In the spring of 1996 the project engineering and base map were complete. Teller Co., Colo. Collection of the Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum. Photo by C. Baldwin. Through quite a bit of research and cross-referencing of available literature, I have compiled this list of some prospective locations in Colorado which I would recommend to people looking to do some rockhounding. Hundreds of excellent amazonite specimens were collected from it, many containing balls of white albite. Lake George intrusive center, after Wobus, 1976. Pit B, the original discovery pit of Two Point Mine, did not yield anything but broken quartz crystals. The replacement occurs by percolating groundwater that replaces the organic materials with silica. They include limestone, granite, sandstone and shale, as well as gravel beds, clay and even can you believe? Can You Dig for Gems in Colorado? Tips Where & What To Find The following project review provides historical and geologic information concerning the amazonite/smoky quartz occurrence at the Two Point Mine and the efforts of Collectors Edge Minerals, Inc. (CEMI) to conduct specimen mining and recovery during the 1996-1997 season. Although it polishes beautifully, it's unfortunately too brittle and soft for jewelry use. Garden Park near Caon City, rich in geodes, quartz and fossils, is world-famous for its Jurassic dinosaurs and the role the specimens played in the infamous bone wars of the late 1880s. By mid-June, new exploration efforts were nally underway and a new pit, Pit D, was explored. There were some surface pegs and some really cool phantom like smoky quartzes found by some members at the time. If so, how much iron out per gallon of water ratio? Its a great way to get outdoors, explore new places, and learn about geological history. Youll have to either know someone or find one of the unclaimed areas to get your own specimens. Sometimes occurring alongside white albite, these gemstones are highly sought after by mineral collectors. However, I have compiled a list of resources here so that you may investigate and obtain permission for any locations (found here or elsewhere) for yourself. Following cleaning and repair, each group was again photographed and then cataloged. The terrain hosts abundant wildlife including deer, elk, beaver, bear, mountain lion, coyote, fox and bobcat. The following project review provides historical and geologic information concerning the amazonite/smoky quartz occurrence at the Two Point Mine and the efforts of Collectors Edge Minerals, Inc. (CEMI) to conduct specimen mining and recovery during the 1996-1997 season. Schematic of an intact amazonite and smoky quartz pocket. The county road access to the gulch is the same as that used for the 14er, Quandary Peak, so weekend use in this area can be quite heavy, but those seeking the high 13ers will find much more solitude . The adventurous rock hound wanting to venture further in search of lovely stones and crystals should go to www.peaktopeak.com/colorado/index.php3, an excellent Web site where you can access locations and availability for any mineral. Photo by Jared Heiden . The pocket produced two other associations of note. Many of the pieces consist of groups containing amazonite, quartz and (sometimes) white albite. Many promising locations are difficult to access without a capable vehicle. Though some property is private land and requires the permission of landowners to prospect, a significant swath of area is within National Forest. Amazonite, Fluorite (purple), Quartz crystals (clear, smoky), Fluorite, Gold, Silver, Chalcocite, Sphalerite, Willemite, Apophyllite, Aragonite, Calcite, Halloysite, Zeolite crystals, Stilbite, Zeolites, Aquamarine, Bertrandite, Beryl, Smoky Quartz crystals. Bill Kazel operates a Caterpillar 977 crawler/loader to remove overburden and expose the pegmatites. Story and Photos by Mark Leatherman. There have also been sightings of the gemstone in El Paso County, Colorado. As the lens widens, the shards disappear and the opening of the pocket becomes visible. And one of the best resources is membership in the Colorado Mineral Society (CMS). We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Unfortunately, mining claims and thousands of people picking at the easy stuff over the years make it a bit harder to mine above the treeline than it should be. Antero and neighboring peaks are the worlds third-highest elevation gem field. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. These locations offer a diverse array of rock and mineral specimens such as agate, jasper, petrified wood, turquoise, and copper. A tree root followed the narrow seam of a pegmatite downwards into the pocket. improvement in digging and repair techniques during the l990s, the potential for future important large nds is very good. Rockhounding Site And Information Near Me (Clickable Map) Rockhounding In Colorado Starting with the rich gold and silver deposits which were the starting point of so many Colorado towns, the Centennial State. It is also your responsibility to verify and gain permission to visit each collection site that is mentioned on this website. (Find Of a Lifetime! Theres more to the mineral than that, however. Care should be taken to respect private property and the claims within the national forest. So what are you waiting for? As a CMS member said after finding a lode of geodes, It gives me a funny feeling, knowing how long theyve been here waiting for me to find them.. About 20 feet down, a series of 4 pegmatites, stacked one above the other, was uncovered. Chaffee County is home to many old mining prospects, making it a prime destination for rockhounds. The Stateline Kimberlite District. Use this resource as a guide to get you started. Crystal Peak is the best area but most of it is under claim. Gems, then, are the flowers of the minerals that have ornamental value because of their beauty, durability and, occasionally, some degree of rarity. In three different areas on the mine property, it was observed that when pegmatites intersect the north-south faults they commonly thicken into lenses, and often produce pockets. Snag a few pocket-sized baubles that catch your eye, or load actual buckets of finds for a tiny fee. The uplift of the Rocky Mountains has caused some distortion. 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. Crystal Peak is a high Colorado Thirteener and one of the 100 highest peaks of Colorado, also known as "Centennial." Crystal falls in the 100 highest at #82. Unfortunately, US law doesnt let you take home vertebrate fossils from public land, youll have to report them instead if you do make a find. In the center of the pocket, the specimens were slightly more blue than the ones at the edges. A large pegmatite is exposed in Pit B. 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. Its also found on the slopes of mountain gem fields, such as those on Mount Antero. Geologically, Crystal Peak is a massive quartz knob that contains both thick veins of noncrystalline white quartz and prolific pockets of crystalline quartz. Native Americans collected crystals from the site for millennia before the first recorded visit to the area by pioneer wagon trains in 1845. Display of amazonite and smoky quartz specimens at the Denver Gem and Mineral Show, September 1997. At rst, the pocket contents did not look good. The plates growing down from the pockets ceiling have separated from the roof and fallen onto the floor plates. Collectors Edge Minerals, Inc. had the opportunity in 1996-1997 to mine in Teller County, under a lease agreement, using mechanized equipment. Colorado PEAK | Colorado.gov Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Here, groups are compared to photographs of their original uncleaned condition. If youre interested in getting started with rockhounding, all you need is a good pair of hiking boots, a backpack, and a few basic tools. After a quick wash, Robert Lorda and Bill Hawes (in photo) begin the long process of piecing the pocket back together. Nevada Adventure, On The Rocks You never quite imagine a hobby like rockhounding may creep into your life and steal all your free time, then you discover a world of garnets, turquoise, opals and beyond right in the heart of the Silver State. The mining area addressed here lays approximately 8 kilometers northeast of Lake George, Colorado inside Pike National Forest. While the variety of minerals is not as large as other parts of Colorado, Mesa County is one of the best places in the U.S. to search for dinosaur bones. Its a little bit soft for rings, but it works well in most other types of jewelry. After a few field trips with seasoned explorers, you will discover how to recognize crystal- and gem-bearing rocks, as well as learn about local geology and topography. Though effort continued beyond 1997, only the first two years are summarized here. Pit B was where the ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey had shown favorable target areas. Graphic by Bill Tanaka. The property was immediately surveyed and a base map was constructed. Pikes Peak is one of the prime areas for rock collecting in Colorado, and one of the few thats also famous outside of the state. The pegmatite is arched and tapers towards the edges. Pit B after reclamation. One of these pegmatites opened into a high-quality amazonite pocket and produced about 30 nice amazonite and quartz groups ranging in size from 6 cm up to 14 cm. Petrified wood can be found in many scattered locations across the western U.S. Sounds like you had a fun time at Wigwam Creek. Wolf Creek Pass: US 160, also known as Wolf Creek Pass, can be a challenging drive. Brilliant, gem-quality Rhodochrosite is one of Colorados most valuable minerals. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. Circa 1980. Though there are many locations listed here, this list is far from exhaustive. Recreation Activities | Bureau of Land Management Colorado can certainly be considered a rockhound and gem hunters dream. The area around Pikes Peak seems to be the hotspot to find the stone in Colorado, but its found in many places across the state. The color could only be determined later at the laboratory where the specimens would be cleaned. The lower is composed mostly of green and gray mudstones. The repairs helped recreate the outstanding beauty of this pocket. These faults are near vertical. As a narrow pegmatite structure approached the fault it would sometimes bend vertically into the plane of the fault and produce a small vertically-oriented pocket. Colorado Rockhounding | Found some Amazonite near Crystal Peak - Facebook There is a relationship between the frequency of pocket-producing pegmatites and the north-south fault structures mapped at the Two Point Mine. The area around Denver, particularly west into Jefferson County, is a fantastic destination for rockhounds. The list of amazonite prospectors goes on and on it is beyond the scope of this article to cover them all. The Pikes Peak granite is a 1.03 billion year old Precambrian granite which extends for over 120 km along the front range of Colorado near Colorado Springs. Crystal Peak Mine Near Verdi, California | The Diggings Intrusive, coarse-grained igneous rock substantially containing crystals typically 1 cm or more in diameter is referred to as a pegmatite. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These gem mines have produced superb mineral specimens over a period of 100 years. Pegamite, a gem-bearing granitic formation, is what youll be looking for. Many fine amazonite and smoky quartz groups were saved in this fashion. Gem Trails of Colorado - amazon.com A few great crystal locations that are open to the public are Pike National Forest near Florissant and Lake George, up the mountain from Colorado Springs. Several of the amazonite plates contained snow-white albite balls that measured to 4 cm and two pieces contained 1.5 cm cassiterite crystals. A few miles north on County Road 2 accessed via Highway 40. Colorado ranks among the most strongly mineralized areas in the world, and its especially noted for alabaster, amethyst, lapis lazuli (blue sapphire), topaz and turquoise. Youll be seeing topaz, amazonite, and smoky quartz in the majority of hunting spots in the area. November 10, 2018. Somewhere in your bag of rocks and equipment, be sure to have a proper print guide along with you. The crystal size was small, about 1.5 to 3.0 cm, but the quality was good. The color is best described as deep blue-green, one of the nest amazonite colors. The area predominately frequented is within the Crystal Peak Mining District located north of Florrisant and Lake George, within Teller and Park County, respectively. For the Tree Root Pocket collectors, this was a one-in-a-million eld collecting experience. Every day for about 8 days, there was a collecting contest to see if the great piece pulled out today was better than the one collected yesterday. Old mines and the surrounding hills and stream beds contain a countless variety of rocks and minerals including sapphire, garnets, topaz, fluorite, quartz crystals, epidote, and tourmaline. Services. The Tree Root Pocket produced over 100 cataloged amazonite and smoky quartz groups. The pocket opening within a lens of this size could be up to 2 meters in diameter and 10 to 20 cm high. Once youve found a good spot to start rockhounding, its time to start collecting! The pocket lay only 2 meters below the surface next to a large tree. This began a long-term love affair with amazonite that thrives to this day. From dilapidated abandoned mines to roadcuts along old travel routes, from remote mountain top collecting areas to pay-to-dig locations with modern facilities, there is something in Colorado for the amateur and experienced rockhound alike. Rare Gems and Minerals Found in Colorado - Gold Rush Nuggets There were two sites left at the Two Point Mine to explore. | Rockhounding Near Me 15,381 views Jun 29, 2020 #MiningAmazonite #PikesPeak #ThatCampingCouple We 480 Dislike Share That Camping Couple 65.7K. Now featuring over 90 locations (with 27 new sites) where collectors can explore, the beautifully assembled guide is hard to beat for a state as diverse and treasure-filled as Colorado. It is up to the individual to identify these boundaries and seek permission before attempting to prospect on the claims. Its a great way to get outdoors, explore new places, and learn about geological history. About 2 kilometers to the west lie the Clarence Coil claims on and near Yucca Hill. The contents of the pocket shown in the photo above. But, hey, you dont know whats going to turn up when youre out in the woods. Collect Quartz "Diamonds" in Central Montana - Judith Peak Crystals The thin black dotted lines highlight the pegmatite structures. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. I enjoy collecting and tumbling rocks with my daughter and traveling the world with my wife seeing geologic wonders. It can be a daring adventure, but its one you should undertake with both caution and the knowledge that you may not find what youre looking for at all. . . Specimens of calcite, agate, quartz, topaz, diamond, gold, and more can be found in the mountains and mining prospects surrounding Fort Collins. The opening only reached 20 cm high. You may not dig one of those up, but theres a reason that Pikes Peak dominates the rockhounding landscape in Colorado! 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. In some areas, the fault systems bound course-grained granite intrusions up to 2 meters wide. rockhounding in spokane wa - selectsportssouvenirs.co.uk A hammer and chisel will come in handy for breaking open rocks, while a magnifying glass will help you get a closer look at specimens. All of the best Two Point Mine pockets are oriented in a near horizontal position. The most famous is Crystal Peak. The State Line Kimberlite District, Colorado & Wyoming, USA While small compared to the great diamond-bearing [], The Collector's Edge Minerals Inc. P.O. Recreation Activities. At the same time a ground-penetrating radar system was employed to scan for near-surface pockets, that is, those pockets within 7 meters of the surface. Its just more convenient for the most part. 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! And rocks are the preservers of fossils that once lived when Colorado was a vast sea. Oregon-Washington Utah Wyoming Home Visit Topaz Mountain Rockhound Recreation Area Topaz Mountain Rockhound Recreation Area Phone: 435-743-3100 Email: utfmmail@blm.gov Address: Fillmore Field Office 95 East 500 North Fillmore, UT 84631 Latitude/Longitude: 39.6665, -113.11455 Directions: 55 miles west of Delta via US Hwy 6 and paved county road. Allanite, Astrophyllite, Epidote, Garnets, Hyalite Opal, Hornblende, Magnetite, Sphene, etc. No kidding, this thing is around 3 feet long! The pocket also produced 100s of single amazonite crystals and small amazonite groups. For additional reading, Id highly recommend these books you can find on Amazon: Please remember that rock collecting locations are constantly changing. The areas at, or near, the hilltops usually contain the best hunting ground for amazonite. Agate, Jasper, Galena, Copper, Turquoise, Rhodonite, Sowbelly agate. For paid digs, the South Platte River runs through the town of Fairplay. The joints are almost undetectable and care must be taken that the working face does not peel away when one is near. It's a private community, and you're not allowed to collect minerals within the area. This will help you avoid damaging the specimens.