Use this resource as a guide to get you started. Website. Mohawk Lake to Pacific Peak and Crystal Peak. With over 770 types of minerals to be found, its second only to California in the number of different gems and minerals statewide. There is some question as to whether these horizontal features are faults and/or joints that have been intruded by pegmatites, or are cooling horizons within the original granite melt. Colorados state mineral is rhodochrosite (well-known areas are near Alma). Some rarer specimens are replaced with opal due to higher moisture levels. To get to Wolf Creek Pass, the driver must be wide-awake as the road can deceive you. 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. Colorado Rockhounding is a complete guide to the state's rich and varied mineral, gemstone, and fossil sources. The pocket was shaped like a kidney bean and lay more or less horizontally. Though some property is private land and requires the permission of landowners to prospect, a significant swath of area is within National Forest. The end result is a mineralized fossil thats known as a limb cast These often preserve the finest details of the bark, growth rings, and cellular structure. You will discover this rock paradise 10 miles south of Grand Junction. Still, upon casual inspection of most specimens, the damage was usually minimal or unnoticeable. The valleys contain small streams, several of which run year-round. The color graded from medium to deep root beer brown giving them the varietal name of smoky quartz. Over 1 billion years ago, magma pushed up into the Front Range of Colorado. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The crystal groups exhibited great aesthetics but at this point one could not determine if the amazonite color was very good. For each nice group, about 50 broken pieces were extracted. Starting with the rich gold and silver deposits which were the starting point of so many Colorado towns, the Centennial State. Jerry Hurianek with his hand on a large amazonite specimen. The roof collapse created damage to many of the specimens. It was Mr. Whitmore who brought worldwide prominence to amazonite by debuting some of his fabulous nds at the Chicago Worlds Fair in the 1890s. The Sierra Nevada of the Pacific Mountain System characterize the geomorphology of the surrounding . This area requires a little bit more knowledge of geology than most, but if youre willing to learn its an incredible spot for the hunt. You can even order some shale from the location and crack it at home, in case making a trip out isnt in the cards. Seed being sown over site. All you really need is a good pair of hiking boots, a backpack, and a few basic tools. On Crystal Peak's summit above 9,600 feet, scholars sat and sketched the valley's first geologic map, according to history compiled by the Florissant museum. Though effort continued beyond 1997, only the first two years are summarized here. In the center of the pocket, the specimens were slightly more blue than the ones at the edges. Golden, Colo. Photo by Ron Wolf. Not all Amazonite is jewelry-quality, but even the worst sample is going to make a vibrant, colorful part of your collection. East of the town of Kremmling, enthusiasts have access to regulated collection of petrified wood on BLM-managed lands. 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. After a simple spray wash, the true color of the amazonite begins to unfold. Though crystals can be found in the pegmatite, it is within the miarolitic cavities that the best-formed crystals are found. This magma remained and cooled to form the Pikes Peak granite about 1.5 km below the surface. Minerals found in the area include fluorite, quartz, calcite, zeolite, and aquamarine. The amazonite color was incredible! 0. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Other sources include: California Rockhounding Location Guide & Map, Where to Buy Tumbling Rocks: 5 Popular Sites, Compared. The opening uncovered the previous day was originally created when the graphic granite roof plates separated from their ner-grained granite host-rock. Theres still gold in them hills! Despite early miners flocking to Colorado by the tens of thousands and pulling nearly their weight out in gold, they didnt get it all. JEEPN4GOLD/Google. Rockhounding Colorado: A Guide to the States Best Rockhounding Sites (Rockhounding Series). Modern mining has stringent reclamation standards, therefore some of the pits dug the previous year were lled in, recontoured and seeded. amzn_assoc_title = "Some of my favorite rockhounding gear from Amazon:"; Over another 40 million years other magma intrusions, containing minerals different than the original intrusion, pushed their way into the existing granite, remelting it and forming cores containing the mineralization we see today. The Crystal Peak Mine is near Verdi, California and is part of the Toiyabe National Forest. Photo by C. Baldwin. On a typical crystal, a slight etching covered a few of the faces while others showed a brilliant luster. Collectors have the opportunity to find beautiful agates, amethysts, garnets, jaspers, opals, and even the occasional nugget of gold. Thelma Hurianek was instrumental in discovering the Museum Pocket that was reconstructed and is now on display at the Denver Museum of Natural History. There is little or no movement along them. Poppi, Luciano, Foord, Eugene E., Kile, Daniel E. (2000) Crystal chemical variations in Li- and Fe-rich micas from Pikes Peak batholith (central Colorado). The Crystal Peak Mine is a surface and underground mining operation. 8 Mine is located on Hwys 24-285 5.9 miles east of the intersection of Hwys 24/285. No signicant smoky quartz associations were recorded from that period. 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. 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. | Rockhounding Near Me 15,381 views Jun 29, 2020 #MiningAmazonite #PikesPeak #ThatCampingCouple We 480 Dislike Share That Camping Couple 65.7K. The color is best described as deep blue-green, one of the nest amazonite colors. Both are part of the Lake George intrusive center. The pocket was mostly collapsed, the roof having fallen in, perhaps, millions of years earlier. Its distinctive look makes it hard to miss when youre on the hunt for it in the wild. The specimens were discovered 2 meters beneath the surface, inside a collapsed pocket, eventually named the Tree Root Pocket. Much of the potential prospect area in recent years has been placed under claim. No kidding, this thing is around 3 feet long! By the middle of October, blasting work was completed and the pits were reclaimed and re-seeded. The McCullough Gulch Trailhead is our proposed primary route access point and can be reached by most passenger vehicles. The locations and information contained in this article are primarily derived from academic papers, online resources, and other outside sources. Graphic by Bill Tanaka. But, hey, you dont know whats going to turn up when youre out in the woods. Every possible open space inside the sandwich was lled with clay, making specimen extraction difcult. The area is marked by a small brown sign. Careful pocket documentation and repair work will yield higher percentages of ne specimens than ever before. Brilliant, gem-quality Rhodochrosite is one of Colorados most valuable minerals. Here, you can dig for chalcedony, agate, jasper, quartz, and countless other claims. 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. Dinosaur fossils discovered in Colorado represent a diversity of dinosaur groups from all three periods of the Mesozoic Era. To get to Wolf Creek Pass, the driver must be wide-awake as the road can deceive you. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; The area is remarkable for those searching for rocks. Much additional geological information was collected from eld observations made during the 1997 work. Some of the more high profile include dinosaur fossils, petrified wood, amazonite, flourite, and even aquamarine. Cherry Creek prospecting tips. Its most characteristic gem is amazonite, the bright green mineral that is often mistaken for jade. One of these is sure to spark your interest and sense of adventure. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 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. So, be sure to check where in the area you can go rockhounding. All of the best Two Point Mine pockets are oriented in a near horizontal position. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The formation of Crystal Peak. 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 pocket lay only 2 meters below the surface next to a large tree. 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. crystal peak colorado rockhounding. The many area pegmatites, old mining dumps, and area streams contain fantastic specimens of minerals such as agate, fluorite, zircon, and fluorite. Although there's an available collection of minerals on the National Forest land. Just to the southeast of the Two Point Mine are the excavations of Rock Currier and Bob Bartsch. The uplift of the Rocky Mountains has caused some distortion. Claims are typically 182 m wide and 457 m in length. 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. For the hardy adventurous soul in good physical condition, the are riches to be found high on the exposed slopes of Mt. The area predominately frequented is within the Crystal Peak Mining District located north of Florrisant and Lake George, within Teller and Park County, respectively. crystal peak colorado rockhounding. Next, get the most recently published guide to rock hounding in Colorado that describes the sites and includes directions and maps. Two kilometers to the southeast of the Two Point Mine lay the famous Gem Mines where Albert Whitmore mined amazonite in the late 1800s through the 1920s. During the puzzle work, a few of the pieces were nally cleaned yielding the biggest surprise to date. Photo by Jared Heiden . Thousands of years of erosion have reduced the colorful sandstone formations to rolling grassy hills. Add in the short summer season where you can reach the gem fields it may not be worth it for the average rockhound. Here, Robert Lorda removes a heavy clay layer coating a beautiful group of amazonite and smoky quartz. Sure, Colorado is known for rock climbing, hiking and skiing. A catalog number was permanently afxed to the back of each specimen along with a small label marked repaired. The overwhelming majority within this formation are plant-related fossils, though insect fossil discoveries are also common. 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. The Two Point Mine is located on a small mining claim in Teller County, Colorado, approximately 65 km west of Colorado Springs, Colorado near Lake George. The first step in cleaning the pocket contents is a simple wash. Hundreds of excellent amazonite specimens were collected from it, many containing balls of white albite. By the second day, it became apparent that the pocket was large. Once a discarded byproduct by an early silver mine, it has now become highly sought after. Breaking into one and finding a pocket of minerals is an incredible experience, however. Careful pocket documentation and repair work will yield higher percentages of ne specimens than ever before. Each day, 4 or 5 superb specimens were removed from the pocket, now named the Tree Root Pocket. Youll have to either know someone or find one of the unclaimed areas to get your own specimens. 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. Top 5 Rockhounding Spots In Colorado Wolf Creek Pass: US 160, also known as Wolf Creek Pass, can be a challenging drive. Many old prospectors search for pockets by following tree roots. The hole was deepened and a nice pegmatite dike was exposed, the source of the color. The color could only be determined later at the laboratory where the specimens would be cleaned. As with most states, each county in Colorado will have records of who owns each piece of property. 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. There are actually four areas just for those within a few miles of the peak itself. These gem mines have produced superb mineral specimens over a period of 100 years. All of the best Two Point Mine pockets are oriented in a near horizontal position. Pikes Peak is a bucket list location for many rockhounds. In the late 1800s, prospectors first struck gold along Clear Creek near Central City. The areas at, or near, the hilltops usually contain the best hunting ground for amazonite. In October, Graham Sutton drills, blasts and deepens Pit B, yielding nothing. Apache Tears, properly known as black obsidian (Ruby Mountain in Chaffee County), were named for the Indian legend that they are the petrified tears of Apache women mourning the slaughter of their men in battle. Colorado Springs is one of the best areas in Colorado for rockhounds. Fortunately, there are good spots outside of Kremmling that well detail below. 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. Many promising locations are difficult to access without a capable vehicle. Physiography 1 Records. Some of the best rockhounding in southern Nevada lies outside Goldfield, in a place called Gemfield. Devil's Head Rockhounding (Let's Go) Disclaimer 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. NOTE: All the locations listed in these tables are clickable, and will take you to the location on Google Maps. Located in the Colorado Rockies near the Crystal Peak area is a mining spot that is popular for its teal blue amazonite and smoky Quartz combination of crystals. Get out there and start rockhounding! . Amethyst geodes, Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper, Moonstone, Quartz crystals. This site is devoted to sharing my love of rocks with you. A large pegmatite is exposed in Pit B. 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. Collectors Edge Minerals, Inc. had the opportunity in 1996-1997 to mine in Teller County, under a lease agreement, using mechanized equipment. For the casual collector or the obsessed amateur, theres a little something for everyone, just about everywhere. crystal peak colorado rockhounding. (Find Of a Lifetime! However, because of the terrain and vegetation, these marked claim boundaries are sometimes difficult to see. Always be alert of your speed. The state has thousands upon thousands of old mines and prospective rockhounding locations. 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. Few contain the top color amazonite coveted by mineral collectors. Hundreds of pieces ranging in quality from excellent to rubble now have to be carefully sorted and cleaned. To determine what type of public land a particular location is on, I would recommend the Colorado State Land Boards Map Tools which keeps accurate maps of every kind of public land in the state. These formations often house what youre looking for, but finding them isnt easy. The company entered into a lease agreement with John O. Buckner in 1995 for the Two Point property. The lower is composed mostly of green and gray mudstones. I will be visiting Colorado towards the end of next week. Print/PDF map. 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. 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. Crystals of Arkansas Rockhounding USA US Join us as we travel across the USA in search of rocks, minerals, fossils, and Native American artefacts. Equipment was mobilized and three test pits were dug along favorable structures. Due to its location, its often found alongside other gemstones in Colorado. The rst groups were heavily damaged but within a couple of hours, two very nice groups were pulled out. Much of the potential prospect area in recent years has been placed under claim. 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! The area is remarkable for those searching for rocks. A popular activity in these areas, where the possibility of finding a geological treasure is real. Just be aware that its going to take even more planning than most rockhounding adventures. A tree root followed the narrow seam of a pegmatite downwards into the pocket. It also holds a special place in my heart as I grew up spending summers in Crested Butte. Felch Creek: Felch Creek will provide you with agate, geodes, and jasper. In the tight connes of the pocket, the roots created extensive damage to the amazonite groups; the quartz terminations received the worst. If youre prospecting on Devils Head Mountain (Douglas County) in August, youll join millions of ladybugs for their annual gathering on the summit. After a quick wash, Robert Lorda and Bill Hawes (in photo) begin the long process of piecing the pocket back together. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Crystal Park is open for day use only and has a fee per car. In Colorado, for over a century, the word Crystal Peak has evoked the vision of amazonite (green microcline feldspar) and smoky quartz combinations that have drawn prospectors to the area.