Rhodocrosite, on rare occasions, forms pink gemstones with high clarity. There is a huge variety of rare minerals and gems in Colorado. If youre interested in getting started with rockhounding, this blog post is for you. White caps are an unusual white albite coating on the terminations and/or sides of amazonite crystals. This, coupled with the high cost of leasing or owning and maintaining expensive excavation equipment, contributes to the overall cost of specimens. Box 1169 Golden, CO 80402, Phone: 303-278-9724 Fax: 303-278-9763 Send us an email, In June, 1997, a beautiful pocket of blue-green microcline (v. amazonite) specimens was discovered in the classic Lake George, Colorado amazonite mining area. If the pegmatite was very strong, i.e. Cherry Creek was one of the first places early prospectors found gold in Colorado. The area is remarkable for those searching for rocks. In the eld, every piece removed from the pocket was carefully grouped and marked according to pocket location. A few individuals have resorted to more aggressive mining techniques using mechanized equipment, including bulldozers and backhoes. It is up to the individual to identify these boundaries and seek permission before attempting to prospect on the claims. Further work would involve drilling and blasting that would not occur until 1997. After a simple spray wash, the true color of the amazonite begins to unfold. Amazing smoky quartz, topaz and Amazonite have come from there. The broken root (left center) was followed directly into the pocket. Also, most pieces had only one repair. The region around the mine consists of gently rolling hills covered with pine trees and wild grasses. Colorado offers an abundance of minerals, gemstones, crystals and fossils to anyone willing to go out and look for them. And as an Amazon Associate, we earn a commission on qualifying purchases after clicking on those links, at no additional cost to you. Length 12.1 miElevation gain 4,314 ftRoute type Loop. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The pegmatites generally lie horizontally. Devil's Head Rockhounding (Let's Go) Disclaimer Soon, the ground becomes a treasure trove of things to be looked at, turned over, scrutinized and pocketed. The opening uncovered the previous day was originally created when the graphic granite roof plates separated from their ner-grained granite host-rock. Every piece was stained with limonite. The amazonite color was incredible! Between the tree root, the roof collapse and its proximity to the surface, much of the Tree Root Pocket was either destroyed, damaged or disassembled. Always respect private property! The valleys contain small streams, several of which run year-round. Crystal Peak is a USGS named summit in middle of the northern Sierra Nevada Diamond Mountains, on the border of Lassen and Plumas Counties, roughly between Reno and Susanville as the crow flies. Once theyre clean, you can put them on display or add them to your rock collection! The composition of these volatiles can lead to the formation of rare, exotic minerals not found directly in the pegmatite. You can get the landowners name and address by visiting the county records office. Unfortunately, not a single additional pocket was discovered at depth, a surprise to everyone. Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. The slightly decomposed host-rock did not have the strength to hold up the pocket roof. The granite within these types of north-south fault systems often takes on a pegmatite-looking appearance due to the increased feldspar grain size and abundance of mica. These were looked at during the 1998 mining season but are not reviewed in this article. A typical scenario for pocket discovery is this: One follows a pegmatite and it begins to thicken into a lens. discovered 2 meters beneath the surface, inside a collapsed pocket, eventually named the Tree Root Pocket. In Colorado, rockhounds may pick agate and petrified wood from the vast Great Plains, follow dinosaur tracks on hogback ridges, pan gold in mountain streams, hunt gemstones on towering peaks, and search for metal sulfide minerals in . Is Iron out ok to use? The locations and information contained in this article are primarily derived from academic papers, online resources, and other outside sources. It was obvious that a large pocket was about to be breached and within 30 minutes, a pocket opening could be seen. Hiding within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Crystal Mine can be found off of Long Valley Road and just before you reach Lookout Campground. For those looking for the excitement and satisfaction of splitting open shale rock to reveal fossils, check out the town of Florissant. The discovery came after three summers of exploration, test trenching, and open pit mining. Unfortunately for rockhounds, the law prohibits them from publishing their names or contact information online. If youve already found a rock and youre not sure what it is, I would highly recommend checking out my Practical Rock Identification System. Now that you have the supplies you need, its time to start looking for rocks and minerals. Many promising locations are difficult to access without a capable vehicle. RockSeeker.com is reader-supported. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. In any case, it was originally discovered in Brazil, hence the name. The best of Al Ordways pieces is on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Both are part of the Lake George intrusive center. Its claim to fame and reason for its name is due to its unusual summit block, which is apparently made out of solid quartz. The areas marked A, B, C and D are pits excavated during 1996 and 1997. Carlisle Mining District Area - Rockhounding. Its No Croc: Visit The Best Alligator Farm In Colorado! This updated and expanded comprehensive users guide to finding different rockhounding sites across the state includes pertinent information like driving directions, access specifics, seasons, regulations, and specific methods to help improve your rockhounding adventures at each site. The pocket was mostly collapsed, the roof having fallen in, perhaps, millions of years earlier. The pocket was packed with clay and contained only amazonite, no smoky quartz. Before repair work, photographs were taken of each group. One of these is sure to spark your interest and sense of adventure. Tip: Check out my Complete Rock Tumbling Guide to make your rocks and gemstones really shine! . The Two Point Mine, located in Teller County, Colorado sits approximately 8 kilometers north-east of Lake George, Colorado. They can start out as pencil-thin lines and widen within a few meters to thick pegmatite lenses; then a few meters further on they can again decrease in size to a pencils-width, and nally, disappear. It also holds a special place in my heart as I grew up spending summers in Crested Butte. This bundle of information includes a book, videos, and online tools. It is along the edges of these intrusions where some of the better specimens can be found. Though many weekend prospectors have combed hillsides digging with hand tools, few have had the resources to mine these valuable specimens with mechanized equipment. Graphic by Bill Tanaka. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; The quartz crystals were gemmy and sometimes awless. Elmwood mine, Carthage, Smith Co., Tennessee, USA, Killa Saifullah District, Balochistan, Pakistan, Shuikoushan Mine, Shuikoushan ore field, Changning Co., Hengyang Prefecture, Hunan Province, China, Wutong Mine, Liubao, Cangwu Co., Wuzhou Prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, Tole, Wana, South Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan, Liufengshan Mine, Guichi District, Chizhou Prefecture, Anhui Province, China, 04-10 Pocket, Watercourse Raise, Sweet Home Mine, Alma District, Park Co., Colorado, USA, Wushan Spessartine Mine, Tongbei, Yunxiao Co., Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, China, Riemvasmaak, Kakamas, ZF Mgcawu District, Northern Cape Province, South Africa, The Colorado Quartz Mine, Mariposa County, California, Superb, New Amethyst Specimens from Las Vigas, Veracruz, Mexico, The Stoneham Barite Locality, Stoneham, Colorado, The Mockingbird Mine, Mariposa County, California, Diamonds in Colorado! Albite, Beryl, Lepidolite, Mica, Tourmaline, Monazite. This is a huge area. These east-west structures are also vertical and during the mining process are exposed as perfectly at vertical walls. For additional reading, Id highly recommend these books you can find on Amazon: Please remember that rock collecting locations are constantly changing. The mine is a true hidden gem and it makes for a wonderful place to explore for the day. Over 1 billion years ago, magma pushed up into the Front Range of Colorado. This is a full-blown adventure, which is great but it also means a lot of planning on your end. It was formed by the erosion of sedimentary rocks. The pocket was cleaned out by the end of June. Your reward will be a treasure trove of agate and chalcedony. Just to the southeast of the Two Point Mine are the excavations of Rock Currier and Bob Bartsch. Once youve found a good spot to start rockhounding, its time to start collecting! Smoky Quartz even occurs right alongside Amazonite in some places, leading to dramatic specimens that bear the full colors of both. A mine program was put together to drill and blast 30 feet below the pocket. I'm Mike Rhea, and I'm a professional Geologist with a passion for rocks, minerals, and everything related to Geology. Given the. Crystal park is handicap accessible to a degree below are a few of colorado's richest rockhounding sites to get you started jerry's rock and gem was established in 1954 as jerry's. Part 10 carbondale / crystal river koa offers excellent camping amenities to its guests completely furnished cabins and lodges on most leases a rockhounding field . But there is a little-known hobby that hearkens back to the state's gold rush days still practiced today by 21st-century miners using the same hand tools that explorers used hundreds of years ago. 12 cm long by 8 cm wide. It is up to the individual to identify these boundaries and seek permission before attempting to prospect on the claims. Strict environmental standards require careful and complete surface reclamation. The property was owned by Jerry and Thelma Hurianek. The pocket opening was about 50 cm in diameter, 10 cm high and produced about 50 single crystals. A large pegmatite is exposed in Pit B. Colorado is well known for its unique combination of amazonite and smoky quartz crystals. Extensive lava flows cover much of the southwestern Mineral County. Usually, the pegmatites are difficult to notice until their thickness reaches at least 10 cm; then they are easy to spot because they contain a course graphic granite texture which is visually distinctive from the more ne-grained granite host-rock. Its been a while since weve posted an update on the Detroit City Mine project at the Sweet Home deposit [], Collectors Edge Minerals Inc. recognizes and thanks Rocks & Minerals for permission to use portions or all of their original [], The 2020 Denver Gem and Mineral Show was a Success! The thicker the lens, the larger the pocket opening. In Colorado, its distribution is far-flung for the most part. Crystal Peak area. The state gemstone of the wonderful state of Colorado, this brilliant clear blue crystal can often take a bit of an adventure to find. This season, it was decided to try a larger machine which would provide much more digging power than was previously used. Chaffee County is home to many old mining prospects, making it a prime destination for rockhounds. Amphibole, Chalcopyrite, Corundum, Epidote, Pyrite, Muscovite, Quartz crystals, Sagenitic Quartz, Sapphire, etc. Gunnison and the surrounding area have long been noted for their rock and mineral specimens. Copyright 2022 Rockhound Resource | Birch on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Colorado Rockhounding: A Guide to Minerals, Gemstones, and Fossils, N & S Table Mts, many area mines & quarries, NW flanks of Centennial Cone, in pegmatites, Quartz Creek Pegmatites area, Opportunity Mine, Mine dump .3 mi. Options. Most of the terminations took a beating inside the pocket from natural events; the collecting procedure did not damage them. The state gem is aquamarine, found on the lofty reaches of Mount Antero (Chaffee County). Photo by Dave Roter. One is a medium-grained pink granite that covers most of the claim and contains the best prospecting areas. amzn_assoc_title = "Some of my favorite rockhounding gear from Amazon:"; In the tight connes of the pocket, the roots created extensive damage to the amazonite groups; the quartz terminations received the worst. The terrain hosts abundant wildlife including deer, elk, beaver, bear, mountain lion, coyote, fox and bobcat. During the process of mining the highwall, each pegmatite structure took turns widening into lenses and opening into pockets. Amazonite is a blue-green formation of microcline, with some of the higher-quality samples being used in jewelry. A rock pick or folding shovel is a great idea. Seed being sown over site. I wouldlove to collect some rocks/crystal/fossils while I'm there. It is one of the few locations where true botryoidal fluorite specimens can be found. The best places to collect rocks in Arizona include the areas around Phoenix and Tucson, as well as smaller towns such as Cave Creek, Clifton, Morristown, and Kingman. To get started, you can check out my recommended gear page which contains my full reviews for every Geologists favorite rock hammer and the best hiking backpack Ive ever owned. This magma remained and cooled to form the Pikes Peak granite about 1.5 km below the surface. Careful water ushing reveals the delicate crystal plates, which then may be removed. Thus, the roof plates had fallen straight down onto the plates growing up from the oor. In some areas, the fault systems bound course-grained granite intrusions up to 2 meters wide. 1997 turned out to be the year of discovery at the Two Point Mine. Native Americans collected crystals from the site for millennia before the first recorded visit to the area by pioneer wagon trains in 1845. Youre out for a hike and something on the path catches your eye. Given the improvement in digging and repair techniques during the l990s, the potential for future important large nds is very good. There were some surface pegs and some really cool phantom like smoky quartzes found by some members at the time. Pikes Peak is another place where topaz can sometimes be found. After a quick wash, Robert Lorda and Bill Hawes (in photo) begin the long process of piecing the pocket back together. Further work on the Two Point Mine evaluated other potential intersection sites. They can provide you with maps of the area as well as tips on where to find interesting specimens. With over 770 types of minerals to be found, it's second only to California in the number of different gems and minerals statewide. A tree root followed the narrow seam of a pegmatite downwards into the pocket. The last time I had gone on a true mineral-hunting "vacation" was way back in 2005, when I went to Bancroft, Ontario, the mineral-collecting . By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. In previous years, the remoteness of the mountain made it a wonderful spot for rockhounds. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Actinolite, Almandine, Azurite, Beryle, Chrysocolla, Epidote, Kyanite, Pyrite, Quartz crystals, Tourmaline, etc. You might also want to invest in a good field guide so you can identify the rocks and minerals you find. The color is best described as deep blue-green, one of the nest amazonite colors. We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Crystal Peak is a Class 2 hike in the Tenmile Range SW of Breckenridge, CO. Mount Antero is the center of aquamarine collecting in Colorado. Pikes Peak is a bucket list location for many rockhounds. Still, there are many locations in Mineral County where one can hope to find amethyst, agates, geodes, moonstone, and plenty of other minerals. 418 Main St., Fairplay, CO 80440. Its just more convenient for the most part. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; All of the space left over after the collapse has filled with clay. Rockhounding in Washington State - Jade, Agates, Quartz and More! Its a little bit soft for rings, but it works well in most other types of jewelry. The joints are almost undetectable and care must be taken that the working face does not peel away when one is near. Lake George intrusive center, after Wobus, 1976. These locations offer a diverse array of rock and mineral specimens such as agate, jasper, petrified wood, turquoise, and copper. The Tree Root Pockets overall quality, quantity and beauty have not been surpassed in over 100 years of digging in the region. Next, get the most recently published guide to rock hounding in Colorado that describes the sites and includes directions and maps. Line drawing of a microcline crystal. In Colorado, for over a century, the word Crystal Peak has evoked the vision of amazonite (green microcline feldspar) and smoky quartz combinations that have drawn prospectors to the area. This site contains affiliate links to products. Few contain the top color amazonite coveted by mineral collectors. Circa 1980. However, because of the terrain and vegetation, these marked claim boundaries are sometimes difficult to see. Dont miss it if you decide that youre going to go rockhounding in this state! Beryl, Bismutite, Fluorapatite, Muscovite, Autunite, Bertrandite, Beryl, Chrysoberyl, Garnet, Graphic Granite, Amazonite, Fluorite (green), Goethite, Hematite, Quartz crystals, Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper, Opal, Petrified wood, Dinosaur bones, Amethyst crystals, Chalcedony, Sphalerite, Silver minerals. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. There, daring prospectors can rise to elevations up to 14,000 feet to prospect their claim during the short summer season, just above the protection of tree line. Some of the links on our website are affiliate links. At the same time, the Foote Mineral Company began the first mining efforts in the Crystal Peak area (Odiorne, 1978). This stream is close to Oil Well Flats. The color graded from medium to deep root beer brown giving them the varietal name of smoky quartz. The pocket also produced 100s of single amazonite crystals and small amazonite groups. It is in the Tenmile Range, which extends from Peak 1 near Breckenridge south to the Continental Divide, where the same range becomes known as the "Mosquito" Range. 4) Not really a good place for fossils or gemstones (there's not much to be found), but do check out Garden of the Gods. The tree root wound completely through the pocket to its very end, wedging and forcing the plates in all directions. The Colorado landscape has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, with public lands becoming private, claims being staked and roads leading to closed gates. Rock-A-Buy Rock and Gifts. But like you said stuff was pretty hard to find. The pocket discovery lay exactly at an intersection. The best rockhounding locations in Colorado are: Mt. Jasper Close-up view of the west face of Pit C. The three small horizontally oriented openings are pockets. Rock-hound fever has struck. Breaking into one and finding a pocket of minerals is an incredible experience, however. This pegmatite did not open into a pocket. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Plus, its a lot of fun! amzn_assoc_region = "US"; Geologic features including textural variations in the granite bedrock, fault systems, and pegmatite locations were plotted on a base map. The specimens were discovered 2 meters beneath the surface, inside a collapsed pocket, eventually named the Tree Root Pocket. For information about restrictions, contact the nearby Bear Creek Regional Park Nature Center." from 'Colorado Rockhounding' which includes a site photograph and map. Brilliant, gem-quality Rhodochrosite is one of Colorados most valuable minerals.
