amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "rockhoundreso-20"; The roof collapse created damage to many of the specimens. Print/PDF map. . Devil's Head Rockhounding (Let's Go) Disclaimer About 100 ne pieces were removed in addition to several hundred lesser pieces. A view of the west wall of Pit C. At one point, four different pegmatites were exposed in the face. For more information or to schedule a guided tour please contact Doug (928) 215-9912 or visit www.rockabuyrocksandgifts.com. [4] Hahns Peak was named after Joseph Hahn, a gold miner who, with companions William Doyle and George Wray came to the area in the 1860s. The following are just a few of the great areas to go for a mineral hunt in the state. Thus, the Two Point Mine sits among some ne company within the amazonite district; its location being center stage to several historic discoveries. The north-south faults are cut by lesser faults and joint-sets running in an east-west orientation. Top 5 Rockhounding Spots In Colorado Wolf Creek Pass: US 160, also known as Wolf Creek Pass, can be a challenging drive. It also holds a special place in my heart as I grew up spending summers in Crested Butte. The pockets were laying horizontally. Well, and the other minerals scattered about! The crystal groups exhibited great aesthetics but at this point one could not determine if the amazonite color was very good. Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. These east-west structures are also vertical and during the mining process are exposed as perfectly at vertical walls. Early mining focused on the gem potential of topaz and quartz. Poppi, Luciano, Foord, Eugene E., Kile, Daniel E. (2000) Crystal chemical variations in Li- and Fe-rich micas from Pikes Peak batholith (central Colorado). Places like the Florissant Fossil Quarry offer visitors a near guarantee in at least finding some sort of fossil specimen of their own. A hint of the amazonites quality can be seen through the clay. The area is known as the best amazonite hunting ground in the world. Brilliant, gem-quality Rhodochrosite is one of Colorados most valuable minerals. The plates growing down from the pockets ceiling have separated from the roof and fallen onto the floor plates. Native Americans collected crystals from the site for millennia before the first recorded visit to the area by pioneer wagon trains in 1845. 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. On the surface, a few small fragments of deep blue-green amazonite (called color by local diggers) were lying exposed on the dump of a small hole dug years earlier. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The pocket produced two other associations of note. Get out there and start rockhounding! The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Crystal Peak is one of the most famous mineral collecting localities in Colorado. The composition of these volatiles can lead to the formation of rare, exotic minerals not found directly in the pegmatite. The opening uncovered the previous day was originally created when the graphic granite roof plates separated from their ner-grained granite host-rock. Photos (6,647) Directions. Rarely will open cavities be found, as they have either collapsed due to movement in the surrounding rock, or have filled with clay and other sedimentation. 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. There is a relationship between the frequency of pocket-producing pegmatites and the north-south fault structures mapped at the Two Point Mine. The pegmatites are not continuous structures. Amazing smoky quartz, topaz and Amazonite have come from there. The Tree Root Pocket contained possibly the highest number of ne amazonite and smoky quartz groups ever documented from the Lake George region from a single pocket. As luck would have it, the rst day of digging revealed an extraordinary pocket. It took two months to find all of the fits. If an exceptional piece was found, then additional cost was incurred to purchase it. But what about those other treasures hidden in rocks the minerals that are at the heart of a collectors expedition? The overwhelming majority within this formation are plant-related fossils, though insect fossil discoveries are also common. NOTE: All the locations listed in these tables are clickable, and will take you to the location on Google Maps. Length 12.1 miElevation gain 4,314 ftRoute type Loop. The Two Points steep terrain and hard rock kept serious development from occurring until 1995. Even though a large number of specimens have been recovered over the years, the relative rarity of high end and world-class specimens has kept their value very high. The hole was deepened and a nice pegmatite dike was exposed, the source of the color. It does not store any personal data. Specimens from Crystal Peak are sometimes referred to as coming from Lake George or Florissant, but the actual collecting area is located near Crystal Peak. found ever in North America. I wouldlove to collect some rocks/crystal/fossils while I'm there. The area predominately frequented is within the Crystal Peak Mining District located north of Florrisant and Lake George, within Teller and Park County, respectively. A few miles north on County Road 2 accessed via Highway 40. Agate and jasper, amazonite crystals, blue barite, feldspar, fluorite, garnet, geodes, opal, rhodochrosite, quartz crystal, topaz and tourmaline are just some of the specimens that rockhounds can add to their collections. Like aquamarine, topaz has a lot of commercial potential and the good spots are mostly wrapped up in claims. Pikes Peak is another place where topaz can sometimes be found. Rock hounding and Quartz hunting at Crystal Peak Mountain in Northern Ca. Just finding out where you can legally grab some stones can be a headache for the budding rockhound. Bryan Lees poses to show its total size: over 2 meters long. And as an Amazon Associate, we earn a commission on qualifying purchases after clicking on those links, at no additional cost to you. Claims are typically 182 m wide and 457 m in length. Crystal cross-sections showed that the deep blue-green color penetrated to the core. Many outstanding repairs were discovered, including this one. (2) A volcanic eruption fills the stream valley with ash, pumice, and Pogonip Group rock fragments as a rhyolitic ash-flow tuff where it lithifies into the Tunnel Spring Tuff. Breaking into one and finding a pocket of minerals is an incredible experience, however. Graphic by Bill Tanaka. Circa 1980. East of the town of Kremmling, enthusiasts have access to regulated collection of petrified wood on BLM-managed lands. Much damage was caused by this collapse. The pocket lay only 2 meters below the surface next to a large tree. Some rarer specimens are replaced with opal due to higher moisture levels. They may however, dip wildly within the horizontal trend. Rockhounding, Rockhounding end of March. The McCullough Gulch Trailhead is our proposed primary route access point and can be reached by most passenger vehicles. If the pocket had not collapsed, several hundred more beautiful specimens would have been recovered. Lens size is proportional to pocket size. 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. I have written entire articles which cover the rockhounding laws and regulations for nearly every type of public land you can think of. Just to the southeast of the Two Point Mine are the excavations of Rock Currier and Bob Bartsch. Jasper The State Line Kimberlite District, Colorado & Wyoming, USA While small compared to the great diamond-bearing [], The Collector's Edge Minerals Inc. P.O. . A popular activity in these areas, where the possibility of finding a geological treasure is real. If the pegmatite was very strong, i.e. The pocket opening was about 50 cm in diameter, 10 cm high and produced about 50 single crystals. Then, the dip changed to a near-horizontal position and the pegmatite began to widen into a lens. Artem Savidov/Google. The areas on the east side of County Road two are the public access BLM-owned lands open to specimen collection. In June, 1997, a beautiful pocket of blue-green microcline (v. amazonite) specimens was discovered in the classic Lake George, Colorado amazonite mining area. Its distinctive look makes it hard to miss when youre on the hunt for it in the wild. Soon, the ground becomes a treasure trove of things to be looked at, turned over, scrutinized and pocketed. Four or ve of these faults will group in parallel forming a fault system having a total width of 3 meters. Albite, Beryl, Lepidolite, Mica, Tourmaline, Monazite. Nearly 1,000 feet of the Tunnel Spring Tuff is visible many miles away as its startling white color varies from that of the surrounding landscape. If youre planning on heading to the field, make sure you have all the gear youll need! For each nice group, about 50 broken pieces were extracted. Inside, the pocket may be open airspace or, if near surface, completely lled with clay. You might also want to invest in a good field guide so you can identify the rocks and minerals you find. They also offer knowledgeable guided tours of the Round Mountain BLM Rockhound Area. Fortunately, the same laws dont ban you from the wide array of simpler fossils that can be found. The Crystal Peak Mine is a surface and underground mining operation. Salida Colorado - Travel Colorado Recreation, Business, Relocation and Restaurant Vacation Guide. Services. There have also been sightings of the gemstone in El Paso County, Colorado. Houselog Creek usually offers its diggers great rewards, so be sure to take your digging tools and large buckets for your haul. This made a sort of amazonite sandwich with a clay lling. It is up to the individual to identify these boundaries and seek permission before attempting to prospect on the claims. After a simple spray wash, the true color of the amazonite begins to unfold. Pegmatites are common on the Two Point and constitute the pocket-bearing structures. 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. You can also check online resources like Mindat.org, which is a comprehensive database of minerals from around the world. The Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society is proud to be part of the Pikes Peak Gem, Mineral, and Jewelry Show. Photo by Dave Roter. Though some property is private land and requires the permission of landowners to prospect, a significant swath of area is within National Forest. Though many weekend prospectors have combed hillsides digging with hand tools, few have had the resources to mine these valuable specimens with mechanized equipment. One is a medium-grained pink granite that covers most of the claim and contains the best prospecting areas. Location of major amazonite discoveries in the Two Point Mine region. Collectors Edge Minerals, Inc. had the opportunity in 1996-1997 to mine in Teller County, under a lease agreement, using mechanized equipment. This bundle of information includes a book, videos, and online tools. Rockhounding In Colorado Starting with the rich gold and silver deposits which were the starting point of so many Colorado towns, the Centennial State. The pocket was mostly collapsed, the roof having fallen in, perhaps, millions of years earlier. About 20 feet down, a series of 4 pegmatites, stacked one above the other, was uncovered. After some cleaning, the deep blue-green color of the amazonite begins to stand out. The blue-green color varied slightly from the edge of the pocket to its center. Each produced a few high-quality small amazonite and smoky quartz plates. The mining area addressed here lays approximately 8 kilometers northeast of Lake George, Colorado inside Pike National Forest. Pegmatite structures are often stacked one on top of the other in layers or swarms, the latter being a colloquialism. Where To Go Rockhounding In Utah Dugway Geode Beds. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Two thick biconvex graphic granite layers cover the pocket, one above the opening and one below. Pit B was also revisited and it too was drilled and shot extensively. State Symbols. Rockhounding is the recreational activity of searching for rocks, fossils or minerals from the environment. Once youve found a good spot to start rockhounding, its time to start collecting! Pit C gave up the best prize of the year. This intersection-type was similar to the one located in 1996 inside Pit C. Also, in October, 1997, a small test pit dug on the north end of Pit A yielded another pocket inside one of these intersection-types. There were some surface pegs and some really cool phantom like smoky quartzes found by some members at the time. Line drawing of a microcline crystal. The color graded from medium to deep root beer brown giving them the varietal name of smoky quartz. Each day, 4 or 5 superb specimens were removed from the pocket, now named the Tree Root Pocket. Specimens of calcite, agate, quartz, topaz, diamond, gold, and more can be found in the mountains and mining prospects surrounding Fort Collins. It was already over 1 meter deep. The opening never reached more than about 20 cm high. For activities that end up bringing you out to the remote reaches of the lands (like rockhounding) having a guidebook along has the potential to save you a lot of hassle. White caps are an unusual white albite coating on the terminations and/or sides of amazonite crystals. Colorado is well known for gems and minerals. The pocket was packed with clay and contained only amazonite, no smoky quartz. Dont miss it if you decide that youre going to go rockhounding in this state! Careful water ushing reveals the delicate crystal plates, which then may be removed. Some of the links on our website are affiliate links. Walking around with your nose to the ground reopens that childhood part of us that thinks finding a pretty stone is a wondrous event. Jack Buckner, owner of the Two Point Mine, holds a beautiful specimen just completed. Crystals of Arkansas Rockhounding USA US Join us as we travel across the USA in search of rocks, minerals, fossils, and Native American artefacts. At rst, the pocket contents did not look good. Hahns Peak is a summit in Routt County, Colorado, in the United States. W of Gold Camp Rd & High Drive, Below road of Eureka Tunnel, W side of stream, Colorado River valley & side canyons W of Grand Junction, Willow Creek, many mines (mostly private now, get permission), Rockhounding on Public Land: Laws and Regulations, Can You Collect Rocks in State Parks? With the influx of miners and prospectors into the state, it wasnt long before the rich deposits of the San Juan Mountains were discovered, leading to the creation of towns such as Breckenridge, Creed, Telluride, Ouray, and Cripple Creek. RockSeeker.com is reader-supported. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Thelma Hurianek holding a large amazonite crystal. The valleys contain small streams, several of which run year-round. The blue-green microcline feldspar and rich black smoky quartz crystals create an unparalleled contrast making these specimens highly prized among collectors. The plates containing albite balls, amazonite and quartz created a beautiful array of color. This indispensable guide features: Clear maps and directions Detailed descriptive text Numerous site photos The best way to collect rocks and minerals is by using a hammer and chisel to break them open. . Every piece was stained with limonite. 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.