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The 2010 Collecting Season

 

ChucksRocks.com

 

 

 

ChucksRocks.com

My most recent collecting trip was fairly successful.  I found a lot of nice smoky quartz and microcline specimens and can’t wait to see how they look once they’re cleaned up. 

This season I began by opening up the pit that I left last year.  Weathering (and partial collapse of the spoil pile) had filled a good portion of the pit.  So, I shoveled, and shoveled, and shoveled . . . This shows the start of this year’s excavation as I worked to open things back up.   The bottom of the digging is about 10’ below the surface.

At this point, the pit is opened back up to about where I left it last year.  The rocky ledges are the pegmatite layers that often contain the pockets I seek.  On the left-hand side of the thickest pegmatite, you can just make out some plastic that I pushed into the pocket last year.  It protected the pocket and warned me as I was digging back towards it.  The bottom of the pit is now about 15 feet below the surface.

Another view of the face as it is opened back up.  The pegmatite layers (roughly horizontal) can be easily seen.  Note again the plastic filling a pocket from last year.

Here’s a small collapsed pocket that contained some small smokies and microclines.

Another small, collapsed pocket.  The material in this pocket was all loose but some of it was in fair condition.  You can see that even though the pocket was collapsed, there was still some open space that kept the specimens from being completely crushed.

A photo from within the pocket shown above.  Small smokies and microcline are shown.

I was so excited when I broke into this pocket.  Most of the material was loose, but the pocket was still open so that I could reach in and pluck out dozens of smoky and microcline specimens.  This pocket was about 15’ down and sat right on top of very hard (unweathered) granite.

Another view of the pocket shown above.  You can see the pegmatite layers running through the weathered granite.

Another photo of the same pocket, as I opened it some more.  As it turns out, it wasn’t very large . . . But still so much fun!

This is what the pit looked like after a couple of days of work.  You can see multiple pegmatite layers running through the granite.  My most commonly used digging tools are shown here—an Estwing geopick, a rock hammer, a small sledge, and a three-tined digging tool.  I also use a flat-head screwdriver and bamboo sticks once I get into the more delicate work.  Not shown is my least favorite (and most used) tool—the shovel.

Another pocket opening up (just above the wooden box).

Closer view of the pocket shown above.  This pocket was completely filled with crushed material and clay but did contain some decent smokies.  You can see one smoky just about ready to be pulled out.

Another small, collapsed pocket.  This pocket is typical of most of the pockets I find.

A look into a small pocket as I first break into it.

This pocket was collapsed and much of it’s contents was very fractured.  I decided the best way to get this material out was to dig above it and remove the cap.  This shows the pocket as I found it once I had taken the top off.  This pocket contained some quartz with very interesting regrowth that occurred sometime after the original pocket was collapsed.

Here’s a closer look at the material in the photo above.  The purple coloring is an iron coating and is typical of most pockets found in the area.  A lot of cleaning is required to get the coatings off the specimens.

The orientation of this pocket was unusual when compared to other pockets in the pit.  Nearly all the pegmatites (and associated pockets) are horizontal.  This pocket opened up and was mostly vertical.  The dark pieces above the screwdriver are all smoky quartz crystals.

Closer view of the pocket shown above.  This pocket was completely filled with crushed material and clay, so extraction of the delicate smokies took a lot of time to prevent damage.  The clay was stiff and the specimens filled the pocket in random orientations.