")

Rocks! (Or maybe more properly in this case: Minerals!)

Obviously.  Because what rockhound doesn’t want more rocks?  But let’s be honest, some of you might not have any idea WHICH rocks your rockhound will love.  We have good news!  Many mineral dealers, lapidary companies, and others in the mineral trade DO offer holiday gift cards and holiday promotions!  Take the trouble out of choosing a rock and let your loved one choose their own!

Yeah, yeah, we know that gift cards kind of get a bad reputation.  But from a true rockhound, the idea that I can go into a dealer’s inventory and pick out something I LOVE is definitely exciting in a way that a gift card to the local fashion boutique will never be.

So how do you find the right company to go through?

First, decide what kind of material you think your rockhound will love – some love mineral specimens, others love gemstones, and others love just rough lapidary material!  Find a company that deals in the material you’re looking for.

Next, find a company that has a great reputation.  Checking out Facebook and other reviews is a great way to establish whether a company has a good reputation amongst its customers.  If you know that your Rockhound has had good relationships with a company in the past, go with that one!  (And if there’s a small-time company in your area, think about sharing the love by shopping local!)

Finally, if the company you’ve found doesn’t have a posted notice about gift cards or holiday promotions – ASK THEM!  Shoot them an e-mail or a message to their Facebook page – chances are, whoever receives your message will be happy to work with you!

 

2. Tools.

Every rockhound needs tools.  Similar to a rockhound’s choice in rocks, a rockhounds choice in tools might be a little difficult to pin down.  We’ve got a few ideas for you though, so take a look at some of these items to see if any of these seem like they fit your rockhound!

The Rock Scoop

A rock scoop in use by the Apollo astronauts to collect lunar samples!

A rock scoop in use by the Apollo astronauts to collect lunar samples!  Because the suits worn by astronauts made bending over nearly impossible, the rock scoop allowed them to collect rock and soil samples for return to Earth.

Though your rockhound might not be likely to be collecting on the moon, this is a proven tool.  A favorite amongst those who do a lot of beach combing, the rock scoop is a handy gadget that lets you scoooooop up your treasures without bending over.  This saves your rockhound on back and knee strain!   Of course, this tool works well in places other than beaches too (you know, like the moon!)!  We wouldn’t recommend this for the rockhound that likes to hammer on rocks, but for the collector who likes to walk along and pick up treasures, this is perfect!  (It can also double as a walking stick!)

There are a lot of different models of this tool out there.  Some feature a scoop with holes to let smaller debris fall through.  Some are collapsible for easy transport.

The Rock Hammer

The Rock Hammer - the most essential tool of the Rockhound!

The Rock Hammer – the most essential tool of the Rockhound!

Now, for those of you who have a rockhound who likes to do some damage on your hands, there is no tool more critical than the rock hammer.  And even if your rockhound already has a rock hammer, check it!  These tools wear out over time, so a new hammer is never a bad thing!

There are a lot of choices in this department, but make one important distinction: NEVER think that a regular hardware store hammer is the right tool.  It’s not.  Be sure that whatever product you choose is labeled as a rock hammer or a geologists’ hammer.  (This author has had great experiences with the tools made by Estwing, but there are certainly other choices out there.)

Note: if you need a stocking stuffer to go along with your gifts, some eye protection is always a great idea when using these tools.  Throw in some safety glasses!

The Geo/Paleo Pick

The Geo/Paleo Pick - perfect for a competition over who's pick is the biggest...

The Geo/Paleo Pick – perfect for a competition over who’s pick is the biggest…

Now, some of you might have a rockhound who’s mastered the rock hammer and needs something bigger.  That’s where the Geo/Paleo Pick comes in.  This tool features a longer handle for maximum power in the swing.  It also has two tips: one pick-end for, you know, picking.  The other end is broader and flatter and makes a great tool for scraping away debris.

There aren’t many choices available for this tool, so Estwing is a solid choice.

The Gad Bar:

The Gad Bar - for poking and prying.

The Gad Bar – for poking and prying.

The gad bar is a tool with a little more subtlety than the hammers and picks, but it is incredibly useful.  This is the rockhounds version of the pry bar.  There’s a pointy end for sticking into crevices, and  a chisel shaped end for wedging into cracks.  This tool is great for working in areas where you don’t have the space to make big swings with a tool, or in situations where all you need is a little leverage.  (Note: this is the author’s favorite field collecting tool.)

 

3. Information

One of the most important things you can gift a rockhound is the gift of information!  Here are a few different resources you can tap to help your rockhound get more educated!

Field Guides

Fred Pough's classic Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals

Fred Pough’s classic Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals

Field guides come in all shapes and sizes.  Some will cover topics related to field identification of rocks and minerals.  There are lots of options in this department!  Pough’s Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals has long been a favorite of rockhounds.  The author also recommends Sorrell’s Golden Guide to Field Identification of Rocks and Minerals.

Others tackle the subject on a more regional level and will give your rockhound ideas about new places to go and what can be found there.  Check out our section on Field Guides for more regional guides.

Magazine Subscriptions

Rocks & Minerals Magazine

Rocks & Minerals Magazine

Books are a great gift, but several rockhound magazines are also available.  Of course, the major perk to a magazine subscription is that you get new information delivered monthly or bimonthly!  Several well established magazines are out there, including Rocks & Minerals magazine (offers a wide variety of topics at different levels, though primarily directed towards mineral specimens), Rock & Gem magazine (suited more for those interested in lapidary hobbies), the Mineralogical Record (specializes in mineral specimens) and the Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist (specializes in lapidary and jewelry).  Magazines are a great way to keep your rockhound regularly inspired by new information.

 

4. Technology

As we move into increasingly advanced times, technology is one of the greatest tools we have accessible.  Just because your rockhound is concerned with ancient, dirty rocks doesn’t mean they can’t be aided by technology!

The Dino-Lite Digital Microscope

The Dino-Lite Digital Microscope - for looking at small things.

The Dino-Lite Digital Microscope – for looking at small things.

The Dino-Lite Digital Microscope offers a series of microscope options, from handheld USB models to eye-pieces designed to convert traditional microscopes.  These tools allow your rockhound to examine the small things!  Microcrystals to wood grains in petrified wood, this is a tool that has a wide variety of applications that will allow your rockhound to nerd out at the highest of magnifications.

The Ultrasonic Cleaner

The Ultrasonic Cleaner - reduce the wear and tear on your household supply of toothbrushes!

The Ultrasonic Cleaner – reduce the wear and tear on your household supply of toothbrushes!

Ultrasonic cleaners are a device used to submerge an object in liquid, which is then vibrated with high-frequency sound waves.  These waves act to scrub the object of grimes, and hit all the surfaces of an object including pores and cavities.  Ultrasonic cleaners are often used for cleaning machining parts or jewelry, but they also work wonders on rocks!  Take away the burden of hours of tedious scrubbing by investing in one of these machines!  (Disclaimer: do not put your water soluble minerals in here unless you want them so clean that they’ve disappeared entirely.)

 

Handheld GPS Units

GPS Devices - help your rockhound know where they are and where they're going!

Handheld GPS Units – help your rockhound know where they are and where they’re going!

For those of you who have a rockhound who loves being out in the field, one of the greatest resources you can give them is GPS!  Handheld GPS devices can be used to navigate to a new digging spot, or mark an existing one for easy navigation later!  Many GPS units feature topographic maps and land status maps, which give your rockhound even more information about where they are and what they can and cannot do while they’re there.

 

Rock Trimmers

Rock Trimmers - for precision splitting of rocks!

Rock Trimmers – for precision splitting of rocks!

Rock trimmers are perfect for the rockhound who carries home boulders for a small vug of crystals on one side.  These tools can be tricky to find, but a variety of models are available – from small and simple, hand-crank units, to large, hydraulic-powered units.  All rock trimmers work off the same concept: a rock is placed between two chisel-tipped points and pressure is used to pinch the rock and split it.  This method of splitting is not without risk to specimens (sometimes it is going to split where you don’t want it to), but it offers far more control over beating on your rock with a hammer and results in a more natural finish to a specimen than a saw cut.  These units can also be adapted to be used in the field, which saves your rockhound the trouble of lugging that boulder home in the first place.

 

Bonus Section: Stocking Stuffers!

They say it’s the little things that count – so here are some smaller, but very useful items you can throw into your rockhound’s stocking!

Headlamps

Headlamps - for hands free lighting!

Headlamps – for hands free lighting!

Headlamps are an invaluable tool – whether your rockhound is out in the field or trying to organize a dimly lit garage, lighting is always helpful!  Headlamps allow your rockhound to have their hands free while still providing plenty of light.  These are available in many different brightnesses and light modes.

Chisels

Chisels - necessary, but always disappearing...

Chisels – necessary, but always disappearing…

Chisels are another indispensable tool for your rockhound.  Chances are they have some – chances are that they’ve also lost some!  These are easy to misplace, but the good news is they’re easy to replace too!  Be sure that you are looking at “cold chisels” when shopping for your rockhound – wood chisels, etc., are not the right tool.  Chisels come in a variety of sizes and lengths, and every one of them is necessary for a different situation!

 

There are an abundance of great gifts for your rockhound – please drop us a note if you’ve got an idea that we missed!

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.

 

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!

Big Diamonds to be Found at the Crater of Diamonds State Park

3.85 Diamond Found at Crater of Diamond State Park

3.85 Diamond Found at Crater of Diamond State Park
It has been a productive year at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. To date, October 26th, 2013, nearly 400 diamonds have been found over the span of the year, with some rather large ones, several over 2 carats. For instance, Oklahoma teen Tana Clymer found a beautifully formed 3.85-carat canary diamond on October 19th, very similar to the fine diamond that was found by the late Marvin Culver, also of Oklahoma, in 2006. That diamond, the 4.21 carat “Okie Dokie Diamond” has been featured in several books, magazines and has been on display to the public a few times. Another large diamond, a 5.16 carat diamond was found by 12-year-old Michael Dettlaff of North Carolina in August. A 2 carat brown stone was found in June and all of these stones have one thing in common…

Many of these large diamonds are often found on the surface of the digging area.

One of the things many people are shocked to see upon arriving at the park is the actual mine area. It looks like a freshly plowed dirt field, waiting to be seeded and farmed. This area is poked and prodded, pitted and flipped, in search of the small gems distributed in the dirt.
Digging for Diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park Field

Finding the park is very easy, once you are in the general area of Murfreesboro, Arkansas you will see signs pointing to the famous state park. You pay a nominal fee per person and go out into the field to search. You can dig, collect dirt and screen it, looking through the mud for a glassy pebble.
Digging for Diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park

Or, you can do what many of the people who find the large diamonds do, simply walk around the dirt field, looking for crystals that have risen to the surface.
Digging for Diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park

Either way, the Crater of Diamonds State Park is a great place to visit and try your luck at finding a precious stone. The chance of finding one of these stones is stacked against you, but if you happen across one of those rare 2+ carat stones, the Associated Press would like to acquire your photo posing with the stone.

Rock Hounding for Agates in SouthWest Texas

Agate from South-Western Texas

Rock Hounding West Texas for Agate and many other great finds
By Erin Balzrette
for Katy Rock Shop
http://www.katyrockshop.com

Agate from South-Western Texas

Above: Banded Agate from the Alpine Texas area

After rock hounding in Texas with a guide as amazing as Frank Roberts of Austin, Texas, Dawn and I felt ready to go it alone. Also, we begged Frank to come if we got lost or could not identify what we were seeing, and he emailed us all weekend to be sure we were safe. Like I said, we “went it alone”, with Frank on stand-by. We grabbed a copy of The Gem Trails of Texas by Brad Lee Cross and decided to head out.

Agate from South-Western Texas

Above: Classic Agate from the Alpine Texas area

I called Paul at Moonlight Gemstone, of Marfa, TX, (432-729-4526) Bruce Huff, of Katy Rock Shop has a great respect for his beautiful work as do I, and I could not wait to see it for myself, and meet him. The Marfa agate is breathtaking. Paul Graybeal has exclusive rights to the private property in which most of Marfa agate is found. He explained that access to for us to do some hounding would not be possible. He keeps names or locations of land owners who place trust in him to protect their land from sought after agate to himself. It is easy to see why he protects the agate he does. It should be protected, and the land owners have the right to feel their trust has been in no way misplaced. Instead, he invited us to come see him work! This was an incredible offer that I was not about to miss! Paul is thoughtful, generous, patient and kind. I was as impressed by the man, as I was by the work he did, and the agate that surrounded us. Spending the afternoon watching him work, letting us work with him, learn from him, was and experience I will not forget.

Agate from Western Texas

Above: FIRE AGATE from the Alpine Texas area

We couldn’t wait to get to Woodward Ranch (WoodwardRanch.com) famous for the beautiful red plume agate only found there. There is so much more to find at the ranch! The Labradorite is a clear yellow! Opals that are gorgeous, and what she calls “yard art” is some of the most beautiful I have seen. (Yard art … no charge!) $6.00 a person, you are given a detailed map, a quick learner’s course, and shoos you before it gets too hot! When you return she counts it out, $6.00 a lb. for agate. We each left paying 18 dollars, 2 lbs. of agate, and many more lbs. of “yard art” so beautiful I am thrilled to have found it. A few items I collected from this trip are on my website. She was a delightful woman who spoke of her late husband Trey in a way that made you want to sit all day and talk to her. I, like so many others, are so grateful that Woodward Ranch is still operating and allowing others to see the wonder it has to offer.

Terri Smith of Alpine, TX, emailed to explain that she will set up Agate “Hunts” for you, a group, or family, in the fall. THE FALL when it’s….cooler? Terri is the logical one here. And so we will go back in the fall and go to the Ranches able to be hounded at that time on the tours given. The email was very nice and suggested that we try the book I had bought for the journey. I was grateful for the advice, and that I had picked the right book! I have heard only great things about Terri and her extensive knowledge of the area and experience.

“The Gem Trails of Texas Book” by Brad Lee Cross, was for our purposes to the mile, correct and accurate in its description of findings, and location. We found beautiful Jasper at the picnic table Jasper sight 8 miles from Marathon. Exactly as the book said. Amazon is one seller that carries the Gem Trails Series.

Agate from South-Western Texas

Above: Iron Rich Agate Geode from the Alpine Texas area

The West Texas Agate was a trip we will never forget, filled with beautiful surprises showing in each piece you see from that area. While visiting the Katy Rock Shop, you will see pieces from all over Needle Peak, Woodward, Marfa, and so much more and it is all there waiting to show you the beauty of West Texas.

Please find links to Katy Rock Shop, Terri Smith, Moonlight Gemstone, Woodward Ranch, Frank Roberts, and more at my website www.treeclimbersjewelry.com. Pieces I collected during this trip are displayed on the site as well.

Agate from South-Western Texas

Above: Iron Rich Carnelian Agate from the Alpine Texas area

Here at WhereToFindRocks.com we love using Hotels.com to find places to stay while out rockhounding!
And you never know when that hole in the ground is going to require working after hours on, so with Hotels.com,
No hotels.com Change or Cancel fees on lodging bookings!
So, find a hotel around Marfa, Texas or Alpine Texas and get out and collect some Agates!

Collecting Tourmaline in Colorado – Brown Derby #1 Field Trip

‘curved’ Rubellite tourmaline crystal in Cleavelandite

The Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite, Gunnison County, Colorado- An unusual LCT-Type Pegmatite with Rubellite Tourmaline, Lepidolite and Rare Earth Element Species
Philip M. Persson
3139 Larimer St., Denver, CO, 80205
perssonrareminerals.com
Exploration Geologist

When it comes to Colorado pegmatite’s, most people think of the vivid and prolific smoky quartz and ‘Amazonite’ feldspar combinations or perhaps fluorite or topaz crystals from the Pike’s Peak batholith, which can be seen in collections all over the world. Tourmaline is certainly not a species that comes to most collector’s mind’s from the Rocky Mountains, yet Colorado does contain several unusual and interesting pegmatite’s of the ‘LCT’ (lithium-tantalim-Niobium) type which contain fairly high-quality (though not ‘gem’ in the pocket sense) tourmaline crystals along with other rarer species. The most notable and certainly the most studied of these deposits is the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite, located in the Ohio City/Quartz Creek District, approximately 18 miles northeast of Gunnison in the high mountains of Central Colorado. First mentioned by Eckel (1933) and later by Staatz and Trites (1955) in their exhaustive study on the Quartz Creek Pegmatite District, this locality has long been of interest to both collectors and mineralogists. In recent years, however, due to a combination of property access issues, remoteness, and a shift in focus of Colorado collecting to ‘dig’ localities for smoky quartz, amazonite et cetera, the Brown Derby seems all but forgotten. This article is not an attempt to eclipse or duplicate the already extensive literature on this locality, but rather provide a modern and collector-oriented perspective on this fascinating deposit.

Quartz Creek Pegmatite District

Gunnison Colorado, where the Quartz Creek Pegmatite District is located


Quartz Creek Pegmatite District

Close up of the Quartz Creek Pegmatite District


Figure 1: Map showing location of Gunnison in Central Colorado (‘A’), with inset from Hanley et al. (1950) showing the Quartz Creek Pegmatite District, with the Brown Derby #1 Deposit marked with red star.

The Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite is the largest and most mineralogically-complex of a group of over 5 semi-parallel, dike-like pegmatite bodies which are situated on the western slope of a fairly prominent ~9400 foot high hill above the small settlement of Ohio City, approximately 18 miles northeast of Gunnison, Colorado, and 180 airline miles southwest of Denver. (Staatz & Trites 1955). According to Cerny (1991)’s pegmatite classification scheme, these are classic ‘LCT’ (lithium-tantalum-niobium) type deposits, and contain the geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of such deposits. They intrude ~1.7 billion year old metadiorite and associated metamorphic rocks of the Idaho Springs group, the Precambrian basement complex which covers a large portion of the State. Geochronology work by Heinrich (1967) and others found the pegmatite’s to be syngenetic to metamorphosis of the host rocks ~1.7 billion years ago, and they intruded as large sheet-like bodies parallel to the internal foliation and structure of the host rock. They strike N/NE and dip gently into the steep southeast hillside at 20-35 degrees (Heinrich 1967). The largest 3 pegmatite’s of the Brown Derby group all display exceptional mineralogical and geochemical zoning which is typical of most large LCT-type deposits, with the #1 Dike exhibiting the highest mineral diversity.

along the strike of the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite
Figure 2: Looking Southeast along the strike of the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite; large metal grate visible in center of photo is covering one of the underground drifts leading to a large stope on the core of the deposit. (Photo copyright Rudy Bolona/mindat.org)

Entrance to the #2 Tunnel, or main adit of the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite
Figure 3: The Entrance to the #2 Tunnel, or main adit of the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite, showing the sharp contact between pegmatite (white rock) and overlying metadiorite (dark gray) at the hanging wall contact. (Photo copyright Rudy Bolona/mindat.org)

The #1 Pegmatite was developed from the early 1930’s through the 1970’s and was mined principally for the lithium content of lepidolite, along ceramic-grade feldspar, minor beryl, and a somewhat substantial production of microlite, a tantlum species, though it is unclear if the resulting microlite concentrate was ever processed (Heinrich, 1967). It is presently divided into two properties in legal terms; a large surface exposure with associated dumps, which sit on National Forest/BLM land and are open to mineral collecting, and a fairly small underground portion which is owned by a group which identifies themselves as ‘Precious Offerings Mineral Exchange, LLC’ and is based in Boulder, Colorado. They are involved in Bureau of Mines-mandated remediation work on the underground workings of the Brown Derby #1 Mine, and as their willingness to allow collectors underground is not presently known. The author does not want to encourage activity which may compromise their remediation efforts; therefore this article will focus on specimens and species which can be collected from surface dumps and exposures, of which there are many. Hopefully in the future, the owners of the underground mineral rights will allow collectors to participate in their efforts to recover specimens from this unusual deposit.

This photo is a CRAZY AMAZING Tourmaline with RICH RED COLOR and 5 big crystals standing tall and unbelievable on a bit of matrix

While Tourmaline crystals like this can not be found here, you can see plenty of amazing photos by clicking on this photo of a Brazilian Tourmaline cluster!

The Brown Derby Mine is best approached from U.S Highway 50 from a small turnoff approximately 6 miles east of the small settlement of Parlin and 17 miles east of Gunnison. Turn north here onto Forest Service road 802, also locally marked as the 44 Road. From here, continue north ~1.5 miles, bearing right at the ‘Y’ onto 802 north where some small granitic-looking outcrops start to become visible on your right. Continue on this fairly good dirt road north/northeast past a small stream crossing (may not be passable to passenger cars after recent rain or in the spring) and ~1 mile after the stream crossing, bear left at another fork up an obvious large ‘humpback’ like sagebrush-covered hill, passing a cattle fence (please respect local ranchers and close gate after your drive through!). Continue on this steepening road for another ~1.5 miles over somewhat rough terrain (4 wheel drive/AWD necessary, though high clearance is not mandatory for this section) until you reach a large flat ridgeline with small aspen trees in a grove on your left. This is a good camping spot. Continue until the road apparently disappears into the sage rush, then pick up another fairly good dirt road leading steeply downhill to the left/west towards now fairly obvious white pegmatite mine dumps below you. Continue down past several switchbacks to an eventual right turn through an open gate to a mine access road leading past an abandoned shack where core samples were stored/examined. The large dumps below you and the large gated adit to your right are the Brown Derby #1 Mine.
Tourmaline: Tourmaline is found in an impressive range of colors and several species at the Brown Derby #1 Mine. Of primary interest to collectors are large crystals and sprays of Elbaite variety Rubellite, which ranges from a dull whiteish-yellow color to choice ‘hot pink’ crystals reminiscent of Transbaikal, Russia or Stewart Mine, California rubellite crystals in color. While generally not gemmy, rare crystals to several cm. are found frozen in lepidolite and cleavelandite matrix, which do show gemmy, clear sections that could potentially yield small gems. An early 1970’s Denver Post article reported gem-quality elbaite in small amounts from the Brown Derby Mine (Eckels 1997), but the author has not seen any of this material in collections or institutions. Most impressive and aesthetic are radiating ‘sprays’ of parallel to sub-parallel pink Rubellite crystals set in coarse purple lepidolite matrix, with individual rubellite crystals up to 15 cm. or more in length. Early reports indicate that in several ‘pods’ in the core of the pegmatite, ‘logs’ of elbaite tourmaine crystals up to 30 cm. long showing ‘watermelon’ zoning with rubellite surrounding an elbaite core were found. The author has personally seen well-formed crystals up to 20 x 5 cm. in place. Also interesting are elbaite crystals which are either partially or fully psuedomorphed by lepidolite or muscovite, which are locally common. Large masses of tightly intergrowth elbaite crystals showing an amazing color gradation from lime-green to yellow to pink to reddish within a single crystal were also found fairly commonly (Staatz & Trites 1955). Staatz et al. (1955) looked at the geochemical variations within these crystals as a guide to color and color gradation, as well at petrogenesis of the pegmatite as a whole. Schorl is also found fairly abundantly at the Brown Derby #1 Mine, where it occurs in the wallzone and outer intermediate zones of the pegmatite, generally in subhedral to poor crystals, sometime radiating outward into the metadiorite.

Rubellite tourmaline crystals in quartz
Figure 4: 4 cm. long, slightly gemmy hot-pink Rubellite tourmaline crystals in quartz with partial rubellite crystals surrounding it, Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite.

‘curved’ Rubellite tourmaline crystal in Cleavelandite
Figure 5: Naturally ‘curved’ Rubellite tourmaline crystal in Cleavelandite and lepidolite. Curvature resulted from tectonic movement in pegmatite during crystallization. Scale in cm.

radiating pink Rubellite crystals to ~5 cm
Figure 6: Spray of radiating pink Rubellite crystals to ~5 cm. in fine-grained lepidolite and quartz, similar to Stewart Mine, California material. ~15 cm. field of view.

‘polychrome’ tourmaline
Figure 7: Good example of massive to coarsely-crystalline ‘polychrome’ tourmaline with gradation from pink to green to yellow, showing some translucent to slightly gemmy sections. Field of View 15 cm. across.

Lepidolite: Second after tourmaline in interest to collectors, and arguably more famous from the Brown Derby Mine is Lepidolite, the violet-colored lithium mica, which occurs here as ‘books’ and crystals to over 10” across! Books of lepidolite several inches across are common, and even 6” crystals are not unusual. Masses of nearly solid lepidolite 5-10 feet across can be observed in places in the pegmatite. Lepidolite along with other mica’s at the Brown Derby Mine were studied by Heinrich (1967), who also noted muscovite, zinnwaldite, and polylithionite, though the occurrence of the latter is questionable. In addition to the large tabular hexagonal ‘books’, lepidolite also occurs as large masses of fine-grained, equigranular crystals to several mm., which generally host more unusual species such as microlite or monazite. Finally, an unusual variety known as ‘ball lepidolite’ occurs locally in hemispherical masses up to 15 cm. composed of rounded, subparellel crystals, which supposedly have been worked into cabachons and other lapidary items. All lepidolite from the Brown Derby #1 Mine shows a handsome rich purple color and a generally bright luster.

Lepidolite to 15 cm
Figure 8: Large books of Lepidolite to 15 cm. across in quartz-cleavelandite pegmatite, hand for scale.

Monazite-(Sm): In addition to fairly common mineral like elbaite and lepidolite, the Brown Derby #1 Mine is also unusual in it’s concentration of more unusual rare earth element (REE) species. Arguably the most interesting of these is the recent discovery of Monazite-(Sm), though the possibility of this species at the Brown Derby Was first noted over 50 years earlier by the always astute E.M Heinrich (1960), who analyzed several monazite samples from the Brown Derby #1 Mine containing >10% Samarium(!) Colorado field collector and REE specialist Rudy Bolona collected several specimens of brownish-red massive Monazite associated with white Cleavelandite feldspar and lepidolite from a single boulder on the dumps in 2009, and subsequently has a sample sent to Dr. George B. Morgan at the University of Oklahoma, who analyzed it to be the very rare species Monazite-(Sm), found only at 3 other localities worldwide. While all monazite samples from the Brown Derby #1 Mine analyzed by Heinrich (1960) appear to contain enough Sm to qualify as Monazite-(Sm), Monazite-(Ce) also occurs at this deposit, so it is not safe to assume that all monazite collected at the Brown Derby #1 is Monazite-(Sm). Monazite-(Sm) occurs at the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite as subhedral masses to crude crystals up to ~6.5 cm. across, typically embedded in fine-grained lepidolite with cleavelandite feldspar and quartz. The Brown Derby #1 occurrence may represent the best locality in the world for this rare species, and new finds of this rare mineral are possible on the extensive dumps.

Monazite-(Sm)
Figure 9: Massive reddish-brown Monazite-(Sm) (analyzed) with purple lepidolite, 6.8 cm. across. (Photo copyright Rudy Bolona/mindat.org)

Pollucite: The Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite represents the only Colorado locality for this rare cesium species, which occurs as two large, ~30 cm. wide massive pods in the central core zone of the pegmatite, along with large crude crystals of opaque topaz, cleavelandite, and quartz (personal communication with Rudy Bolona, September 2009). No crystallized material is known, nor has this mineral been reported from the dumps.

Massive white crystalline Pollucite
Figure 10: Massive white crystalline Pollucite, 6.5 cm. across. (Photo copyright Rudy Bolona/mindat.org)

Stibiotantalite: Stibiotantalite is a rare Antimony Tantalum Niobium Oxide species found in LCT-type pegmatite’s and was first described from the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite by Heinrich & Giardini in 1957. It occurs as subhedral to poorly euhedral crystals generally 1-2 cm. but rarely up to 5 cm. associated with the secondary Tantalum species Rynersonite as a white to cream surface alteration of the stibiotantalite. Heinrich & Giardini found stibiotantalite on a large boulder on the dumps of the #1 Pegmatite, and thought that possibly all the stibiotantalite in the #1 pegmatite was contained in this single block, a large mass of cleavelandite, topaz and lepidolite from the core margin core. However, recent finds of small Stibiotantalite crystals by Colorado collectors on the dumps would argue otherwise.

Well-formed 8 mm. long Stibiotantalite
Figure 11: Well-formed 8 mm. long Stibiotantalite crystal on lepidolite-cleavelandite pegmatite, collected recently on the dumps. (Photo copyright Rudy Bolona/mindat.org)

Columbite-(Fe): Columbite-(Fe), the Fe-analogue of the Niobium oxide species Columbite, is found in several assemblages at the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite. In the core margin zone of the pegmatite, it is found with Cleavelandite feldspar, quartz, and mica minerals as large, crudely euhedral crystals to 10 cm. In the border zone of the pegmatite, especially towards the hanging wall contact with the metadiorite, it is found as small (<5 cm.) grains and crude crystals associated with reddish albite/perthite, Euxenite-(Y), and Monazite-(Ce). Nowhere at the Brown Derby deposit is Columbite-(Fe) an especially common nor conspicuous constituent, however it does occur through a wide portion of the pegmatite. Columbite-(Fe) in albite
Figure 12: Partial crude crystal of Columbite-(Fe) in albite, 8 x 6 cm. (Photo copyright Dean Allum/mindat.org)

Euxenite-(Y): A glassy green metamict Rare Earth species, previously identified as Betafite in some literature, is now believed to be Euxenite-(Y) (Heinrich 1967). Euxenite-(Y) is restricted in occurrence at the Brown Derby pegmatite to a core-margin albite replacement near the upper north margin of the core, but may exist in other unrecognized or mined-out zones as well. It occurs here as metamict masses to 4 cm. in weathered red albite with schorl and columbite-(Fe), and is highly radioactive.

Monazite-(Ce): Monazite-(Ce) occurs at the Brown Derby #1 pegmatite in several assemblages, making non-quantitative distinguishing from Monazite-(Sm) difficult to impossible. It is found as fairly sharp euhedral crystals to ~2.5 cm. in red albite with columbite-(Fe), probably from an analogous assemblage to the aforementioned Euxenite-(Y) zone. The Harvard University Mineralogical museum has several excellent crystallized specimens, one of which (HMM #104814) is pictured here.

Monazite-(Ce) to 2.4 cm. in perthite-albite-biotite pegmatite, Harvard Mineralogical Museum
Figure 13: Well-formed crystals of Monazite-(Ce) to 2.4 cm. in perthite-albite-biotite pegmatite, Harvard Mineralogical Museum #104814.

Microlite: Microlite, the complex tantalum oxide species, is known from several zones of the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite and was one of the significant economic minerals of this deposit, though the present distribution of microlite in the dumps and in-situ would suggest otherwise. This is probably due to the fact that microlite occurred in concentrated ‘shoots’ or elongated pods in fine-grained lepidolite-quartz-cleavelandite pegmatite, a mode of occurrence similar to that at the famous Harding Pegmatite in New Mexico. These ‘shoots’ were mined selectively for their microlite content, and ~1200 pounds of Microlite was concentrated and stockpiled for processing, though it is unclear if this material was ever actually sold (Hanley 1950). Hanley also estimates that ~9,000 lbs. of microlite remained at the time of his study in 1944 at the Brown Derby #1, though it is unclear how much of that has been mined since. Mineralogically, microlite forms small crude to somewhat euhedral octahedral crystals to 1 cm. with a resinous brown to black luster and distinctive radiation ‘burn halo’s’ in the surrounding lepidolite. These crystals are often quite radioactive and may in fact be uranomicrolite.

Microlite in crude 3-4 mm. crystals in fine-grained purple Lepidolite
Figure 14: Microlite in crude 3-4 mm. crystals in fine-grained purple Lepidolite; specimen 4 cm. across. (Photo copyright John Betts/mindat.org)

Other accessory species: For the sake of brevity as well as the fact that they do not occur in ‘collector-quality’ crystals, other species such as Topaz, Beryl, Garnet, and Bismutite will not be discussed in detail here. Suffice it to say that they are present at the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite, and a quick search of the already extensive literature on this deposit will yield many interesting references.

In closing, the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite remains one of the more interesting and unusual pegmatite deposits in Colorado, and unlike many similar localities, a large portion of the dumps as well as surrounding prospects remain both on public land as well being as accessible to vehicles. The Brown Derby #1 deposit is also unusual in that while it continues to yield excellent, aesthetic specimens of relatively common minerals such as Rubellite tourmaline and lepidolite, finds of extremely rare species such as Monazite-(Sm) have also been made recently. If you plan to visit from Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite, please be respectful of local claim holders and property owners and exercise safety and common sense around the large dumps and potentially dangerous mine faces and outcrops. With persistence and luck, this locality should continue to yield great mineral specimens for many years to come.

References
1.) ‘Mica’s of the Brown Derby Pegmatites, Gunnison County, Colorado’, Heinrich, E.M, The American Mineralogist, Volume 52, July-August 1962.
2.) ‘A New Lepidolite Deposit in Colorado’, Eckel, F.B., American Scientific Society, 16, pp. 239-245.
3.) ‘Lithia Pegmatites of the Brown Derby Mine, Gunnison County Colorado’, Hanley, John B., 1946, American Mineralogist 31, 147.
4.) ‘Pegmatite Investigations in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah: 1942-1944’, E.M Heinrich et al., USGS Professional Paper Paper 227, 1950.
5.) ‘Stibiotantalite from the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite, Colorado’, Heinrich, E.M & Giardini, A.A., American Mineralogist 45, pp. 728-731, 1960.
6.) ‘The Quartz Creek Pegmatite District, Gunnison County, Colorado’, Staatz, M.H. & Trites, A.F., USGS Professional Paper 265, 1955.
7.) ‘Paragenesis of the Topaz-Bearing Portion of the Brown Derby #1 Pegmatite, Gunnison County Colorado’, Rosenberg, P.E., American Mineralogist 57, 571-583, 1972.
8.) Mindat.org, accessed 8-01-2013 to 8-15-2013.

When the weather is warm, St. Lawrence County is one of our favorite New York Locations for collecting!

Find more about Weather in Potsdam, NY
Click for weather forecast

Thinking about the East Coast quite a bit, our minds are set on the display cases for the NY/NJ mineral show in Edison New Jersey, April 12-14. We found ourselves involved in organizing all of the cases, nearly 50 six foot tall wall cases, filled with great minerals from the NorthEast, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The trees are blooming here in Southern California and it makes me wonder what it is like in St. Lawrence County, one of our favorite collecting regions in the United States. Well, as of the end of March, 2013, it looks like Potsdam is still getting the occasional snow flurry. So, keep an eye out for days of sunshine and take a trip to St. Lawrence County, a real wonderland of minerals.

The-Vug.com published an issue of their printed magazine on St. Lawrence County and Chester County Pennsylvania, two diversely mineralized areas popular to collectors of the 1800’s. Because of the remoteness of St. Lawrence County, many of the locations for collecting are still available to collecting. Specifically, the deposits on Selleck Road and Power’s Farm, located a short distance from the college town of Potsdam, offer interesting crystals to those who make the trip.

Selleck Road Tremolite Collecting
Tremolite from Selleck Road

map to collect tremolite and uvite at power's farm and selleck road in st. lawrence county, new york

The Tremolite is abundant and easy to collect, you can simply roam the forest floor and find several different styles of crystals. The more uncommon find at this location is the brown dravite tourmaline crystals. Either way, I would enjoy spending another day or three at this location.

Selleck Road Tremolite Collecting

Selleck Road Tremolite Collecting

Selleck Road Tremolite Collecting

To the north a few miles, Power’s Farm is the home to one of the most famous New York locations, the classic black Uvite tourmaline crystals are found.

Collecting at Power's Farm in New York

You can read more about it in the book reprint of The-Vug.com Magazine, which is available for purchase at this link, it is very colorful and inexpensive!

You can read that issue, online, hosted by WheretoFindRocks.com by clicking the magazine cover.

#6 1

Hotel rooms in Potsdam are available on Hotels.com, a great town to visit!

Collecting Howlite an hour North of Los Angeles

Mineral Club collecting at Tick Canyon in 1957
VGMS collecting at Tick Canyon back in 1957
For decades rockhounds have collected tons of howlite from the dumps of Tick Canyon.

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.

Brandy Zzyzx collecting Howlite in Tick Canyon
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.
Howlite cut in half
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.
Howlite found in the dump material of the Stearling Borax Mine
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.
Howlite chunk in Concrete block
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!
Article from The-Vug.com Fakes Issue about Howlite
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!

Collecting minerals from “Cross Hill”, Nuevo California

A friend of mine asked to go visit the feldspar mine on the mountain in Nuevo California, about an hour and a half outside of Los Angeles, toward Riverside and on the way to San Diego. I had not been to the location in five years and I had heard that there was a lot of activity in the area with houses being built. As this has been a classic collecting location, along with the possibility of general prospecting around the area, I wanted to see what was going on.

View Nuevo Quarry pinpointed in a larger map
First I heard there was a gate up. That did not seem to bode well, but it looks like the Korean Church at the bottom of the hill put a gate up at the beginning of the road. It was open (and public land!) so we drove through. Going up the hill was no problem, just like in the past. The odd thing was, going up the hill, the graffiti was out of control on those rocks, empty ammo cases littered the ground alongside empty beer bottles. In addition, these signs saying that the road was PRIVATE were sprayed on the boulders, which is just plain nonsense! This is a road. You can not simply buy the rights to some land and close off a public road. There were work crews, lots of construction going on and shockingly, houses were springing up in this area. The turn off to the quarry was way worse than I remember, as they graded the dirt road down, down, down, so that the turnoff was a six foot climb in the Jeep, which was a little shocking. But, then the road seemed fine, as I remember, and we pulled into the parking area to start our walk to the quarry and dump pile. Seriously, nobody is going to tell me that, as a citizen of California and America, that I am not allowed to go on a public road, to an abandoned quarry to collect some worthless rocks that nobody will miss. Just because some chumps want to spend millions of dollars to build their secluded homesites doesn’t mean they can keep me from the public road outside their house. Keep those ATVs, the gun nuts and the teenage drinkers away, I’m here for some science and some nature.
Smithsonian Nuevo California Garnet
Here is the photo that got me interested again, a photo from the Smithsonian of a nice garnet from this location.

The quarry is very interesting, mainly feldspar and massive quartz, with huge crystals of schorl tourmaline embedded inside the feldspar. Along with this are garnets, most always forming in one thin layer on the outside of the feldspar blocks, the rare find of a scrap of aquamarine is possible and uncommon radioactive crystals of monazite and thorianite. I wanted to try and find some of the radioactives and nice garnet plate, my friend was looking for schorl chunks to put into reference kits for the kids. We found everything that you could expect to find from the quarry and spent about 2 hours collecting before hitting the road back to Los Angeles, with a wide open freeway, pre-rush hour, it was a great trip. If you are in the Southern California area, this is an interesting place to check out and I hope you make it without any problems and who knows, maybe in a few years the road will be paved! (and gated, to keep you ruffians out) This is BLM land, no person should DARE to stop entry to that land. Access to this area has been served by that road which far predates the church or the houses being built up there. It is absolutely shameful if anyone tries to stop you.

Overlooking the felspar quarry in Nuevo California
Overlooking the quarry from the parking area.
Huge Crystals of Schorl in feldspar
For size reference, here is my hand.
Nuevo Quarry with John
A human for size reference.
Another view of the schorl wall at Nuevo
More mouth-watering schorl!
Schorl Crystal in Matrix
This schorl crystal would fall to bits if we tried to remove it from matrix.
loose schorl crystal
A typical scrap of Schorl Tourmaline found on the dumps.
Garnet crystals on feldspar matrix
Commonly seen are the blocks of feldspar, more uncommon is a coverage as rich as this with well formed crystals.
Unidentified radioactive minerals
You can tell these are radioactive due to the radiation rings discoloring the quartz/feldspar matrix.
leaving the quarry with some kid rocks
Leaving the quarry with some rocks to share with the kids.

Agate Collecting in Colorado – Wolf Creek Pass Zeolites

Near the border of Archuleta County in Colorado, Wolf Creek Pass and Treasure Mountain contain a deposit of silicates and zeolites that have made their way into mineral collections around the world. The collecting area, spread out over the rocky mountainside, is often referred to as Wolf Creek Pass. However, Wolf Creek Pass is actually a 10,000 foot mountain pass that wraps around Treasure Mountain and follows the Wolf Creek. The mountain does not bear gold or jewels, but the volcanic basalt deposits are near a very photogenic waterfall, Treasure Falls. Surrounded by scenic views, this basalt deposit is one of the most thrilling areas of Colorado. Hotels.com has great deals on hotels around Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado

Quartz specimen with banded agate and a crystal center with a slight purple hue.
Quartz specimen with banded agate and a crystal center with a slight purple hue.
Photo by Mathew Marulla (marulla.com)

Treasure Mountain is named after the legendary stash of gold, left behind by a French expedition in 1790. Several search parties have tried to find the fortune of gold bars acquired from a gold deposit near the Peak of Treasure Mountain, but none have been successful in finding the bars or the deposit.

Much of the collecting area is adjacent to highway route 160 and in the boulders and exposed rock of the mountainside just north of the falls. The mineralized area is fairly large and boulders containing the material have been distributed across the area, both naturally and due to the construction of route 160 and Wolf Creek Pass. In fact, due to the close proximity to Archeuleta county to the south, part of the deposit crosses this manmade border separating the counties which only serves to cause confusion in geographic labeling of specimens from this deposit.

Map of the Treasure Creek Agate and Zeolite location
Map of the Agate and Zeolite locations around Wolf Creek.

Rounded amygdaloids fill the voids in the volcanic deposit of basalt, as with many occurences. These host crystals of quartz and about half a dozen zeolite minerals.

The quartz and agate are similar to that found in many other volcanic silica deposits. The agate is typically clear, white and/or shades of blue, often with alternating layers that make it desirable for lapidary use. Some have crystallized centers. Typically the crystals form on a layer of agate, which varies in thickness from miniscule shells to thick rinds. Sometimes the crystals are amethyst, making attractive specimens on dark colored volcanic matrix. Though the agate and quartz found here do not rival that found at many other locations, it is one of only a few still open for collecting.

Of course, the zeolite species are what makes the location a true Colorado classic. Analcime is typically found as very small crystals usually below 1 cm in size. However, at one location, analcime is found up to 3.5 cm. Chabazite occurs here, but not in crystals larger than a few millimeters in size. Heulandite is sometimes found as crystals up to 5 cm across. However, typically the crystals are only millimeters in size, lining the cavities and serving as matrix to other minerals. One such mineral is mordenite, which is found as well formed clusters of white fibers. These clusters, up to a few centimeters in size, were referred to as being one of the best locations for the species in the United States for many years.

Mordenite crystals in a vug of basalt
Mordenite crystals in a vug of basalt
Photo by Mathew Marulla (marulla.com)
Mordenite Crystals up to 2 cm long can be found at the location
Mordenite Crystals up to 2 cm long can be found at the location
Photo by Mathew Marulla (marulla.com)

Other associated minerals include globular common opal, small rhombs of calcite, and small pyrite crystals. The locality is also a classic locality for the clay minerals celadonite and nontronite, which form in abundance. Laumonite, natrolite and wellsite also occur in the deposit, but they occur rarely and only as small crystals

Isolated Heulandite crystal on matrix.  Specimen size is 6 millimeters
Isolated Heulandite crystal on matrix. Specimen size is 6 millimeters
Photo by Luigi Mattei
Several voids filled with celadonite
Several voids filled with celadonite overall size 10 x 5 x 3 cm.
Photo by Martins da Pedra

Due to the vast deposit and mountain conditions, this source of colorful quartz, agate and zeolites will always exist in the mountains of Colorado. Maybe the lack of gold is a bit disappointing for a mountain with such high aspirations, but to many mineral collectors around the world, the real treaures are the mineral collecting opportunities and the often-visited Treasure Falls.

If you enjoyed this article, it was originally printed in The-Vug.com Magazine, which was released as a hardcover coffee table book, collecting all 16 issues of the original magazine. It is 324 pages, hardcover and full color, available directly from the publisher at FortySevenPress.com For $34.95, it is full of great photos, articles, collecting locations and more! Get your copy to add to your mineral book library!

Cummingtonite – We know you were looking for iron rich amphiboles…

As mineral collectors on the internet know, the jokes can often lead back to one mineral.
Cummingtonite. Eliciting snickers in a room of freshmen geologists (and honestly, still getting chuckles from aged field geologists under the right conditions). Lately it is the most popular iron rich amphibole mineral to be searched for on Google. We all know when we see that fact it is not because people are looking for their favorite ugly brown rock! Most minerals are searched for their beauty, this mineral can only claim its name as the claim to fame.

Cummingtonite is a rather uncommon mineral, hailing from the riverside on the far western edge of Cummington, Massachusetts. Here is a sample of the mysterious brown crusty amphibole they were mining. Scratching their heads, someone noticed this as an unknown mineral and dubbed it Cummingtonite, in honor of the town it was found. This is often the case, such as Elbaite, Annabergite, and Boleite.
Thick vein of Cummingtonite
Cummingtonite with label from original find
Cummingtonite Specimen
Garnets and Cummingtonite
This specimen pictured is from the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. It shows a chunk of brown radiating crystals with embedded garnets. Donated by a prominent American Mineralogist Charles Upham Shepard, a man who submitted the approvals for Danburite, Microlite and others. He had one of the largest collections of minerals in the United States, donating specimens to various museums in life and death. He was a well respected lecturer on subjects of Natural History. Charles Upham Shepard graduated from Amherst College in 1924, the same year that Cummingtoite was accredited.

1824. Cummingtonite. (Dewey.)
“I have here given this name to a mineral found by ‘Dr. J. Porter in
Cummington. It appears to bo a variety of epidote. Its color is gray,
sometimes with a faint reddish tinge, unless when acted on by the
weather, when its color is yellowish. It is in distinct prisms, with oblique
seams like’ zoisite, and in radiated or fascicled masses, which are com-
posed of slender prisms. Luster somewhat shining or pearly. It is nearly
as hard as quartz, and sometimes makes a slight impression upon rock
crystal. Before the blowpipe it blackens, and a small portion melts, when
the heat is very great, into a black slag, which ik attracted by the mag-
net. With quartz and garnet .it forms a largo mass in Cummington.”
C. Dewey : Geol. Min. Mass.; Am. Jour. Sci., 1st series, Vol. VIII, p, 59.
1824. Cummingtonite. Lies by the roadside in the east part of
Cumnimgton.
Known to the common people for several years under the name.of copperas
rock; occasionally used in dyeing as a substitute for sulphate of
iron.
J. Porter: Min. Loc.; Am. Jonr. Sci., 1st series, Vol. VIII, p. 233.

Cummingtonite, the inspiration for snickers, memes and lame t-shirts, has a much more benign beginning!

With your knowledge of what Cummingtonite is, beyond a cleaver play on words, now I will tell you how you can go collect your very own specimen, along with brightly colored Lepidolite mica, UV reactive opal hyalite and shiny Hematite crystals. Far off in the desert of Arizona, nobody will hear your terrible off color humor besides your collecting partners. If you’ve ever been collecting petrified wood with a group of geologists who loudly exclaim “I’VE GOT WOOD!”, you have an idea of what to expect.

The location to collect Cummingtonite is just off to the north of the BBC Mine, a half hour away from Parker, Arizona.
The area is a wonderland of mineral collecting, with the BBC mine area boasting FINE crystals of Hematite, sometimes assosicated with Chrysocolla. Further to the North is the Planet area, filled with Barite, Malachite, Chrysocolla and all sorts of beautiful minerals. Fluorite, Gold and more copper minerals are found within 20 miles of this location, so beyond the oddball amphibole Cummingtonite, there are plenty of reasons to visit this area!

Map to Cummingtonite deposit
Map to Cummingtonite deposit
Open trench at cummingtonite deposit - Watch Your Step!
The location is a simple series of trenches, where you can find a very odd form of Lepidolite, normally known as being bright purple, here it is yellow. The hematite at the cummingtonite location is not nearly as nice as the hematite at the BBC mine. <---click to view photos on MinDat.org Cummingtonite on matrix from Arizona

The material from here is not even a tenth as nice as the crunchy material from Massachusetts, however, being able to collect your own specimen of this odd, uncommon material, is something to get excited about! 😉

If you would like a more “in-depth” view into this collecting location, let me advise you to check out the excellent Android App that will guide you to several locations around the Quartzsite/Parker area. Download this Android App for $4.99

We love you readers so much that we provided a google map pointing you to the locations.


View Cummingtonite and BBC Mine in a larger map

And I’m not completely innocent on the juvenile jokes…I am the proud owner of a Dickite specimen from Beaver Creek. 😉

Roxbury Connecticut Garnets at Green’s Farm – Now Closed to collecting!

A must visit site to collect big crystals of Almandine Garnet embedded in a matrix of mica schist is the classic Green’s Farm location, in the rural beauty of Western Connecticut. The location is just a short drive from several metropolitan areas and has served as a fee collecting location for decades. For a VERY reasonable price of $5.00 per car, you can go to Green’s Farm, park over towards the trees and begin your short trek into the woods to the large deposit of mica schist in the woods.

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.

Cleaned Garnet Cluster from Connecticut with Staurolite

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.

Far Away look at the garnet deposit in Roxbury
Satellite map of Green's Farm Garnet Deposit

From the parking area it is just a quick walk through the woods…
Walking through the woods to the garnet deposit

To the “mine” which is a large area of mica schist filled with garnets and staurolite.
A photo of the mine surface at Green Farm Garnet Deposit

All over the area, garnets are simply sticking out everywhere you look.
a photo of garnets in the schist at the mine, waiting to be mined.

In the tailings, there are tons of garnets, like the piece in the photo below.
Loose Garnet Matrix from the Greens Farm Garnet Deposit

Chunks of matrix like this one are all over the place. These little garnets are not as nice as the one below.
small garnet crystals in schist matrix

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!
Garnets embedded in schist matrix

This specimen just popped out of the matrix. It is not cleaned, it still has a lot of mica attached to the surface.
Single Garnet Crystal

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!

Fossil shells replaced by calcite found in the roads of Central Texas

The Central Texas counties surrounding Limestone County are full of beautiful ancient marine shells replaced by calcite, both massive and crystallized. Luckily for the collectors of minerals and fossils, hundreds of miles of low traffic roads in Central Texas contain a wide variety of ancient sea life replaced by calcium carbonate. They are up on the surface of gravel and dirt roads, as snowy white gravel, stretching down the country lanes.
Calcite replaced marine shell
red, yellow and blue flowers along the countryside of central texas
This area of collecting is centrally located between Interstate 35 and 45. Those highways run through Texas, connecting San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas. In between this area, vast deposits of limestone of a very high quality are found and mined for agricultural and industrial use. It is often found as crushed aggregate used to cover the stone roads of back country Texas. Spiraling out of the central texas area like a web connecting new developments with well maintained farm routes, the white roads of Texas are often found to contain calcite crystals and calcite replaced marine shell fossils. Clams, Brachiopods, Turritella, Ammonites and other interesting shells are found, often with cores and voids filled with crystals of calcite.
Fossil on matrix from central Texas replaced by calcite.
Getting to a collecting location is simple! Simply pull up Google Maps and take a look at a satellite view of Central Texas. As you get closer, look out for maintained county roads, which you will see, are bright white. This white color is caused by this limestone gravel. Make a note of these roads to inspect and take a trip to Marlin, Mart, Rosebud, Franklin, Calvert, Madisonville, and Crockett. Since there is ample loose gravel, do not DIG into the road or bother to take tools with you. Loose Gravel. Mostly made up of calcite replaced shells. What an amazing collecting experience. Simply opening your car door will result in you finding a loose fossil. With smartphones, androids and iphones, simply using google maps while navigating will be all you need for a spur of the moment collecting trip. This area is a little over 3 hours from San Antonio, a quick 2 hours from Austin, Houston and Dallas. It is a PERFECT field trip in all weather besides tornadoes and snow!
google satellite view of a typical white limestone gravel backroad in central Texas
a photo of the loose gravel limestone roads and the fossil containing gravel that is scattered across Texas