Category Archives: Geology

Meteor Crater (Now off my Bucket List)

It’s seldom I get to take something off my bucket list, but I was able to in March by visiting Meteor Crater in Northern Arizona near Winslow.

Let me tell you that pictures do not do justice to seeing it in person. Approximately 50,000 years ago a giant meteor weighing several hundred thousands tons struck the earth, creating a large crater. The crater is approximately 4000 feet across and 570 feet deep. The meteor crater is known as the Barringer Meteor crater.

The crater was a training site for Apollo Astronauts from 1963 thru 1970 because the surface of the crater is not unlike the moon. Visitors, including Bonnie and I, take the rim tour that goes out about a quarter mile on a walking trail. It was a very windy walk, but very enjoyable with an informative guide.

Inside the visitor center are a number of great displays as well as the largest meteorite piece found from the meteor that created meteor crater. Very few pieces were found within the crater itself, but were dispersed over approximately 30 miles. Thousands of meteorite pieces have been found especially in the Canyon Diablo area west of the crater. These, generally small bits of this Iron/Nickel space chunk (Canyon Diablo Meteorites) are still readily available from dealers.

There are interesting stories of the crater exploration, including Daniel Barringer, a geologist, forming the Standard Iron Company; drilling down in the center to find iron he thought was going to be there (1903 and 1905). Nothing, of course, of value was there. I mentioned the rim trail, and it leads to the ruins of Barringer’s house on the crater’s rim.

There are several viewing platforms at the site. The crater is still owned by the Barringer family. The crater is not far off I-40. I enjoy different kinds of rocks and have made jewelry from meteorites of different localities. This is all so Out of This World! A cool place, I’m glad we got to go there.

Tucson Rock, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase-The Main Event Part 2

87 and sunny

The display cases boggle the mind at the Main Show, as do the Dealers.

Today I continue with the story, in photos, of our visit to the Main event show at the Tucson Convention Center. This show caps off over two weeks of exploring the 40+ shows in the Tucson Showcase. We are sad to see the show come to an end, but to be honest I am both mentally and physically drained. We had a great time and I’m happy we could tow you along by showing you small bits of the shows.

The G&LW (Gem & Lapidary Wholesalers) was closing up. We have learned from past experience that the last day at this show the dealers are in a hurry to pack up and get out of there. They really don’t want to take goods back to wherever they came from and the beads may sell for 1/4 to 1/3 the costs they were at the beginning of the shows. We sort of grabbed and go’d on one side of the table, while the dealers packed up on the other side. Bonnie was a shopping fool, and made cash offers, you would not believe; that were accepted.

An amazing Amethyst specimen for sale at Collectors Edge.

Columbus Pearls-Yep, Guard stationed nearby.

Show floor.

Turquoise & Diamond Necklace

As we drifted through the Main Show we saw a special display honoring the past Carnegie Award Members including our friend Dr. George Robinson. We sure miss George (and his wife Susan) being around The A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum.

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Tucson Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Shows 2014-Why It Pays To Be an Old Rockhound.

At the entrance to the Holidome tents. No photos allowed inside.

A high grade Turquoise boulder at a Holiday Inn Room.

Where should we go today? This is our coversation over coffee each morning. Today the Holidome show opened. This is a typical hotel show in some ways, but the addition of two big tents add the trade show feel as well. Last year the aisles were so narrow we had trouble with getting by other buyers and especially the “bead ladies” with their large wheeled suitcases in tow. (sometimes the Bead Ladies are really Bead Men, but the oversize luggage is the key identifier.) This year there is an additional connected tent, allowing wider aisles. One lady today insisted the shuttle drop her off on the sidewalk because her suitcase was 150# and the small wheels were useless on the peastone surface.

We first sought to replenish our jewelry chain supply and were able to find some high quality chains of assorted styles and sizes. This is a long and complicated procedure, getting some of this length and that, then moving to another thickness or pattern, then changing metals–silver, rose gold, yellow gold. After you select them, then comes the weighing and the wrapping and the paying. Chains are not so fun to deal with, Bonnie tells me. I really try to stay away.

We scooted through a lot of aisles, skipping past so much finished jewelry and slowing down to look over really nice cabochons or unusual displays.

Good Boulder Opal reasonable.

Walking the aisles we only bought a couple boulder opals. After a few days of busy purchasing it was good to lighten up. The favorite sculpture of the day (again, sorry no pics!) was three parrots carved from Blue Peruvian Opal and perched on top of a large quartz specimen. Memorable.

Randon rocks from the tailgate.

We found some vendors tailgating and we stopped to look. I found an interesting tub of rocks. While I was searching through a tub for treasures, Bonnie mosied (as she says) chatting up people. She likes to scout around and see if I have missed anything good. After I made the deal on my bag of rock, Bonnie said I should look at what one elderly gentleman had.

Old Luna from 50 years ago.

My jaw dropped when I saw he had old stock Luna Agate. I recognized this stuff from years ago. This material was acquired from an estate of an old rockhound (old meaning 103 when he died–maybe rockhunting is a healthy hobby!) who collected in Mexico over 60 years ago. The vendor said people had been walking right by, without even looking at his rare and extinct material. He knew what he had, and I knew what he had, so I did not object to the price. I would have bought it all had my pockets been deep enough. I give Bonnie credit for finding this little pile of treasure. We sure had fun pawing through his pile and trying to figure out which agate pieces would be the best.

A great slab at the Fossil Show

dactyloceras plate

We went to the Arizona Mineral & Fossil Show at the Ramada Inn. Not much was happening there. Some vendors had left or were packing even though this show is open until the 15th. The most interesting, high on the awesome scale were fish plates. Leaning against the second floor balcony from the ground up they were a large eye-catching display waiting for a great location, not in your average house. Bob Finney of Fossil Lake Fish Company gave me a card with the story. Another impressive but smaller plate was next to it with a fern and fossil fish swimming in the fossiliferous sediments. I’ve never seen a larger fossil plate. If you have a fat wallet ($150,000) and an oversize wall you could use this striking fossil centerpiece.

A real Giant of a fish plate with a giant price.

fishfern

These specimens came from southwestern Wyoming and formed 50 millions years ago. The Fossil Lake was around 930 miles, so many geologic features and fossils are being unearthed there. Lots of fossils from around the world are shown at this show.

I see a lot of younger attendees at these shows, rapidly scurrying here and there, as well as the more seasoned veterans, a bit slower, but a bit wiser as to choices they make and knowledge they bring to their choices. It is sort of like the tortoise and the hare race, the early bird might get the worm, but sometimes slow and steady wins the race. That was the case with me today. This is not the first time this has happened. My advice to younger rock hounds is to slow down, look around, and chat with the older folks who have been doing this awhile!

Look what I found in a box at Gary Wilson's booth. Yes a Keweenaw Point Datolite no one else identified.

Dr. Seuss and The Flintstones

jtree

Joshua Tree National Park is in the southeast corner of California, and is not so well known as Yosemite or Sequoia, but we enjoyed our drive through the park on a sunny cool day. The tourist rush was absent in the middle of the week.

The Joshua Trees are really Yucca brevifolia, a member of the Agave family. This slow growing yucca grows a half inch a year. The oldest tree in the park is 40 feet high. Many native critters use the Joshua tree as a home or food source. It was a useful plant to the early American Indians for baskets and sandals, and seeds were an addition to their diet. Later homesteaders used the trees and limbs for fencing, and even as fuel for steam engines to process ore. Each branch represents a time when temperatures reached freezing, and a flower resulted, the only time branches occur. The trees have a Dr. Seuss-like look, don’t you think?

sanandreas21 sanandreassign1

Geologic features include unearthly landscapes, many giant rock piles and rocks lined up at crazy patterns. Geologic faults crisscross the area and together with erosion, floods, wind and especially water have shaped the landscape. We overlooked the San Andreas Fault and Palm Springs in the valley below Key View.

Do you see the dark line down the center? That's the San Andreas Fault.

Do you see the dark line down the center of the valley? That's the San Andreas Fault. This is one especially for my fans of plate tectonics.

Snoopy?

Obviously the entrance to Bedrock.

Most entertaining were the rocks that appeared to be shaped in whimsical sculptures. We saw a bear, what appeared to be the entrance to the Flintstone town of Bedrock, and a scull that would fit into any Pirates of the Caribbean movie. We witnessed rock climbers and hikers. I am not capable of hiking long distances with one bad leg, but Bonnie hiked into Hidden Valley where the cattle thieves used to hide their rustled cattle!

Skull Rock-let's get closer.

Closer-AMAZING!

It is a spacious park, with a long drive from north to south, but it was interesting and of great interest to folks you are interested in geology. The big rocks got even bigger in a small area, and by the time we left the park at the southern edge, the rocks had been mostly replaced by valleys crossed by washes and smaller rock. The washes had some interesting names. We saw Smoke Trees at the Smoke Tree Wash, but we did not see any Porcupines at Porcupine Wash, or Fired Liver at the Fried Liver Wash!

We are accepting guesses of what this is.

The visitor center showed three rock samples: gneiss, granite with apatite, some quartz mixture, nothing too exciting to a jewelry-maker.

We drove the nice road provided by the National Park Service. The vastness of the territory makes us remember the struggles of the homesteaders and miners who traversed the area by donkey or oxen cart.

Our source on the trees and rocks was the NPS publication on Joshua Tree National Park..

Cliff Mine-Prehnite Hunting

The hounds are released on the Cliff Mine Pile.

The pile was bulldozed and the Copper Country Mineral Retreat hunt at the Cliff Mine began at 9am. A good crowd of eager hunters attacked the pile. A nice trench was excavated and some entered it while others, like me hunted the surface. The Cliff, even though hunted for over a hundred years by rockhounds, still produces some fine copper specimens as well as other copper associated minerals. Native American Indians hammered this copper in prehistoric times, and chisel chips left from their mining are found at the Cliff today.

A nice trench was excavated and our buddy Keith from Baltimore found his way into it.

A great view of the Cliff mine showing the trench that fellow rockhounds were searching.

Since I already have so much native copper, Bonnie and I spent the day hunting for gem Prehnite for our jewelry. The Prehnite at the Cliff formed in small veins maybe a few inches thick and is apple green and speckled with copper. We were quite successful and found good pieces with some help from Pam Hecht who is a good buddy and led the hunt.

Prehnite comes in various forms and colors in the Copper Country. One of my favorites is referred to as “U.P. Thomsonite” and is verigated, often with eyes. Prehnite comes in assorted pastel colors, the most common being pink and green.

A seam of Copper bearing Prehnite from the Cliff Mine.

Here is some of that Prehnite on my workbench. Notice the copper?

The Cliff mine was the first successful copper mine in the Copper Country of the state of Michigan. The mine is at the now-abandoned town of Clifton in Keweenaw County. Mining began in 1845, and the Cliff was the most productive copper mine in the United States from 1845 through 1854. Large-scale mining stopped in 1878. The Cliff was a fissure mine where the seams of copper were vertical.

Fissure mines are always interesting to search. I spent the day looking for gem quality Prehnite, and Bonnie and I found many nice pieces. These veins of Prehnite are commonly no more then an inch or so wide with a split down the middle as the Prehnite formed in from the outside of the vein and met in the middle. Much of this Prehnite is loaded with specks of Copper and is a pleasing apple green color.

Although amygdaloid and conglomerate deposits of the Keweenaw tended to be lower-grade than the fissure deposits, they were much larger, and could be mined much more efficiently, with the ore blasted out, hoisted to the surface, and sent to stamp mills located at a different site. Amygdaloid and conglomerate mining turned out to be much more productive and profitable than fissure mining, and the majority of highly successful mines were on amygdaloid or conglomerate lodes. The first mine to successfully mine a strataform ore body was the Quincy Mine in 1856. The most productive deposit, the Calumet conglomerate, was opened by the Calumet and Hecla mining company in 1865. (Mine information from Wikipedia)

I’ll be excited to cut this Prehnite and make some attractive pendants.