Overview: A deserted quarrying area on the south side of SR 443 has recently become known as a site to find abundant small quartz crystals. I decided to visit it myself recently (June 2020) and I very quickly was able to open several pockets of quartz. It’s a great spot to learn how to find and collect quartz in Pennsylvania and is far less traveled than the Echo Pit in McAdoo.
Dropped pin showing the area where quartz crystals can be found.
Getting There: This location is located behind the Pizza Hut on SR 443 in Lehighton. Access is uncertain but it is not posted and I was not bothered for the two hours I spent there. Park at the Pizza Hut and walk through the grass to the location. There is a lower level and a higher level, both with quartz. The lower level is better for working veins in the rock while the higher is where you can ground score small crystals and plates.
Supplies: Crack Hammer, Flat Chisel, Wedges, Prybar, Wrapping Material, Water.
Geology and Collecting: This locality is hosted in the Devonian age Marcellus formation, a black shale. Quartz formed in hydrothermal veins that shoot through the shale. Fossils are rare at this site, but they are common nearby. This shale has good cleavage and breaks nicely with a chisel.
Chasing a quartz crystal vein into the rock.
Notice the white bits of quartz stuck in brown mud.
I managed to locate a quartz vein on the cliff face in the lower level of the quarry. These veins won’t look bright white, but are often filled with a little brown sticky pocket mud which covers the crystals making them hard to see. Follow the scraps of quartz stuck to the wall down to where it leads into the rock. Use a flat chisel and prybar to remove the shale surrounding the vein. The quartz crystals won’t look all bright and sparkly until you wash them off later.
Crystals at this locality are typically not large, but they are abundant. I did find one crystal slightly over an inch, but 95% of them are under one half inch long. They are colorless, often quite clear and have a very typical quartz form. I have not seen any inclusions or found any quartz with color at this location.
A large crystal from a vein in the front, lower portion of the locality right after extraction.
A quartz cluster after extraction.
Conclusion: This is a great, low key spot for beginners looking to find their own quartz crystals. Not only is it close to the car and very easy to get to, it provides an opportunity to either work the hard rock or chill out and groundscore. For the more advanced collector, there is definitely potential for some larger, higher quality quartz in the area. Perhaps if a lot of effort was put into this site, something could open up. I have also found other quartz veins nearby. Who knows what’s really out there. Maybe something fantastic!
Article By: Jeremy Zolan – Instagram @Leaverite_Tycoon