Marie Barlow - Emporia State University

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
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The Art of Rock Hounding
Getting Started
Main State Page with Club Listings
I0 identified states with gemstone and location ideas.
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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/gemhunting2.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
Rock Hounding Clubs:
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Arizona: Gem Clubs of AZ
Arkansas: Rockhounding
California: California Clubs
Colorado: Colorado Clubs
Georgia: Georgia Clubs
Click the
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Illinois: Gem Clubs of IL
Maine: Gem & Mineral Clubs
Montana: Montana Clubs
North Carolina: NC Gem Clubs
Oregon: Gem & Mineral Clubs
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.
*Information on this page received from State Symbols USA
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.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
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.
www.blm.gov
ARIZONA - WHERE
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.
Click here for information from Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources
Image from Vector Diary
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.
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
State Gemstone
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
CALIFORNIA - WHERE
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.
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.
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.
COLORADO
State Gemstone
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.
Photo’s courtesy of: www.statesymbolsusa.org
MONTANA
State Gemstone
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.
Sapphires cut in heart and oval
shapes photo © International
Colored Gemstone Association
(ICA)
Moss agate pebble
Photo by Adrian Pingstone
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.
OREGON
State Gemstone
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
Oregon sunstones from Dust Devil Mine in Oregon yellow, soft pink, blood red, and (extremely
cut as faceted gems by Martin Guptill
rare) deep blue and green. Some stones
Photo © Martin Guptill: GemArtGallery.com
show two different colors when viewed from
different directions.
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.
RESOURCES:
• 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