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Its formed by the displacement of a wood buried under sediment. It is theorized that because the pegmatite dikes are harder than the granite host-rock, the dikes create an erosional barrier and thus protrude from and create the hilltops. Most of the crystal group dismemberment involved the separation of amazonite from quartz. 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. Devil's Head Rockhounding (Let's Go) Disclaimer All About Rockhounding in Nevada Where to Go & What to Find Its a great way to get outdoors, explore new places, and learn about geological history. Consequently many crystals have detached from their matrix. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. improvement in digging and repair techniques during the l990s, the potential for future important large nds is very good. Rock hounding and Quartz hunting at Crystal Peak Mountain in - YouTube Always be alert of your speed. The specimens were. About 2 kilometers to the west lie the Clarence Coil claims on and near Yucca Hill. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 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. 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. This is a common phenomenon. Though many weekend prospectors have combed hillsides digging with hand tools, few have had the resources to mine these valuable specimens with mechanized equipment. Carol Watson stands near a pocket discovery in Pit A. It is common to have three or four pegmatite structures in one area. During the 1970s, several signicant nds were made there including one pocket that contained single amazonite crystals and small groups with the best deep blue-green color recorded up to that time. During the week of June 1, 1997, new equipment was moved onto the property. Unfortunately, not a single additional pocket was discovered at depth, a surprise to everyone. Once theyre clean, you can put them on display or add them to your rock collection! Specimens of calcite, agate, quartz, topaz, diamond, gold, and more can be found in the mountains and mining prospects surrounding Fort Collins. (Find Of a Lifetime! Several single amazonite crystals were pulled out, most were damaged. Pit C gave up the best prize of the year. The Stateline Kimberlite District. It is the responsibility of each rockhound to obtain permission from a landowner to search and/or collect on a piece of property. The area is known as the best amazonite hunting ground in the world. The blue-green microcline feldspar and rich black smoky quartz crystals create an unparalleled contrast making these specimens highly prized among collectors. Though many weekend prospectors have combed hillsides digging with hand tools, few have had the resources to mine these valuable specimens with mechanized equipment. The proximity to the surface, and the subsequent ground water drainage through the pocket, was a detriment to pocket quality. The crystal size was small, about 1.5 to 3.0 cm, but the quality was good. 418 Main St., Fairplay, CO 80440. The color could only be determined later at the laboratory where the specimens would be cleaned. Photo by C. Baldwin. 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. The blue-green microcline feldspar and rich black smoky quartz crystals create an unparalleled contrast making these specimens highly prized among collectors. Sure, Colorado is known for rock climbing, hiking and skiing. The list of amazonite prospectors goes on and on it is beyond the scope of this article to cover them all. If you are in the area and want to see more interesting stuff, try visiting the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument to see some even cooler finds. For the adventurous, hiking the mountains of Colorado with a gold pan can incite a nostalgia of the old days and maybe turn up some specimens. Two distinctly different granite textures have been identied at the Two Point Mine. Physiography 1 Records. Rockhounding Wigwam, Jefferson County Colorado - davealex In some areas they lie more or less horizontally, like bedding planes, while in others they dip wildly to angles approaching vertical. The pegmatite plunged into the hill at a dip of 25 degrees to a depth of 2 meters below surface. While there seems to be a correlation of pockets being discovered at the intersections of north south fault structures and pegmatites, not all intersections yield pockets. Lake George Vacations, Activities & Things To Do | Colorado.com This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. All of the best Two Point Mine pockets are oriented in a near horizontal position. This bundle of information includes a book, videos, and online tools. Though much of the good prospecting in this area is on private property or on current mining claims, the adjacent National Forests can be a spot for rockhounds to find Amazonite and Smoky Quartz. Further work would involve drilling and blasting that would not occur until 1997. The contents of the pocket shown in the photo above. Amazonite is a blue-green formation of microcline, with some of the higher-quality samples being used in jewelry. A close-up of the Tree Root Pocket, about 16 cm high. Both are part of the Lake George intrusive center. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The area is mountainous with rugged terrain of forest and rock. Lens size is proportional to pocket size. One is a medium-grained pink granite that covers most of the claim and contains the best prospecting areas. If so, how much iron out per gallon of water ratio? Collectors Edge Minerals, Inc. had the opportunity in 1996-1997 to mine in Teller County, under a lease agreement, using mechanized equipment. Albite, Ankerite, Chlorite, Diopside, Epidote, Garnet, Lazurite, Magnetite, Stilbite, Talc, etc. The Tree Root Pocket produced over 100 cataloged amazonite and smoky quartz groups. This is a huge area. Crystal Peak Located on the Wah Wah Mountain Range, Crystal Peak is a result of a volcanic eruption from a nearby caldera around 35 million years ago. Follow posted signage and always get permission from the landowner to collect. If the pegmatite was very strong, i.e. This magma remained and cooled to form the Pikes Peak granite about 1.5 km below the surface. In previous years, the remoteness of the mountain made it a wonderful spot for rockhounds. The St. Peters Dome district in particular is famously for its quality mineral specimens. Much of the potential prospect area in recent years has been placed under claim. Location of major amazonite discoveries in the Two Point Mine region. 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. The locations and information contained in this article are primarily derived from academic papers, online resources, and other outside sources. By law, these claims must be adequately marked. Mohawk Lake to Pacific Peak and Crystal Peak | Map, Guide - Colorado Remember! In the past, because most amazonite pockets are collapsed and the crystal groups disassembled, few amazonite and smoky quartz groups survived. . Also, there were no baveno or manebach twins present inside the pocket, with the exception of one broken manebach measuring 9 cm across. 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. Rhodocrosite, on rare occasions, forms pink gemstones with high clarity. The pocket was shaped like a kidney bean and lay more or less horizontally. Colorado Prospector - Gem and mineral prospecting and mining forums The replacement occurs by percolating groundwater that replaces the organic materials with silica. 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. The McCullough Gulch Trailhead is our proposed primary route access point and can be reached by most passenger vehicles. Crystal Peak area. A few miles north on County Road 2 accessed via Highway 40. Few contain the top color amazonite coveted by mineral collectors. American . The Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society is proud to be part of the Pikes Peak Gem, Mineral, and Jewelry Show. Back at the Collectors Edge cleaning facility in Golden, Colorado, they were nally washed off and examined. Though crystals can be found in the pegmatite, it is within the miarolitic cavities that the best-formed crystals are found. Smoky Quartz even occurs right alongside Amazonite in some places, leading to dramatic specimens that bear the full colors of both. As with most states, each county in Colorado will have records of who owns each piece of property. The minerals are often encased in cavities and pegmatites in the granite, so a rock pick and a hammer should be in your pack. The location of pegmatite pockets seems to be controlled by these north-south faults: more on this later. Museum Pocket, reconstructed and on display at the Denver Museum of Natural History. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. This magma remained and cooled to form the Pikes Peak granite about 1.5 km below the surface. Youre out for a hike and something on the path catches your eye.