ROCK HOUNDING ACROSS AMERICA

Created by: D. Marie Barlow

GO340 Gemstones & Gemology

Emporia State University

Fall 2011

ROCK HOUNDING ACROSS AMERICA

For this presentation I chose 10 states to identify official state

gemstones, state clubs, and places to hunt.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Art of Rock Hounding

Getting Started

Main State Page with Club Listings I0 identified states with gemstone and location ideas.

Back Pocket Resources

Be Green

Sources

THE ART OF ROCKHOUNDING

Since World War II there has been a rapid growth in interest in the search for

rocks and gemstones.

These "rockhounds" are attracted by the thrill of discovering a fine specimen

and by the fact outdoor pursuit that

knows no season

requires no license

has no minimum qualification age for participation

At the end of this presentation is

a list of resources to help identify gemstones

some state sponsored books of what rocks and minerals to look for!

THE ART OF ROCKHOUNDING, CONT.

You can't just head outside, poke around some rocks and hope to find

specific types of gems and crystals.

Compare gem hunting to bird watching -- if you want to spot a certain

species of bird, you wouldn't aimlessly wander around a forest. You'd learn

where that bird lives, what trees it nests in, what it eats, and what its

migration patterns are -- leading you to make its eventual discovery.

(http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/hiking/gem-

hunting2.htm)

I’ve included some items to help collect specimens and locate some likely

places to seek your treasures!

HOW TO GET STARTED

The beginning collector needs two pieces of somewhat specialized

equipment

a geologist's hammer

a hand lens

The hammer is used to dislodge rock and break to display size. A hand lens,

or pocket magnifier, is useful to identify small mineral grains and crystals.

Other useful pieces of equipment

a knapsack to carry specimens, equipment, and food

paper sacks and wrapping paper to wrap specimens

a notebook for keeping field notes

a pocket knife

HOW TO GET STARTED, CONT.

It is a good idea to mark your locality on a topographic map as accurately as

possible so that you can return on future field trips or direct others to the

site. Permission must always be obtained to collect on private property.

The following safety equipment is strongly recommended and is required for

collecting in a mine or quarry

hard hat

steel-toed boots

safety glasses

Information from DirtyRockHounds

10 STATES IDENTIFIED

Arizona: Gem Clubs of AZ

Arkansas: Rockhounding

California: California Clubs

Colorado: Colorado Clubs

Georgia: Georgia Clubs

Illinois: Gem Clubs of IL

Maine: Gem & Mineral Clubs

Montana: Montana Clubs

North Carolina: NC Gem Clubs

Oregon: Gem & Mineral Clubs

Rock Hounding Clubs:

Click the icon to jump to each state’s page then click it to return.

ARIZONA

State Gemstone

Turquoise was designated the

official gemstone of Arizona in

1974. Probably one of the oldest

gemstones known, turquoise is an

opaque, blue-to-green mineral. Only

the prized robin's egg blue color is

used to make gemstones. The

majority of the world's finest-quality

turquoise comes from western and

southwestern United States, the

largest producer of turquoise in the

world.

Turquoise and coral bola tie made by Navajo

and Zuni Indians in Arizona /

New Mexico © Gold Mountain Mining

Company (used by permission) - a silver

and turquoise bola tie is considered the

official style for Arizona's state neckwear.

*Information on this page received from State Symbols USA

ARIZONA - WHERE

Safford Field Office

Black Hills Rockhound Area - From the

intersection of Highway 70, east of Safford,

travel 10 miles north on Highway 191 to Black

Hills Rockhound Area. Follow the dirt road

2 miles to the center of the rockhound area.

Round Mountain Rockhound Area - From

Highway 70 east of Safford approximately 50

miles, travel into New Mexico to just beyond

milepost 5. Take the dirt access road on your

right for 12 miles, following the signs to the

Rockhound Area.

Kingman Field Office

Burro Creek Campground - Located 1 1/2 mile

off U.S. Hwy. 93, approximately 60 miles NE of

Wickenburg.

Yuma Field Office

Dome Rock Mountain 14-Day Camping Area

Arizona Strip Field Office

Virgin River Recreation Area - Located on

Interstate 15 (Exit 18), 16 miles NE of

Littlefield, Arizona.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

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Click here for information from Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources

ARKANSAS

State Gemstone

According to “Arkansas History &

Culture” on February 22, 1967,

Governor Rockefeller signed Act

128, designating the diamond as

the state gem, quartz crystal as the

state mineral, and bauxite as the

state rock.

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On 26 April 2011, Beth Gilbertson

found an 8.66 carat diamond at

Crater of Diamonds State Park in

Arkansas. She named it the Illusion

Diamond. Read more about her

hunt.

http://www.rockhoundingar.com/

CALIFORNIA

Benitoite was designated as the

official State Gemstone in 1985.

Sometimes called the " blue diamond",

it was first discovered near the

headwaters of the San Benito River

from which it derived its name. The

gem is extremely rare and ranges in

color from a light transparent blue to

dark, vivid sapphire blue, and

occasionally it is found in a violet

shade. Photo courtesy of:

www.benitoitemine.com

State Gemstone

CALIFORNIA - WHERE

Click Here to view a close-up map of the

Big Sur Coast to see where all the beaches

are in relationship to one another.

Big Sur Valley is found 26 miles south of Carmel on

the central California coast, surrounded by Ventana

Wilderness Area and the Los Padres National

Forest.

The California coast is an obvious place to

seek gemstones. But with about 840 miles

of coastline, it can be hard to know where

good places are to visit. One of my favorite

locations is located between Los Angeles

and San Francisco; Big Sur Valley.

The aquamarine was adopted as the official state

gemstone on April 30, 1971, by an act of the General

Assembly. The mountain peaks of Mount Antero and

White Mountain in Colorado are among the finest quality localities known for gem aquamarine. They

are also among the highest in elevation, located at 14,000 feet. The granite

rock of these peaks contains pegmatite bodies that are characterized by large

miarolitic cavities containing the gem quality aquamarine crystals. The

cavities are found through a vertical area of a mere 500 feet. The crystals in

these cavities range in color from light blue to pale and deep aquamarine

green, and in size from very small to 6 cm in length. Citation: House Bill 1104,

1971; Colorado Revised Statute 24-80-912.

COLORADO

Photo’s courtesy of: www.statesymbolsusa.org

State Gemstone

MONTANA

Montana's sapphires (mostly found in

western Montana) look like bright, blue glass

and are cut like diamonds to make jewelry.

Montana sapphires can be found in the Royal

Crown Jewels of England. Sapphires, which

were thrown away by miners in the gold rush

days, are now the most valuable gemstones

found in America.

Montana designated both the sapphire and

Moss Agate as the official state gemstones in

1969. Agates are found in southern and

eastern Montana. Agate is polished (not cut)

to make gemstones and jewelry. Agates are

usually white with swirls of grey and black

spots. Moss agate pebble

Photo by Adrian Pingstone

Sapphires cut in heart and oval

shapes photo © International

Colored Gemstone Association

(ICA)

State Gemstone

OREGON

Oregon sunstones from Dust Devil Mine in Oregon -

cut as faceted gems by Martin Guptill

Photo © Martin Guptill: GemArtGallery.com

The Oregon sunstone was designated the

state's official gemstone in 1987. Oregon

sunstones (also known as heliolite) are

uncommon in their composition, clarity, and

range of colors. Collectors and miners

attracted by them have been a boom to

tourism and economic development in

Oregon.

Oregon sunstones are a calcium-rich variety

of transparent to translucent crystal feldspar

ranging in color from water-clear to pale

yellow, soft pink, blood red, and (extremely

rare) deep blue and green. Some stones

show two different colors when viewed from

different directions.

State Gemstone

http://www.naturenw.org/rock-sunstone.htm

http://www.oregongeology.org/sub/learnmore/learnmore.htm

BACK POCKET RESOURCES

Click images for book information from Amazon.com

BE A GREEN GEM HUNTER

I’m not talking about tourmalines or emeralds – be environmentally

conscious

effects of recreational mining are minor compared to commercial

operations… but you need to think about consequences of your hobby

Minimize environmental impact where it is not specifically set aside for

mining.

Chipping at a rock to reveal partly exposed gems is one thing, but don't dig

large holes in the landscape!

In short, the next person who comes along shouldn't be able to notice that

anyone was hunting for gems.

• http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/history/symbemb.

htm#Gemstone

• http://www.library.ca.gov/history/symbols.html#Heading16

• http://www.statesymbolsusa.org

• http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/beaches.html

• http://www.naturenw.org/rock-sunstone.htm

• http://orerockon.com/ore_rock.htm

• http://www.amazon.com/

• http://www.rockhoundingar.com/

• http://www.dirtyrockhounds.com/Beginner.html

• http://gemstone.org/

About This Presentation

This presentation was created by D. Marie Barlow. It fulfills an assignment for a

gemstone and gemology course from Emporia State University, Earth Science

Department, http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/earthsci.htm. For questions and

comments, email dbarlow@emporia.edu. You can visit other student’s examples at

http://academic.emporia.edu/abersusa/go340/students/stupages.htm

RESOURCES: