Gunnison and the surrounding area have long been noted for their rock and mineral specimens. The mining area addressed here lays approximately 8 kilometers northeast of Lake George, Colorado inside Pike National Forest. Back at the Collectors Edge cleaning facility in Golden, Colorado, they were nally washed off and examined. Whitewater: Whitewater is one of the few locations where you can find geodes in Grand Junction. The first step in cleaning the pocket contents is a simple wash. A mine program was put together to drill and blast 30 feet below the pocket. It is up to the individual to identify these boundaries and seek permission before attempting to prospect on the claims. But what about those other treasures hidden in rocks the minerals that are at the heart of a collectors expedition? Several single amazonite crystals were pulled out, most were damaged. 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. 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. Always respect private property! In the late 1800s, prospectors first struck gold along Clear Creek near Central City. Two thick biconvex graphic granite layers cover the pocket, one above the opening and one below. CM Adventures 33 subscribers Subscribe 37 Share 4.6K views 3 years ago Join me in the search for Quartz and unique. 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. NOTE: All the locations listed in these tables are clickable, and will take you to the location on Google Maps. This stream is close to Oil Well Flats. This indispensable guide features: Clear maps and directions Detailed descriptive text Numerous site photos Also, most pieces had only one repair. Though most weekend prospectors did not stake claims on the public land on which they found specimens, some did stake and file claims to prevent others from encroaching on their property. Care should be taken to respect private property and the claims within the national forest. Services. Claims are typically 182 m wide and 457 m in length. Many promising locations are difficult to access without a capable vehicle. The specimens are finally finished; a table reveals the treasures of the Tree Root Pocket. Access to the claim and Mine is via a 4-wheel drive road trail that is accessed from Lake George, Colorado by driving north on public roads through private property onto National Forest land. Photo by C. Baldwin. . But there is a little-known hobby that hearkens back to the state's gold rush days still practiced today by 21st-century miners using the same hand tools that explorers used hundreds of years ago. Rockhounding is a great hobby for people of all ages. A few pieces contain associated smoky quartz that made them some of the most sought after specimens ever found in the Crystal Peak region. The quartz crystals were gemmy and sometimes awless. For those looking for the excitement and satisfaction of splitting open shale rock to reveal fossils, check out the town of Florissant. Care should be taken to respect private property and the claims within the national forest. They are generally lighter brown in colored mounts that line the hillside. The downside is that considerable quantity of the land was developed into cabin and home areas some years ago. The later ts into the more classic model of pegmatite formation through magmatic differentiation during the late stages of cooling. Though effort continued beyond 1997, only the first two years are summarized here. The former would suggest the pegmatites postdate the magma cooling event. Pegmatites are common on the Two Point and constitute the pocket-bearing structures. There were two sites left at the Two Point Mine to explore. The lens then opens into the beginning of a pocket. Thelma Hurianek holding a large amazonite crystal. Photo by G. Herman. discovered 2 meters beneath the surface, inside a collapsed pocket, eventually named the Tree Root Pocket. The Pikes Peak batholith consists of Pikes Peak granite and hosts all of the important Colorado Front Range pegmatites. A few individuals have resorted to more aggressive mining techniques using mechanized equipment, including bulldozers and backhoes. You can also read through my free rock identification guide and mineral identification guide which are filled with useful information and tools. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; For information about restrictions, contact the nearby Bear Creek Regional Park Nature Center." from 'Colorado Rockhounding' which includes a site photograph and map. The best time to rockhound in Colorado will be between Spring and Fall when the weather is warm enough and the ground isnt covered in snow. Crystal Peak area. In some areas, the faults are no more than thin planer features cutting through the surrounding granite. Those using mechanized equipment not only have to file claims, but file reclamation plans and provide considerable monetary deposits to ensure that the land is put back they way it was found prior to the mining activities. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. As with most states, each county in Colorado will have records of who owns each piece of property. They reached 17 cm in length but only averaged about 6 cm, their luster is near-glassy. Circa 1980. All of the best Two Point Mine pockets are oriented in a near horizontal position. If the pocket had not collapsed, several hundred more beautiful specimens would have been recovered. Following the survey, a series of geologic and geophysical studies were conducted. Recreation Activities. 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. Rockhounding and Mineral Collecting . You will discover this rock paradise 10 miles south of Grand Junction. The state has thousands upon thousands of old mines and prospective rockhounding locations. Birdseye Marble Quarry. Claims are typically 182 m wide and 457 m in length. Each produced a few high-quality small amazonite and smoky quartz plates. Some pieces reached 75 cm across and weighed over 100 kg. If youre planning on heading to the field, make sure you have all the gear youll need! Hahns Peak is a summit in Routt County, Colorado, in the United States. Over 1 billion years ago, magma pushed up into the Front Range of Colorado. As the lens widens, the shards disappear and the opening of the pocket becomes visible. The eastern part of the state is generally more accessible and, despite its lack of mountains, produces many rock and mineral specimens as float transported by rivers and streams. In some areas they lie more or less horizontally, like bedding planes, while in others they dip wildly to angles approaching vertical. The mining area addressed here lays approximately 8 kilometers northeast of Lake George, Colorado inside Pike National Forest. Your best bet is to find the tailings of old silver mines, but be aware that not all of these areas are safe. This is a common phenomenon. 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. (1) A stream valley is carved into the sedimentary rocks of the Pogonip Group. crystal peak colorado rockhounding. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; Collectors Edge Minerals, Inc. had the opportunity in 1996-1997 to mine in Teller County, under a lease agreement, using mechanized equipment. The dinosaur sites now form the Garden Park Paleontological Resource Area overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. After the Denver Show, an effort to excavate below the Tree Root Pocket was undertaken. While world-class trout fishing is the main attraction, adventures also include viewing fossils and petrified redwoods at nearby Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, as well as scenic and historic auto tours of Elevenmile Canyon and the Tarryall Valley. Soon, the ground becomes a treasure trove of things to be looked at, turned over, scrutinized and pocketed. Later on, trees were reintroduced to complete the reclamation task. Generally considered a challenging route. Tree roots have grown everywhere and have contributed to the breakup of the pocket. Reclamation work at Pit c. For every hour spent digging amazonite, an hour is spent reclaiming the surface. Crystal No. I enjoy collecting and tumbling rocks with my daughter and traveling the world with my wife seeing geologic wonders. Circa 1980. Felch Creek: Felch Creek will provide you with agate, geodes, and jasper. Many pockets are also empty or contain only quartz. Colorado is also host to a dizzying array of rocks and minerals. Inside, the pocket may be open airspace or, if near surface, completely lled with clay. Colorados state mineral is rhodochrosite (well-known areas are near Alma). The five sites noted will offer the beginning rock collector and the more advanced collector significant discoveries to add to their collection. Pegamite, a gem-bearing granitic formation, is what youll be looking for. Fluorite One of the lesser known native Colorado gemstones, fluorite can display a wide variety of colors. 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. The areas on the east side of County Road two are the public access BLM-owned lands open to specimen collection. If youre prospecting on Devils Head Mountain (Douglas County) in August, youll join millions of ladybugs for their annual gathering on the summit. There is a relationship between the frequency of pocket-producing pegmatites and the north-south fault structures mapped at the Two Point Mine. After a simple spray wash, the true color of the amazonite begins to unfold. Used with permission. If it is a large pocket, thousands of quartz shards spill out mixed with some microcline fragments. The survey was a disappointment. Rockhounding in Washington State - Jade, Agates, Quartz and More! During the process of mining the highwall, each pegmatite structure took turns widening into lenses and opening into pockets. There are actually four areas just for those within a few miles of the peak itself.