ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS (TM)

2013-11-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

TRILOBITES AND TRAILER LIGHTS

An example of the Trilobites we found.

The trailer sagged and the lights shown downward onto the ground as we pulled out of Delta, Utah, on the last leg of the journey to Quartzsite. The car was full of them, the back of the van was full of them. And the buckets that wouldn’t fit in either the car or the van were stuffed into the back of the trailer so precariously that an avalanche would occur if we opened the door again. We pulled into Delta, Utah several days before, intending only to change a tire, grab some lunch, and then get back on the road. But then the Trilobites happened.

Looking around at the seeming “nothingness” of Delta, I had casually mentioned that the desert in this part of Utah was chock full of fossils. Trilobites, to be exact, the ancient ancestors of today’s lobsters and crabs. Enough said. We were off to find some of these little prehistoric sea creatures for ourselves. Three days and many aching muscles later we had more trilobites than we had places to put them.

Artist's rendering of Trilobites

Trilobites are members of the phylum Arthropoda, which includes modern animals such as insects, spiders, scorpions, ticks, crabs, lobsters, and centipedes. They belong to an extinct class of marine organisms called Trilobita which means three-parts, and refers to the three segments of the trilobite’s exoskeleton. More than 500 different Trilobite species have been found in a band of Cambrian Period limestone, siltstone, and shale that extends across the Northwestern portion of Utah. During that time period, about 550 million years ago, western Utah was covered by a shallow sea with slow moving rivers carrying sandy sediments into it. The land we now refer to as Utah was located closer to the equator at that time, and the water in this shallow sea was warm. It was in this warm, shallow, and nutrient-rich water that the Trilobites lived, crawling on the bottom while scavenging or grabbing passing prey.

The Wheeler Shale in the mountains of the House Range in Millard County is known as one of the top collecting locations for Trilobites in all of Utah. Here, the Trilobites are located in a 15 feet thick layer of shale and mudstone throughout the mountains southwest of Delta. We dug in several locations, and found two that produced quite prolific concentrations of Trilobites. One of the locations was a light gray and reddish mudstone, and the other was a dark gray shale. We found about 5 different species of Trilobites over a two day period. We found both full trilobites and imprints in both locations, as well as plates and partials. Other fossils found with trilobites include crinoid stems and spiral-shelled animals similar to ammonites.

Trilobites are found by splitting the layers of the rock. In the mudstone layers, the rocks split somewhat easier, but they are also softer and more fragile. In this location we found the fossiliferous layer about 5 feet beneath the surface of the foothills of the mountains. We dug out slabs of mudstone and split it with the rock hammer or a chisel. Many times the split along the cleavage would reveal the Trilobites, but other times the split would damage them or only reveal them partway. The mudstone Trilobites break more easily, so it is important to use a little more care when removing layers of rock from the mudstone deposits. We also found trilobite imprints in the tailings while walking around the collecting areas.

U-Dig Site, Delta, Utah

In the harder dark gray shale, the work was more difficult. Here we used pry bars to lift up sections of the shale layers, and then used a maul to break the sections into smaller, more manageable pieces that we could then split with the rock hammer and chisel. The positive side of the harder shale is that the Trilobites are less delicate, however, it is also more difficult to control the break so many of the Trilobites were only partially exposed or broken. We also found fossils which had a calcium layer of the exoskeleton intact, but it was very brittle and disintegrated when exposed. Another plus to the shale, is that often whole trilobites will erode out of the rock and can be found by sifting through the dirt and shards left behind in the pockets from where slabs of rock where removed. That was a great way to take a break from the heavy work of hard rock mining, yet still be productive in recovering the fossils.

Though hard physical work, the experience of digging trilobites is a fun and exciting activity the whole family will enjoy. Older folks and young kids can enjoy finding the loose trilobites in tailings and dirt pockets while the more fit people in the group do the heavy work. Older kids who can use a rock pick will find themselves content to chip at smaller pieces that are dug out by someone else, or cleaning and sorting fossils dug by their group.

Mudstone Trilobite Deposit

There are several locations near Delta, Utah, to dig for trilobites. For less experienced people who want to be assured of finding trilobites, a great experience is the U-Dig Fossil site. U-Dig is a pay-to-dig location about 35 miles west of Delta. To reach the site, take Hwy 50 west out of Delta for approximately 15 miles until you see a well maintained gravel road heading off north into the desert. The road will have a sign saying "U-Dig" with an arrow. Follow this road and the signs leading to U-Dig through the desert for about 20 miles. You will be heading into the mountains at the later portion of the road. At the approach to the U-Dig site you will see gray shale tailings piles, some heavy equipment, and a small gravel parking area off to the right. The folks at U-Dig are friendly and knowledgeable. You can use their buckets and rock picks, or use your own tools. The staff will show you where to look for the trilobites and will start your group out by breaking out a section to begin working on. For more information on U-Dig go to their website.

Antelope Spring

If you don't want to go to a pay-to-dig site, there is a nice mudstone site that we found which produced nice trilobites. To get to this location, take the road to U-Dig about 12 miles to the junction with the gravel road to Marjum Pass. The junction is marked by a Spring called Antelope Springs, which is underground, but has a pipe and faucet inserted into it. The water flows out of the faucet into a narrow gully that has been dug to carry the water to a cattle watering station just to the left of the road. Turn left at Antelope Spring onto the road to Marjum Pass. Travel down that road for about 6 miles. Just before getting into the mountains you will see diggings along the side of the road, a pit and a wash, and tailings piles.

A few hours in this location should produce several of the mudstone trilobites.

It is a good idea to check other areas like washes and gullies, or even canyons where shale layers are exposed. We found one nice trilobite imprint near a canyon, but there didn't seem to be very many at that location, or they were not very easy to find. It is possible we didn't look long enough to find the layer that contained them. Another area where we looked, unsuccessfully, was a dig site called "The Community Dig". There are lots of exposed layers of shale there, but after sampling in several places, we found no sign of trilobites or any other fossils in the

exposed rock or any tailings.

We are open in Quartzsite so you can come by to see and purchase Trilobites that we collected, or get books, maps and everything you need to go out and have some exciting prospecting adventures of your own here or elsewhere. We are open 7 days a week from 10am to 6:30pm, at A37 Rice Ranch in Quartzsite, 605-376-8754, and 24/7 at RocksInMyHead.com

U-Dig Site Outside of Delta, Utah

2013-10-17T22:28:00.001-07:00

GOLD, DINOSAURS, & GIANT SEQUOIAS

Badlands near Havre

We were leaving North Dakota and heading west on Highway 2 through Montana. Looking at the map, it
appeared that it would be a quick trip. Not much to see along the way, we thought; a few sites here and there, a couple of small town museums, and vast expanses of farmland. Now, a week and a half later, we were still just a couple hundred miles into the state, and boy were we wrong about Northeastern Montana.

Southeastern Montana is known for its beautiful agates. Southwest Montana is famous for its gold and copper mines, towering mountains, and amazing geologic wonders of Yellowstone National Park. Northwest Montana has Glacier National Park. And that vast, flat and seemingly uninteresting stretch of Highway 2 in Northeast Montana has way more than initially meets the eye. We followed the Lewis and Clark trail, the Milk River and the Hi-Line- a railroad line that, along with the Great Northern Railway, was responsible for connecting the remote northwest with the rest of the world and establishing towns in this portion of Montana. We visited Forts, Indian Reservations, some Native American Sites, and historic towns with buildings dating back to the 1890’s.

But hidden treasures also abound in this stark yet incredibly beautiful portion of the state. Besides the Lewis and Clark trail, there is also the Dinosaur Trail. Besides plains and grasslands, there are badlands and mountain ranges where fossils, interesting rocks, and amazing scenery abound. Northeast Montana is famous in paleontology circles for having produced some of the most complete dinosaur skeletons in the entire world, including a “mummified” dinosaur fossil named “Leo” who was fossilized with skin, muscles, and stomach contents intact. (Go to http://www.mummydinosaur.com/ for more info on Leo). Along the Dinosaur Trail are some wonderful museums housing both replicas and actual dinosaur fossils, along with numerous “dino digs” where Dinosaur fossils are still being recovered. Go to http://mtdinotrail.org/ for all the details, maps, and locations of sites along the Dinosaur Trail. One of the best museums we went to was the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Field Station in Malta, where actual dinosaur and other fossils are housed and studied as they are brought in from the digs. The website for the Malta Dinosaur Museum is www.greatplainsdinosaurs.org. There are lots of great photos there of dinosaur and other fossils found in Northeast Montana.

Leaf Fossils from Fort Peck area.

In the badlands around Fort Peck, Malta, and Havre, fossils abound. Besides dinosaurs, other fossils found throughout this area include ammonites, baculites, and marine fossils like crabs and lobsters. The petrified wood of the MetaSequoia (an ancestor of the giant Sequoia) is found in several locations, as well as plants of the Late Cretaceous period. We collected leaf and plant fossils from several of these areas, as well as some interesting iron oxide and silicate concretions and lots of petrified wood. Another great location for fossil hunting is Fossil Hill in the Little Rocky Mountains. Crinoids, shellfish, brachiopods, and even dinosaur fossils have been recovered there.

Old Pegasus Mine by Zortman

South of Malta, rising up out of the plains to nearly 7000 feet are the Little ^th century, miners Pike Landusky and Pete Zortman struck gold in this corner of the Little Rockies. Mining continued there throughout the 1900’s. Pegasus Gold Corporation was formed in 1979 and heap-leach mined in the Little Rockies until the late 1990’s when the mines were shut down due to environmental pollution from cyanide spills. The closed down Pegasus mines that sit above the townsites are currently undergoing reclamation, but there is still plenty of gold to be found in the streams around Zortman and Landusky. Both Swift Gulch and South Bighorn Creek near Zortman contain placer gold washed down from the now closed
Pegasus Mine. There are some claims located along Swift Gulch, but other spots within the national forest are open for panning.
Rocky Mountains. In addition to fossils, the Little Rocky Mountains boast beautiful forests, the old mining towns of Zortman and Landusky, and Montana’s easternmost gold deposits. In the late 19

To get to the Little Rocky Mountains and Zortman, take 191 South for approximately 60 miles. The road to the GPAA claim is currently washed out and inaccessible, but there are areas to access the streams in the National Forest behind Zortman. This area is currently in reclamation due to cyanide leaching contamination, so be careful where you pan.

The Pegasus Mine in Landusky

Also, in Landusky, just west of Zortman on the other side of the Little Rockies, there are a few streams containing placer gold runoff from the closed Pegasus Mine location in Landusky. We spent the day panning for gold at Montana Gulch in Custer National Forest near Landusky. There is a nice National Forest campground there, right at the beginning of town which provides nice sites with easy access to the stream. We didn't find any color that day, but it was cold and late in the afternoon, so we only panned for a very short time. I'm sure we would have found a little color if we had spend more time there.

The Lobby of the Zortman Hotel

Fossil hill is located behind the Zortman dump and is full of oysters, belemnites, crinoids, ammonites, and other small marine fossils. Portions of this land are private property, but it is easy to secure permission to look for fossils there. The proprietors of the Zortman Hotel are friendly and knowlegeable. They will be willing to help.

In the Fort Peck area, head south on Route 24 into the Badlands to find fossil collecting areas. This area is BLM land dotted with

Badlands near Fort Peck

privately owned ranches. We drove about 12 to 15 miles south of the Fort Peck Dam, and then turned on a gravel road that went back into the badlands. We searched several different locations. A few produced nice petrified wood of the Metasequoia, and one site yielded nice plant fossils of leaves and reeds. The plant fossils were in a reddish shale. We had to break open the layers to expose the fossils. The petrified wood here is pale grays and whites with streaks of brown and black and pretty pockets of quartz crystals. It is found on the surface where it has eroded out of the volcanic tuff, and in some places it is concentrated at the bottoms of washes.

Montana Petrified Wood

Northeastern Montana holds many surprises for those who are willing to look beyond its seemingly
uninteresting landscape to discover its secret treasures. We will be open Quartzsite at Space A37 in Rice Ranch shortly, so watch the paper for the announcement. We will have rocks, fossils, and petrified wood from Northeastern Montana, and more, for sale. Meanwhile you can order through the website, by email, or by phone at 605-376-8754 until then. See ya in Quartzsite and hope you have many happy prospecting adventures along the way!

Badlands near Fort Peck

Panning in Montana Gulch, Landusky

Washes like these yield good petrified wood.

Plant fossils we found in the Badlands near Fort Peck

Badlands near Fort Peck where we found alot of Petrified Wood.

2013-09-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

THERE’S GOLD IN THEM THAR BLACK HILLS

Yesterday, we were collecting agates in the agate beds along highway 44 in South Dakota. A car pulled up and some well-dressed people got out. Well- dressed for rockhounding in the agate beds on Buffalo Gap Grassland, that is. They looked over and spotted me searching the ground, and the man said “Are you finding any gold?” Shocked, I looked at him and replied, “Uh, no, not here.” He seemed surprised and said, “Well, there’s lots of gold here in South Dakota”. I laughed. “Yeah.” I said, “but it’s not found here in the grasslands. You need to head about 80 miles west to find gold in this state.”

Homestake Mine, Lead, SD

It is true that there is alot of gold in South Dakota. But, as with any place where gold is found, it is located in specific places not just randomly scattered throughout the state. And here in South Dakota, the gold deposits are found in the Black Hills, in the West Central portion of the state. Gold can be found from Lead and Deadwood, throughout the Black Hills all the way to Custer. In fact, there are several gold mines located in this area, with the largest and most famous one being the Homestake Mine in Lead.

Mining i n Deadwood

In 1874, during General George Custer’s expedition into the Black Hills, gold was first discovered in French Creek. Shortly after that, South Dakota’s gold rush started and mines were opened in Custer, Keystone, Lead, and Deadwood. The Homestake Mine in Lead was the most productive mine, producing 30 million troy ounces of gold until it was closed in 1992. Today, the open pit can still be seen in Lead, and the visitor center has a map of the immense underground system of shafts and tunnels which underlies the entire town of Lead and goes down 8000 feet into the granite bedrock.

Though the major mines of South Dakota are no longer in operation, there are still plenty of opportunities for the recreational miner to find gold in South Dakota. There are both lode and placer deposits distributed throughout the Black Hills. Nearly all of the Creeks and small tributaries in the Black Hills of Custer County, Lawrence County and Pennington County contain placer deposits. Gold can be found in the stream gravels as well as the bench and terrace gravel deposits.

French Creek, Black Hills National Forest

When mining in the Black Hills, be aware of claims. Many of the easily accessible areas, especially along French Creek west of Custer, are private property or full of claims, but with a little patience and persistence, one can find a place to pan. Many times a claim will be well marked, but often times it isn't. Look for wooden posts or pvc pipes with claim markers on them. Some claims are marked with brightly-colored streamers on the tree branches. Also, 50 feet on each side of a road is public right of way, so you can pan in any stream at a road crossing. Often times, culverts under roads offer excellent opportunities for panning, as the riffles in the culvert act as a natural sluice.

If you are a GPAA member, several claims are located along Rochford Rd. in the National Forest and one is near Lead. If you are not a GPAA Member and would like to become one, we have memberships available for purchase. Go to http://rocksinmyhead.biz/Club-Memberships_c119.htm. Memberships come with a gold pan and accessories, the Mining Guide full of GPAA claims locations, and lots of instructional materials. There is also a local Gold Prospecting Club in Rapid City that has claims throughout the Black Hills. Their phone # is 605-341-0483.

There are many places within the Black Hills National Forest between Hill City and Lead where camping is permitted also. We have been to a couple of places around Mystic, along Rapid Creek and Castle Creek where we could camp right next to the Creek where we were panning. These areas are primitive sites only and rather remote, so be sure to bring everything you need if you plan to camp there. There are also lots of campgrounds located in and around the Black Hills that are just a short drive away from panning locations if you don't want to boondock.

No permit is needed to pan within the National Forest, however other mining activities such as sluicing and hibanking require a permit or a Notice of Intent. It is best to check with the Forest Service Office in the area you wish to prospect to be sure of the regulations in that location.

Several companies also have fee mining opportunities. The Big Thunder Gold Mine in Keystone offers group trips for hibanking, sluicing, and panning on their private claims. They also give a mine tour which comes with a free panning lesson and session. You can keep any gold you find. Their website is http://www.bigthundermine.com/index.php.

Castleton Ghost Town, SD

The mining history of the Black Hills is very colorful and interesting. If you are heading through the Black Hills, it is worth it to check out the Homestake Mine Visitors Center and some of the other mines in the area. Hill City and Keystone have rich mining histories. The Museum of Mining in Lead provides an interesting look at mining history in the area. Round out your travel experience by doing some gold panning for yourself while you are in the Black Hills. There are also some ghost towns scattered throughout the Black Hills. An interesting website with lots of archival photos of mining in the Black Hills is http://www.miningartifacts.org/South-Dakota-Mines.html.

For gold prospecting equipment, books, maps, supplies, and more, visit our website http://rocksinmyhead.com. Happy prospecting!

Badlands, Buttes, and Banded Agates- Collecting Agates in South Dakota

2013-09-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

South Dakota is known for its amazing geology ranging from Badlands buttes rising up out of the vast grasslands to massive limestone and granite formations covered with Ponderosa Pine in the Black Hills. But South Dakota is also home to an amazing, and equally exciting, variety of gemstones and minerals including several beautiful kinds of agates. In fact, the state gemstone of South Dakota is the gorgeous and rare Fairburn Agate.

Fairburn Agate

Agates develop as silica deposits in cavities or pockets caused by trapped gases in (typically) volcanic host rock. As the host rock cooled and hardened, small cracks developed that allowed the gases to escape. Later these cavities filled layer by layer with fluids that were rich in dissolved silica (chalcedony or quartz) and other minerals. The colors and arrangement of these microcrystalline bands are influenced by pressure, temperature, and mineral content that occurs during the formation of the agate. If the pressures and temperatures changed while the agate was forming, bands and patterns would also change, or another form of silica, macrocrystalline quartz (quartz crystals) would then fill in the remainder of the cavity.

Prairie Agates

Agates in and of themselves are amazing. Unlike other gemstones, each agate is unique. Even slabs cut from the same stone will vary in design, color, and pattern. The most common and distinctive type of agate pattern is called a fortification, where the bands crystallize into concentric layers that follow the shape of the cavity. Some other patterns of solid agates are waterline, tube, eye, plume, and seam. Agates in South Dakota contain all sorts of colors, ranging from earth tones to bright reds, oranges, and purples.

The most famous, and also the least common and most valuable, agate found in South Dakota is the Fairburn Agate. Fairburns are fortification agates and occur in just about every color combination imaginable. Other agates found in the Grasslands and buttes of South Dakota are Prairie Agates, Water Agates, and interesting “Bubble Gum” Agates. Prairie and Water Agates are seam agates, while Bubble Gum Agates are eye agates. The primary area for these agates to be found is a wide band just outside the Black Hills that extends from just east of Rapid City through the Buffalo Gap Grasslands along the White and Cheyenne Rivers into Nebraska. The fabulous TeePee Canyon agate is a fortification agate found on the eastern edge of the Black Hills.

Fairburn Agate Beds

Fairburn, Prairie, Water, and Bubble Gum Agates all can be found in agate beds scattered throughout the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. Here, multicolored hills and buttes of volcanic badlands rise up out of the prairie, covered with pebbles that have been left behind as the surface layers erode away. Amidst all these pebbles can be found Prairie, Water, and Bubble Gum agates, as well as the elusive Fairburns. Beautiful quartz, rose quartz, and smokey quartz pebbles can also be found here, along with an occasional fossil. Three of the most productive locations for Fairburns and their counterparts are the Agate beds at Fairburn, Railroad Buttes, and Kadoka.

Railroad Buttes

We also spent some time collecting in agate beds located along Hwy. 44 just west of Interior. Here we also found some fossil agates and some petrified wood. The fossil agates we found were of three different types. Some had imprints of shells in them, some had agatized fossils embedded in them, and we also found some absolutely gorgeous petrified and agatized corals. The petrified wood we found at this site was mostly black, white and gray with some pinks and oranges mixed in. Some of the pieces had obvious bark on one side. There were other pieces that were solid black. This site on Highway 44 is especially picturesque with multicolored hills comprising the landscape and the peaks of the Badlands in the distance. Camping is allowed on the site so it makes for a really memorable excursion.

Heading west from the Badlands, TeePee Canyon Agates are fortification agates found in the eastern edge of

TeePee Canyon Dig Site

the Black Hills near the SD/Wyoming border. TeePee Canyon agates are characterized by intense patterns of purples, reds, and oranges encased in a chocolate brown limestone host rock. TeePee Canyon agate nodules are found in exposed seams of rock in the TeePee Canyon area of the National Forest just off of Highway 16 west of Custer. Unlike Fairburns and other Grasslands agates which are found on or embedded in the surface of soft tuff, TeePee Canyon agates are located several feet down within the brownish limestone and must be chiseled, chipped, dug, and otherwise broken free. The extra effort is worth it, though, for the sheer beauty of these stones.

TeePee Canyon Agate

If you are heading through the western part of South Dakota, your trip would not be complete without stopping to collect some of these beautiful gemstones along the way. To get to the Fairburn Agate Beds, take Hwy. 79 North from Hot Springs or South from Rapid City and Custer areas. There is turn off for French Creek Road, Hwy 18, which is marked with a sign for the town of Fairburn. This is a gravel road, but well maintained. Once in the town of Fairburn, head through town to where the road heads out of town to the east. Travel this gravel road NE for twelve miles out to the Badlands, the agate beds, and Buffalo Gap National Grasslands French Creek Campground. The Agate Beds are located behind the campground and across the creek. Follow the 4-wheel drive road to the rock collecting area.

Agate Beds off Hwy. 44

The Railroad Buttes collecting area is located east of Rapid City off of Highway 44. Take Hwy. 44 east to the intersection for New Underwood. Turn south onto this road, and travel it across Rapid Creek and through the small town there. You will see Railroad Buttes rising up in the distance from Hwy. 44. Keep traveling on this gravel road until you arrive there. There is a large flat area for parking or you can drive into the agate beds. Two other agate beds are located off of Hwy. 44 near Interior. Contact us through our website for information on these locations.

To get to the TeePee Canyon site, drive west on Hwy. 16 to Forest Service Road 282, about 3 miles west of Jewel Cave National Monument. Turn north on 282, and drive about a mile or two. Dig sites are located on the slopes of the hills in the National Forest.

Hwy. 44 Agate Beds

Camping is allowed at all sites in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. French Creek Campground has fire pits and a pit toilet, however Railroad Buttes and the other sites on the Buffalo Gap Grasslands are primitive camping only with no facilities. Be sure to take plenty of water, food, and gear as this is a harsh and rapidly changing environment. There is no shade, and temperatures can get into the 100's on a summer or early fall day. It is not recommended to drive or camp on these sites in wet weather. The roads become soft clay and will bog down even the best of 4-wheel drive vehicles.

Bubble Gum Agates we collected

To purchase South Dakota agates and other rocks, minerals, and gemstones, go to our website www.RocksInMyHead.com. We have a nice selection of Fairburn and TeePee Canyon agates, as well as Prairie, Water, and BubbleGum agates. We will be open in Quartzsite in November at A37 in Rice Ranch, but you can order over the phone (605-376-8754) and by email through the website until then. Happy prospecting and see ya in Quartzsite!

Fossil Agates we collected

Badlands Petrified Wood

Sunset over the Agate Beds

CANNONBALLS, POTTERY, AND OLD PLANTS

2013-08-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

One of the most intriguing places we have been this summer is the Badlands of North Dakota. It also was a place that held many surprises for people like us who love rocks. We have been to the Badlands in South Dakota, in Utah, and in Nebraska, but the Badlands of Western North Dakota were different. Here in this arid grassland, where buttes of multicolored layers of sedimentary rock and volcanic tuff rise majestically above lush prairie, there are abundant examples of how diverse and fascinating rocks can be.

View of Badlands, South Unit

The Paleocene landscape in the North Dakota of 60
million years ago was swampy bottom-land covered with thick vegetation and dense forests of sequoia, bald cypress, and other water-loving trees. Ancient rivers carried sediments of mud, sand, and silt off of the newly forming Rocky Mountains and deposited them in layers. Volcanoes in Montana and Idaho erupted and spewed huge amounts of ash into the swamps and rivers of Paleocene North Dakota. It was during these conditions that some of the most interesting rocks that I have ever seen were formed. And that’s saying something, because I sure have seen a lot of interesting rocks in my lifetime.

Petrified Wood

To begin with, fossils and petrified wood erode out of badlands buttes in abundance. Some sequoia and cypress stumps that have been found here are enormous specimens over 12 feet in diameter. While petrified wood can be found in many places, a type unique to the North Dakota Badlands is called Teredo-bored because it contains the fossilized remains of holes bored in the wood by little ancient clams called Teredos.

Another interesting formation is the layer of lignite coal that is found throughout the badlands. Lignite coal is younger, geologically speaking, than harder, higher grade bituminous coal. It is the lowest rank of coal with the lowest energy content. It is formed from peat and plants, like other coals, but lignite coal is formed at shallower depths and with less heat and pressure than other coals. It is softer than bituminous coal and has a higher moisture content. It is also volatile. It burns easily

Lignite Coal Vein (black streak)

and has a tendency to spontaneously combust. Lightning strikes and prairie fires often ignite seams of lignite coal.

This tendency of lignite coal to combust creates another of the curious types of rock found in the North Dakota Badlands – a reddish rock called scoria. Scoria is baked and fused clay, shale, and sandstone. Scoria forms in thick layers or massive chunks of fused pieces of sandstone and clay. These reddish layers and masses of baked material formed in areas where seams of lignite coal burned. The heat
produced from the burning coal baked nearby sediments into a natural

Scoria (Clinker) Outcrop

form of brick. Scoria is also called clinker, probably due to the fact that the pieces clink like pottery when they hit against each other. In fact, broken pieces of scoria look, feel, and sound like pottery shards.

By far the most interesting rocks we saw in the North Dakota Badlands were large spherical formations called Cannonball Concretions. Concretions are hard, compact masses of sedimentary rock formed when a mineral precipitation occurs around some type of nucleus, similar to how layers of minerals build up around a center core to form a pearl. Many shapes and sizes of concretions exist in the world, but the ones in North Dakota known as Cannonball Concretions are among the more unusual ones. Cannonball Concretions are made up of dissolved minerals of calcium carbonate cemented

Cannonball Concretions

with siderite, or iron carbonate. Cannonballs up to three feet or more in diameter can be found in several places in Western North Dakota. The wide variety of shapes of concretions is based on composition and cementing agent of the concretion, as well as the composition and hardness of the enclosing sediment. The Cannonballs are able to form in an enormous spherical shape because the soft bentonite clay sediment in which they form did not constrain the growth in any way.

There are several different ways to explore the rugged badlands of North Dakota, however the easiest way is to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The South Unit is just off of Interstate 94 and Hwy 85, near Belfield. There are two sections of the South Unit: The Painted Canyon Overlook and the main area of the park. Painted Canyon offers a Visitor Center, expansive views of the Badland wilderness, and access to trailheads that take the visitor down into the canyon. The main section of the South Unit is a few miles west of Painted Canyon near Medora. The South Unit of the Park has a scenic drive, many trailheads, access to backcountry trails, 4-wheel drive roads and wilderness areas. There is a very nice campground in the park, but it is first-come, first-served and it typically fills up quickly. There is a both a tent camping area and a section with pull-through sites for larger RV's.

The North Unit of the Park is approximately 65 miles north of the South Unit on Hwy 85. While similar in

geology, the North Unit is different than the South Unit and worth exploring as well. There are many opportunities to experience some of the very unique rock formations, like the Cannonball Concretions, up close on some of the trails or just off the road. The North Unit offers several hiking trails, backcountry and wilderness experiences, and a scenic drive which begins in the canyon and ends up on the rim with expansive views of the badlands below. There is also a small campground located inside the North Unit with both pull-through and back-in spaces. Both the North and South Units offer Ranger Progams and the South Unit provides a ranger-guided tour deep into the heart of the wilderness to visit the Petrified Forest- a unique geological area consisting of some of the largest petrified trees in the world.

There are also abundant opportunities to see wildlife in both the north and the south unit. We saw several herds of wild horses, buffalo, and antelope, as well as deer. There are also quite a few prairie dog towns, some of which are right along the road providing excellent opportunities to sit and enjoy the antics of these cute little creatures. Because of the abundance of vegetation and trees, birds, butterflies, and the like abound as well.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is truly a natural and geological

Buffalo in the Missouri River

treasure, and well worth the trip to this remote section of the United States. Whether just traveling through, or spending several days, the North Dakota Badlands holds spectacular surprises for all who visit. To get more information on Theodore Roosevelt National Park go to their website here. For more information on Rockhounding sites in the North Dakota Badlands go here.

Meanwhile, to follow all our adventures, and to see all our new exciting products, go to our website RocksInMyHead.com. From there you can access Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, and more! We will be open in Quartzsite at A37 in Rice Ranch in November, but you can also order by phone, email, or online! And don't forget, Life is Short! Go outside and Play.

Rock Formations along the Buckhorn Trail, North Unit

Rock Formations, North Unit

Rock Formation created by a "Waterfall"

Petrified Wood with "Knot" from a limb

2013-07-16T22:22:00.001-07:00

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE ANCIENTS

Yes, it has been a while since we have written. We know. Sorry. We thank you for being loyal as we have been dealing with life on the road. Before we got on the road, the Quarzsite season was exceptionally busy this year- we expanded alot, have added lots of new, exciting products, some new services, and some other cool stuff. Good problem to have. But- we'll get into that another time. Today, we are taking you to some beautiful places in New Mexico that we visited while on the road this spring.

Taos Pueblo

We wrote in the Desert Messenger about Taos Pueblo, Acoma Sky City Pueblo, and Bandelier National Monument. You can access the article on Facebook or in the online version of Desert Messenger here. Taos Pueblo is just north of the city of Taos, and is easily accessible by a short drive. There is ample parking for cars and they have a nice overflow parking lot dedicated for RVs and Trailers. There are guides who speak about the pueblo every half hour, but you do not need a guide to visit the pueblo. Visitors are free to roam around the pueblo grounds being mindful of "No Entry" signs designating areas that are off limits to visitors. People still live in Taos Pueblo year round, so respecting the signs and people's property is important.

There are vendors selling their handmade goods at various places within the pueblo. Be respectful when inside these small shops because they are within the people's homes. Ask before taking pictures and do not enter other rooms without permission. There are also vendors who sell food. We enjoyed a fresh, homemade Native American Taco in the home of one couple. The man seated us with several other people at a long table in the living area, while the woman cooked our food to order. It was a warm and friendly atmosphere, and one of the most delicious Native American Tacos I've ever had. A lady next to me had tortilla-

like dish that looked equally delicious. Afterwards, upon mentioning that I was full and needed a nap, the man offered a blanket and said, "Here- take this and lay out by the river. Bring it back when you are done." For more information on Taos Pueblo, go to their website TaosPueblo.com. You can see lots of our photos of Taos Pueblo here.

Acoma Pueblo

Acoma Sky City Pueblo is located slightly Southwest of Albuquerque off of I40. There are actually two ways to access the pueblo, and both drives are beautiful. You can make a loop and drive into the pueblo from one direction and out in the other for two very different scenic views of the surrounding desert and mesas. You will start and end at I40 no matter which way you go.

Acoma Pueblo is located at the top of a mesa. Visitors go with a guide on a bus up to the mesa top. In the pueblo the tour is guided, but there is lots of free reign to wander and photograph buildings. Here at Acoma, people also live in the pueblo year round, though many live there part time and live in other villages on the reservation the rest of the year. Several of the craftspersons sell their items at tables in front of their homes, however, in Acoma, unlike Taos, visitors were not able to enter the homes. There was a lady selling pastries when we were there, but no one making food to order like when we were at Taos Pueblo. The time spent at the pueblo with the guide is approximately 1 hour and a half. Visitors can return on the bus or walk down the ancient staircase that was in use until the road was built about 40 years ago.

The Ancient Stairway

We chose to walk, or rather, climb, down the staircase. It is amazingly steep and narrow as it twists and turns through a crevice in the mesa. It is pretty incredible to think that for hundreds of years people climbed up and down this stairway carrying food, water, weapons, and more. The short walk back to the visitor center along the road passes some old corrals and some ruins of other pueblo buildings, as well as some modern pueblo homes where people live. At the visitor center, there is a small restaurant, a nice museum and a movie about the pueblo available to round out your experience. The menu at the restaurant looked enticing, but we got there after they were finished seating for the day, so we did not get to try the food.

Artist showing his work at Acoma Pueblo

We will post about Bandelier in our next Blog post (which I promise won't take several months). But meanwhile, you can go to Bandelier National Monument Website for information. We'll also be posting our photos of Bandelier shortly, so check back often. We promise it won't be too long. Things have settled down a little for awhile, until heavy travel time again. Meanwhile, to follow all our adventures, and to see all our new exciting products, go to our website RocksInMyHead.com. From there you can access Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, and more! We will be open in Quartzsite at A37 in Rice Ranch in November, but you can also order by phone, email, or online! And don't forget, Life is Short! Go outside and Play.

Acoma Pueblo

Taos Pueblo

2012-10-18T22:37:00.002-07:00

FOSSILS, COOL ROCKS, AND GHOST TOWNS, OH MY!

So here we are. Life has come full circle. We left Quartzsite last season and came here to Beatty for a few weeks. We had lots of awesome adventures out in the desert. Let's face it, we had way more than our share of fun. Since then, we have traveled around Nevada, and been to Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Alaska, and Idaho- and lots of places in between. And so here we are. In Beatty again for a couple of weeks before opening in Quartzsite.

Beatty, NV is a small town in the middle of the desert. And when I say middle, I mean middle. 90 miles to the north is Goldfield and Tonopah. Las Vegas lies 150 miles to the south. To the east is Nellis Air Force Base, and to the west is Death Valley. In between there is vast expanse of desert, and equally vast amounts of opportunity for outdoor adventure. There are old mines, ghost towns, rockhounding and fossil hunting sites, cool rock formations, gold prospecting areas, hot springs, and more. Wild burros roam the streets and bighorn sheep can be seen in the mountains surrounding the town.

The Bullfrog Hills surrounding Beatty are rich in gold and brought settlers to Beatty in 1904. The Montgomery Hotel was built in 1905 and was one of the first businesses in Beatty. Other businesses sprang up in Beatty to serve the mining communities of the Bullfrog mining district. Beatty became the economic center for the large but sparsely populated region consisting mostly of mining camps. During the peak mining years, Beatty was the business and transportation hub serving the surrounding mining camps. Horse or mule drawn wagons and rail lines connected Beatty and the camps to Tonopah and Las Vegas. For more history and stuff go to the "Official Website" of Beatty http://www.beattynv.info/ and the Chamber of Commerce Website http://www.beattynevada.org/.

There are a few mines still in operation in Beatty. One of the largest ones is the Carrera Marble mine south of Beatty. Many interesting abandoned mines can also be found throughout the desert and offer plenty of opportunities for exploration. A network of jeep trails takes the explorer to many different mines. Besides gold, some of the minerals that have been mined near Beatty are Gypsum, talc, limestone and diatomite. Or, for a more modern mining experience, take the drywasher out for a spin in the washes and in the Amargosa River which runs through town.

The ghost town of Rhyolite is well worth the short drive out of town to visit. Rhyolite began in 1905 as one of several mining camps that sprung up in the Bullfrog Mining District. The Montgomery Shoshone Mine just outside Rhyolite produced ores assayed as high as $16,000 per ton at 1905 prices. At its peak, Rhyolite is estimated to have up to 5,000 people or more, piped water, electric power, railroads, telephones, newspapers, and its own stock exchange. Remains of several of the buildings are still standing, including the train station and an interesting bottle house. The website for Rhyolite is http://www.rhyolitesite.com/. Yes, I did say website. How funny is that...a website for a ghost town. I wonder if the ghosts have Facebook pages, too? Guess they wouldn't post very many pictures, but their stories would probably be awesome!

Other things to do in and around Beatty include some interesting limestone formations called Swiss Cheese by the locals, and a fossil site called the Mud Mound containing fossilized sea creatures about 450 million years old. Petrified wood and coprolites can also be found in the deserts and canyons around Beatty. For hot springs enthusiasts, Bailey’s Hot Springs is just outside of Beatty to the north. Beatty is also a gateway to Death Valley. For a 4-wheel drive excursion into Death Valley, you can take a trip through Titus Canyon. If you just want to take a leisurely drive into Death Valley, take 190W out of Beatty. For lots of great historical artifacts, photos, and information visit the Beatty Museum and Historical Society. Their website is http://www.beattymuseum.org/. You will pass their building if you drive to Rhyolite and Death Valley, so stop there first. They have lots of antique mining equipment, photos, and other memorabilia- like Stock Certificates from the old Bullfrog Mining District mines- even miner's paychecks!

If you are heading to Beatty within the next week, consider staying until the end of October. That way you can be here for BEATTY DAYS! Join us for Live Music, Food and Crafts, Parades, Tricycle Races, Bed Races, a Chili Cook Off, Bike and Antique Car Shows, and lots more! Visit the Beatty Days Website for the complete line-up of exciting events here in the desert of Nevada. While you are here, come by our booth in the "Beatty Mall" - the swapmeet vending area along Hwy95S, across from the Death Valley Inn and Campground. We are open in Beatty from October 16th until the 29th. Come by our booth for lots of great rocks and fossils from Nevada, including ones from the Beatty area! We have Nevada rockhounding books, Nevada gold and gem maps, and Nevada gold prospecting books, too!

For photos and great stories about our adventures in Beatty, visit our Archive Blog Posts: Ancient Fish and Old Piles of Mud, To Sea or Not to Sea, Deserts, Plankton and Bighorn Sheep, Mine Shafts and Old Piles of Talc, and The Giant Playground Called Desert. You can also go to our Facebook page to see photo albums from Beatty. For a great article on other places to see along Hwy 95 in Nevada, check out Exploring Nevada's Scenic Hwy 95.

We will be open in Quartzsite at A37 in Rice Ranch in the beginning of November. Happy traveling and we’ll see ya’ online and in Quartzsite- and maybe even in Beatty! In the meantime, remember: Life is Short. Go Outside and Play!

Goldfield, NV: Not Just Your Normal Ghost Town

2012-10-02T22:43:00.002-07:00

Coming Into Goldfield from Tonopah- the Goldfield Hotel
is in the background.

According to some people, Goldfield is a ghost town. While there are some areas of Goldfield that may be considered a ghost town, it is more properly characterized as an historic town. Areas of town are growing and being rehabbed and there are buildings that are being restored. The mines in Goldfield are producing again, and bringing in revenue that is spurring new economic development. In fact Goldfield promotes itself as “The Last Great Gold Camp”.

Gold was discovered in Goldfield in 1902 by two miners from Tonopah who settled in the area. The claims were on the north side of town, near where the mines are located today. By 1903, a group of 20 miners were living in tents in what they called the “Grandpa” mining district. On October 20^th, 1903, they, along with several investors, voted to establish a town site and change the name to Goldfield in order to promote growth of the town.

Main Street and the Goldfield Hotel

And grow it did. It grew to 20,000 people in just six years. While the Tonopah mines were producing mostly silver, with a small amount of gold, the mining district in Goldfield was producing three times more gold than silver. The boom years were from 1905 to 1910, and by 1907 it was the largest and most economically powerful city in Nevada. During that time Goldfield boasted 21 grocery stores, 49 saloons, and 6 bakeries. Fancy restaurants, hotels, theatres, casinos, athletic clubs, and more lined its bustling streets, and the Tonopah & Goldfield Railroad terminal was a hub for transportation between the two towns. The Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad also featured a stop in Goldfield.

By 1910, however, the population of Goldfield had declined significantly. Gold was still abundant in the mines, but the cost of mining it became too great. Mines began to shut down, and the people began to leave. In 1923 and 1924 two major fires destroyed most of Goldfield, devastating 25 blocks of the bustling main street section of town. The town never recovered.

Today, The Goldfield Historical Society is working hard to preserve and restore the heritage of Goldfield. A walking tour of Historic Goldfield takes you to several of the original buildings, a cemetery, and historic sites, as well as mining and railroad antiquities and other interesting stuff. A very nice Guidebook with lots of historic photographs and information is available for this tour. Along this route you will meet some of the 250 or so current residents of Goldfield, all of whom will be glad you came to visit their town.

Bottle House built in 1905

Subway Entrances

Some of the buildings, remains, and sites you will see along the walking tour of Goldfield are bottle houses built in 1905 (one in ruins at the north end of town, and another one in the center of town), the Goldfield High School built in 1907, the famous Goldfield Hotel built in 1907, the buildings housing the Goldfield Consolidated Mining Company (1907) and the Florence Mining Company (1908), a brewery, saloons, banks, assayers, garages and gas stations, several frame, stone, and brick houses, and more. Other interesting things to see include two subway entrances that go nowhere, antique mining equipment, trains, and an old jail.

The Mining District outside of Goldfield.

There are many opportunities to explore outside town as well. The Mining District north of town is not open to the public, but you can drive pretty close and get a good view. The Old Mohawk #2 mine was one of the richest mines in Goldfield, producing almost $9 million in ore values. With the discovery of the rich ore from the Mohawk mines, investors flocked to Goldfield in 1905. One of the most notable of these investors is Charles Schwab. Today, American Resource Corp. operates the Goldfield Mine outside of Goldfield.

If you like rather primitive hot springs, Alkali Hot Springs is only a couple miles outside of town. This once booming resort is now in ruins, but the springs are still flowing into the small concrete-lined pools. The pools are out in the open air, and offer a picturesque view of the desert and mountains while soaking. Both pools are about 3 feet deep, with the average water temperatures being 108 degrees in one and 100 degrees in the other. It was refreshing to enjoy the heat of the pool while sitting in the fresh air and sunshine, gazing out at the beautiful desert with Alkali Lake in the distance. We found that the cooler pool, the one that was 100 degrees, was more to our liking.

The area itself is interesting. The spring emerges from the side of a small hill, and around the area are interesting mud-pot like features and steam-vent holes caused by hydrothermic activity underground. Be careful walking in these areas. The surface may look solid but under the thin crust is mud that you will sink into. We found that out first hand. The springs flow out of the pools and form a marshland of warm mineral-laden water. An oasis of lush green grasses and bright colored algae stretches out into the desert for about a 1/4 of a mile from the spring area. Herons and egrets can be seen feeding there.

There is a rockhounding site called Gem Fields just north of town where you can find interesting agates, but check to be sure the site is still open. For real ghost town experiences, Belmont and Gold Point ghost towns are close by, as well as some other similar attractions. We also visited Alkali Lake, a large dry lake bed where we spent the day hunting for meteorites. Wild horses and burros frequent this area, too.

Here are two websites to go to for more info about Goldfield: The Goldfield Chamber of Commerce website is http://www.goldfieldnevada.org/, and the website for the Goldfield Historical Society is http://goldfieldhistoricalsociety.com/. If you are heading to Goldfield, you can purchase the Walking Tour Guide for $2.00 in advance on their website.

You can also go to our FaceBook photo album at http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.339467609482086.75836.124287157666800&type=1 for more pictures of Goldfield. Hey- and while you're there, "Like" our page!

Alkali Lake- a Dry Lake Bed where we hunted for
Meteorites- We saw a beautiful sunset there, too

We will be open in Quartzsite at A37 in Rice Ranch in the beginning of November. Happy traveling and we’ll see ya’ online and in Quartzsite. In the meantime, remember: Life is Short. Go Outside and Play!

View of the Mining District

SILVER, SILVER, AND MORE SILVER

2012-09-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

Taking a break today from our posts about our Adventures near Beatty, NV. We will return to our Adventures in Beatty shortly, but meanwhile, here is an article we published in the Quartzsite Newspaper. In our last column in the Desert Messenger, we took you to Grimes Point Archeological Area, near Fallon, NV. And now we head southbound, on Hwy 95 from Fallon to Tonopah. There is about 175 miles of desert between the two, and if you don’t want to make the drive all at once, there are a couple of pretty places to stop about midway. My favorite is Walker Lake- a picturesque desert lake with mountains and canyons all around it. There are a couple of nice campgrounds down by the shoreline, and if you are a boater, this could be paradise for a day or two. But don’t stay too long, because there is still so much to see and do along this route.

The Mizpah Headframe

Tailings Piles at the Silver Top

Silver Bars Mined & Refined in Tonopah
Waiting to Be Shipped Out

Tonopah, NV is a fairly decent-sized town, as far as desert towns go. Some interesting neighborhoods and historic buildings round out the experience of this town, but the biggest attraction is Tonopah’s mining history. Tonopah was once a booming center of silver production in this part of Nevada. From 1900 to 1921, the mines at Tonopah produced 138 million ounces of silver and 1.5 million ounces of gold.

THREE WAYS TO EXPLORE THE MINING HISTORY OF TONOPAH

There are three ways to explore the mining history of Tonopah: take a 4-wheel drive trip out into the desert behind Tonopah, visit the Central Nevada Museum, and spend the day at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. If you only have time to do one of those things, then definitely choose the Mining Park. It takes an entire day to see all of it, and it is well worth it. Be prepared to do alot of walking outdoors, so wear comfortable shoes and take water and snacks. Get there early so you can take your time.

Part of the Original
Hand-DugMine

Portion of the Hand-Dug
Mine

Begin at the Visitor Center to see the short movie about the Tonopah Mining District and the mines that are part of the Mining Park- the Mizpah, the Silver Top, the Desert Queen, and the Tonopah. The visitor center also has a really cool rock and mineral collection as well as a small museum of antique mining equipment and photos.

After the movie and some time in the museum you will head out onto the trails that wind around the property, amidst tailings piles, old tools, equipment, structures and debris. The Mining Park encompasses 100 acres and contains portions of four of the major mining companies that began the great rush to Tonopah in the early 1900’s and made it the “Queen of the Silver Camps”.

Storage Vault for Silver & Gold Bars

Many of the buildings and structures have been preserved or restored and are open for visitors to enjoy. The headframes for three of the mines are still standing, including the impressive headframe of the Mizpah mine which was the first in the country to be built of steel. There are overlooks into the some of the pits as well, plus engine rooms, storage buildings for explosives, a portion of the original railroad, and even vaults where the silver bars were stored awaiting shipment back east. A trail heading up the mountain leads to the Desert Queen headframe, huge tailings piles, ruins of the Tonopah mine and amazing views of the mining district and the town of Tonopah.

Ruins of a Mill & Refinery off Hwy 6

If you haven’t had enough after visiting the Mining Park, head east on Hwy 6 a couple of miles and you will see on the left the remains of an enormous ore processing plant. Turn left onto the dirt road, and you will see the front of the smelter, some more tailings, vaults, and remnants of other refinery buildings. There are 4-wheel drive roads to explore in the desert, too, where there are remains of more mines. Also, on the south side of town on 95 is the Central Nevada Museum, which houses antiquities, fossils and artifacts, more mining equipment, and cool little buildings from a mining camp.

Mining Camp Houses

A 3-D Model of Tonopah Montana
Mine at the Central Nevada Museum

Mock-Up Cross Section of the
Montana Mine at the Museum

We will have ore samples from the Tonopah Mining District at our booth located at A37 in Rice Ranch, starting in the beginning of November, or you can purchase online from our Website. Meanwhile, follow us here in the Desert Messenger and on Facebook for more exciting places to visit along Hwy 95 as you head to Quartzsite. Happy Travels!

For more information about the Tonopah Mining Park go to their website Tonopah Historic Mining Park. For more information on the Central Nevada Museum, visit their website.

For more photos of the mines we visited while we were traveling around Nevada, check out our photo albums on our Facebook Page- and while your there, Like Us!

Ruins of Mill and Refinery off Hwy 6

A Shed for Storing Explosives

Eat Sleep Rockhound Shirt by 1000suns
Create your own t-shirt at zazzle.com

Rockhound Gift Item Coffee Mug by Rockhound_TShirts
Create one-of-a-kind personalized cups from zazzle.com.

THE GIANT PLAYGROUND CALLED DESERT

2012-09-12T22:54:00.001-07:00

We are back in Beatty this week- picking up where we left off. Our last post was actually an article written for Quartzsite's Newspaper, the Desert Messenger, where we have a Column called, ironically, "Adventures With Rocks". But now we will continue with our Blog posts about Beatty- because, there really is alot to share about Beatty. Amazing. It's such a small place in the middle of a huge desert. But, it's really the desert that is the interesting part about Beatty. The rock formations, the mountains, the animals, the plants. The rocks and the fossils. The mines and the ghost towns. It's one giant playground.

We only had a few days left before pulling out and heading up Hwy 95 toward Tonopah, and then further north. So we were going to cram as much into each day as possible. There were still so many places to go and see- we knew we had to pick and choose- so we did. And so now we were driving through the desert on a wide flat stretch of dirt road- on our way to a place called Swiss Cheese- a weird rock outcropping that the lady at the visitor center said was super-cool. "What are we looking for?" Al said. "I dunno. Some hunk of rock that looks like Swiss Cheese sticking up out of the desert?" I answered. "I guess we'll know when we see it, huh?" The desert is neat like that. Sometimes you don't really know what you are looking for until you see it. Names are descriptive, to a degree, but there is much left to the imagination most of the time. Sometimes I wonder if the old miners wandering around the desert and naming the places they saw were half-crazed with heat exhaustion, dehydration, and hallucinations. But then you see it too, and you have an AH-HAH moment- and for a second you wonder if you are as crazy as they were.

And so, we were about to have an "AH-HAH" moment. We came up over the crest of a hill, and the desert spread out like a panorama before us. There were several strange, out of place looking white outcroppings of rock sticking up out of the desert floor up ahead in the distance. "What's that?" I said, pointing. And then as we got closer, Al laughed. "It's Swiss Cheese! Look, it looks like chunks of swiss cheese laying in the desert!". Yup. That definately was an Ah-Hah moment. We pulled up in front of the first outcrop and jumped out of the Samurai. I could see the Swiss Cheese theme here, but to me it looked more like the Badlands of Nebraska and South Dakota- except without the grasslands, of course.

"Wow- how cool is this!" We both went running toward a wall of rock that looked like swiss cheese. There were holes and caves and windows and steps...a huge rock playground. "We could play here all day!" I said. Al was already off exploring some crevices he had seen. I was excited about the wildflowers that grew in the sheltered areas- most of the wildflowers were gone already by this time, but here they were protected somewhat from the heat and the wind and were still blooming. What a beautiful place. Swiss cheese and flowers, I thought. It sounded like an appetizer at a dinner party. "Hey, come see!" Al called. I went over to where he was standing. There was a window in the rock, and we could see the mountains through it. We took some pictures and then went to play some more. After an hour or so playing here, we headed off into the desert again.

Fossilized coral outcrop.

There was still lots to see here, and tomorrow we were going to Rhyolite- a ghost town not far from Beatty. It was surprising, actually, that there weren't more ghost towns around here, considering how many old mines there were. There was one by the Carrera mine that was the remains of huge concrete buildings that looked like mills or processing plants of some sort, but not the kind that we had seen before for gold and silver. The Carrera mine was Dolomite, Limestone and Marble, so we wondered what type of processing was needed for those minerals. Of course there was no way to tell, because all that was left of the buildings was cinder block shells. But Rhyolite had been a gold mining town- and one of the largest and wealthiest in this area in its day. We had seen some pictures of it already, and we were excited. But...there was still so much more to see here first.

A cool outcrop of fossilized coral.

So we were off to explore some more of the desert- some more mines and some cool outcrops in the distance. The desert held so many interesting finds- an outcropping we found earlier was actually a mound of fossilized coral sticking up. If we had been near Mud Mound, that would not have seemed so odd, but we were many miles away from it. There the hills were red- not the dusty tan color they were everywhere else- and it reminded me of Utah.

"Let's go!" Al said, and we jumped into the Samurai. We were perched
precariously on a really narrow jeep trail at the top of a peak. The view was amazing. The steep climb up had been challenging even for 4-wheel drive. Al had managed to turn the Samurai around at the top of this peak in a space barely wide enough to change our minds, and now we sat there looking down at the road below- far below. Going down seemed lots more intimidating than going up, but there wasn't much choice. It was getting late and we still had lots of ground to cover before going to Rhyolite and Death Valley tommorrow. The desert sure was just one giant playground.

"Ready?" Al asked, as he turned the key in the ignition, and then he added "Have the camera ready in case we flip- so whoever finds our bodies knows what happened!" We laughed, kind of half-heartedly. I have a t-shirt from white-water rafting in North Carolina that says "Life Without Danger isn't Worth the Oxygen". I should have worn that shirt today. "Ready!" I said, as I grabbed the bar at the top of the door. "Hang on!" Al said. He put the Samurai in gear and we inched toward the edge of that long, steep way back down to the road.

A Long, Steep Way Down

The Giant Playground Called Desert by Jenn Jedidiah Free is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Petroglyphs, Caves, and Beautiful Rocks

2012-09-07T23:20:00.000-07:00

Fallon Wonderstone

We will be returning to our posts about the Beatty area shortly. But this week we will head to Fallon, Nevada. There is just so much to write about. The summer has been full of traveling, playing, exploring, and, as always…rocks. But, alas, the sun is beginning to set earlier, the nights are beginning to get colder, and fall is in the air. Birds are preparing for their long journey south, and for many of us, our thoughts are beginning to turn that direction, too. So as you begin to think about all the wonderful things to do once you get back to Quartzsite, or wherever you are heading for the winter, consider that the journey to get there is half the fun.

Great Basin Pecked Style petroglyphs

If you are heading to Quartzsite from parts north, one interesting route to take is Hwy 95 through Nevada. There is lots of rockhounding, gold prospecting, meteorite and fossil hunting along this route, as well as 4-wheeling, ghost towns, old mines, and fabulous museums. It is considered a scenic byway, as well as a historic route. It’s well worth taking the time to explore some of its sites along the way, and so, for the next several columns in the Desert Messenger, I will be highlighting some of the really cool things to see and do on Hwy 95 as you head south to Quartzsite for the winter.

One of the first stops south of Reno will be Fallon, from there you will head to Tonopah and Goldfield, and then to Beatty. Once you get to Fallon, turn off 95 and head east on Hwy 50 just 12 miles out of town to the Grimes Point Archeological Area. It is worth it to plan on spending a couple of days here. There are petroglyphs, really interesting caves and archeological sites, and one of the best rockhounding sites in Nevada all in the same location. It is also a jumping off point to head east on the Loneliest Road in America, or you can just head back to Fallon and continue south on Hwy.95.

At Grimes Point, the first parking area is at the site of the petroglyphs. There is a short loop trail that winds through a boulder field. The petroglyphs here are the Great Basin “Pit and Groove” style and about 7,000 years old, some of the oldest in the desert southwest. Great Basin Pecked petroglyphs are also found here, as well as some grinding holes. Take your time walking the trail and look carefully. There are hundreds of glyphs here, but many of them are faded and weathered, so they are difficult to see at first glance.

A Tufa Formation

A Wall of Tufa

Further up the road are caves and rockshelters that were formed between 75,000 and 10,000 years ago, and inhabited as early as 9,500 years ago. These caves were used for storage, living, and burial, and are important archeological sites. The main site, Hidden Cave, can only be toured with a BLM guide on second and fourth Saturdays, but the other caves at this location can be explored on your own. While no artifacts can be found in any of the other caves, many of them contain signs of inhabitation, such as sooty build up left from campfires. You can schedule a tour by calling the BLM Field Office for the Carson City District at 702-885-6000. For an interesting insight into petroglyph interpretations, check out this article: Tales From the Rock: Ancient Stories Written in Stone.

In the 1940’s, “Spirit Cave Man”, the oldest mummy in North America was unearthed in one of the caves here at Grimes Point. In addition to their archeological importance, the caves themselves are made of fascinating Tufa Formations dating back to geothermal activity during the Pleistocene Epoch. For more information about Grimes Point, go to the BLM site Grimes Point Archeological Area.

A Tufa Formation at Grimes Point

Just beyond the caves along the same road, are the Wonderstone Mountains. The three sites in these mountains produce some of the most beautiful Wonderstone around. The Wonderstone near Grimes Point is a rhyolite tuff that was altered by silica and pyrite from hydrothermal fluids, the same hydrothermal fluids that formed the Tufa of the Grimes Point caves. Fallon Wonderstone is formed from volcanic material over 12 million years old, and is some of the most sought after Wonderstone for lapidary use. It has alot of color, ranging from purples and reds to yellows and oranges, and because of its high silica content, it takes a beautiful polish.

Wonderstone Mountain

For more information and photos of Grimes Point petroglyphs, caves, and wonderstone Like Us on FaceBook and check out our photo albums Grimes Point Petroglyphs and Amazing Tufa Formations. And, of course we will have Tufa and Wonderstone from the Hidden Cave area, as well as lots of other cool stuff at our booth in Quartzsite and on our Website. We will be open in November at Space A37, in Rice Ranch. Happy traveling and we’ll see ya’ online and in Quartzsite. In the meantime, remember: Life is Short. Go Outside and Play!

Petroglyphs, Caves, and Beautiful Rocks by Jenn Jedidiah Free is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Stay tuned for more on our travels around Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Alaska this summer. Watch for our upcoming Blog Post about our adventures hunting for meteorites!

Mine Shafts and Piles of Talc

2012-08-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

We were standing on the edge of an old mine shaft, looking down into it. “I wonder how far down that goes?” I said. Al shrugged. “Don’t know”, he answered as he picked up a large rock. “Let’s see.” He heaved it over the edge and we listened. It seemed like it just fell into a black hole. We heard it bounce off the side of the shaft a couple of times with a deep thud, and then just keep going. We thought we heard a dull “plunk” somewhere in the far depths underground as it landed. “Wow,” I said. “That was a REALLY long way down.” “Uh-huh”, he said, as we both took one step back further away from the edge.

There were lots of old mines like this all throughout the desert near Beatty. We had driven past several while hunting for fossils, but we were determined to see bighorn sheep. Heading out to the spring where the sheep congregated, we passed several more mines and promised to explore them on the way back or tomorrow, depending on how much time we had left that day. When we got to the spring we spotted a herd of bighorns, so that was the deciding factor. The rest of the evening before sunset was spent watching and photographing the bighorn sheep. Soon the sun was dipping behind the peaks, and the mines would have to wait.

So today we closed early, and headed out to investigate some of the mines. The map was full of mining symbols all along the 4-wheel drive roads we were exploring. It wasn’t a matter of finding them, it was a matter of deciding which ones to stop at. One we had passed on the way to Mud Mound had a little abandoned cabin at it. It had an open pit that looked like a gypsum mine, and over further was a deep shaft. Its opening was covered with steel reinforced concrete beams. An old mine car track came up out of it and then just ended at the surface. What had been mined there, we wondered. Gold? Silver? Nevada isn’t called the Silver State for nothing.

The Bullfrog Hills around Beatty are full of gold and silver- or at least they used to be during the Nevada Gold Rush in the early1900’s. Many of the mines and ghost towns are from this time period- but some are more modern. There is a flourospar mine that is more recent, and a marble mine that is still active, just south of Beatty. But many of the abandoned mines in this part of the Nevada desert were also mines for minerals like Diatomite, Dolomite, Limestone, Talc, Gypsum, and Silica. Considering all the fossilized sea creatures we had just found that wasn’t surprising. And so, half the fun of exploring these old mines was looking at the rocks and trying to figure out what had been mined there. Some of them were easier to figure out than others. Some had old tracks and structural elements, like this cabin and old mine car track. Others were just holes in the ground, or tunnels, or big pits. A few were complex systems of tunnels, shafts, tracks, roads, tailings piles, and more.

I used to hate old mines. I like pristine wilderness settings and beautiful natural areas. The debris and destruction typically associated with old mines angered me and made me sad. But people can change and grow. Increased knowledge brings increased understanding. I have learned a lot about mining and minerals recently, and have a new found appreciation for the industry and the time, effort, skill, and investment it takes to get minerals we need for our lives out of the ground. As both a recreational miner and a wilderness enthusiast, I walk both sides of the line mentally and emotionally- and sometimes it is a delicate balancing act. Still I am saddened by old mines and ghost towns. Occasionally a twinge of anger arises at the ugliness of them compared to the beauty of the land they are on. But now I am also fascinated and curious.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Al asked. We had been driving through the desert, and I was staring out the window lost in my thoughts about mines and pristine wilderness. “Just that mental tug-of-war that I have about mines…that’s all. And looking at how beautiful the desert is.” I knew he would understand what I meant. We’d had this discussion before, anyway. And he’d heard me have the conversation with countless customers at the store, too. He knew how I felt and why, and I didn’t have to defend myself to him. He just smiled. “Yeah the desert is beautiful”, he said. The sun was casting a golden glow on the desert plants. It was almost magical. And then he pointed up ahead. “Look…look!” A huge jackrabbit bounded across the road ahead of us. We could see its ears sticking up above the shrubs. It was funny, seeing that jackrabbit hide behind a bush, while its ears stuck up like an old TV antenna. “Silly thing…look how obvious he is with his ears sticking up!” We laughed.

A little further up the road, a huge white mound stuck up. “What’s that?” I looked on the map, but it was hard to tell exactly where we were. “I don’t know. Let’s go see.” Around the other side of the big white mound was a big white pit. “Hey, cool!” We parked next to the big pit. “Look, it’s talc! A talc mine! How cool is this?” We climbed to the top of the mound- our feet covered in white talc powder. Clouds of dust swirled around us.

I picked up a few of chunks. Some was white, some pink, and some had a purplish tinge.   Interesting how many different colors of talc there were right in this same mine. Were it not for this big pit and mound I would never have known that talc comes in pink and lavender as well as white. I would not have been able to hold chunks of it in my hand or have my feet covered in natural talc powder. I looked down at my toes. Minerals from the earth covered my bare feet and my sandals, along with the dirt and dust from the desert.   It felt cool and smooth and natural.   And my new-found appreciation for mining had struck once again. Excited, I looked at Al. “Look at my toes,” I giggled. “Usually you put talc on after a shower- I put it on before!”   He laughed, and said, “Yeah, now you’re gonna get it all over the car, too!”

There were many more spots on the map to explore. Mines, ghost towns, cool rock formations.   So much to see, so little time. Daylight was fading. In a few more days we would close up, leave Beatty, and head further north. “Let’s go”, Al said, as we left the big pile of talc and headed out on the little jeep trail toward the section on the map that was covered with little pick-and-shovel icons.

Mine Shafts and Piles of Talc by Jenn Jedidiah Free is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Deserts, Plankton and Bighorn Sheep

2012-08-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

From the top of the next hill we had a gorgeous view of the desert, spreading out in all directions away from us. The tiny town of Beatty was only 6 miles away, nestled in a little valley along the Amargosa River, but we couldn’t see it from our vantage point. The only way we could tell there was a town there is because of the huge “B” drawn in rocks on a peak above the town. People like to draw things with rocks out in the desert, it seems. There’s a big “Q” drawn in rocks on a mountain above Quartzsite, too. “Q” Mountain they call it…real creative.

Anyway, we could see Beatty’s “B” from where we were standing, so that was our directional reference point. Other than that, we were in the middle of nowhere. We had left Mud Mound and followed a 4-wheel drive road through some steep desert terrain until we got to a gravel road that appeared out of nowhere and headed up to the top of the hill we were now standing on. It was actually more like a small mountain, with steep gorges on one side. And it was from there that we were looking out at the immense desert landscape. It was beautiful, awe-inspiring, and a little intimidating. I have been exploring deserts since 2007, and I am still captivated by them. They are studies in contrasts: intense and subtle, harsh and delicate, colorful and drab, enticing and foreboding, comfortable, yet intimidating. Here, with a 360 degree view, I was experiencing all of those things at once.

“Hey,” Al said. “What are you doin’?” “Looking at the desert”, I said. “It’s so beautiful from up here.” He had bounded out of the car and was searching for fossils already, and now he came over to look at the view. We spent a few minutes taking pictures and then…we saw them. Fossils. And the more we looked, the more we saw. They were everywhere at the top of this hill. “Jackpot!” we giggled- like little kids. And these were not like the Mud Mound fossils at all. These were little squiggly worm-looking pale lines in flat chunks of shale called graptolites- fossilized plankton colonies-again from the Ordovician era.

Graptolites are found in shales made of sediment deposited in relatively deep water with poor bottom circulation and very little oxygen. Because of the lack of oxygen, there would have been no scavengers to eat the plankton as it settled on the bottom, where it would become entombed as layers of sediments accumulated. Graptolites are typically preserved as a light grey clay film on the surface of the shale- almost resembling a hieroglyphic or a pictograph. In fact, when I saw the first one, I thought it was a pottery shard with a pale design on it. But then we realized that we were looking at fossils scattered on the ground all over the top of this hill.

There were bunches of them on the surface, but even more were underneath and in pockets of other rocks. “Wow!“ “Look at this!” Al yelled from across the hill. I grabbed my backpack – the old one I use to put rocks in- and ran over to him. He was sitting on the side of the hill with piles of plankton fossils all around him. Shale has lots of cleavages, so it would peel apart in layers exposing more fossils inside. “They’re everywhere over here!” and he pointed to a rock he’d been peeling layers off of. We started loading up the backpack. “These are amazing!” He picked up a little hunk of shale, and said, “Watch.” He pushed on a crack in the edge and a slice popped off. Inside were a dozen or so of those squiggly, wormlike, hieroglyphic-looking pale imprints on the darker rock. He popped off another layer and there were more in that one- on both sides. The whole chunk was full of layers of them. “How cool is that!” We giggled again.

We spent the next couple hours gathering up graptolite fossils. The shale was different colors depending on where you found it. Most of it was gray in some shade or other, but there were reds and purples and browns, too. We tried to collect as many of the different colors as we could. Just the sheer fact that the shale was in so many different colors was amazing to me. I’d only ever seen gray shale up to that point.

The backpack had reached capacity a while ago. We emptied it in the back of the Samurai and now it was almost full again. The sun was starting to get low. Besides, there were still some old mines and cabins to see on the way back. It was time to go. We peeled ourselves away from the side of the hill. Leaving is always hard. There is always one more to pick up. So we walked the perimeter very slowly one more time, circling back to the car. We found more as we went, and now the backpack was full. Only two choices were left. Empty it and stay long enough to fill it a third time, or call it a day and head back. The time and the weather made our choice easier. “Come on.” Al said. “We found alot. Let’s go explore some of those mines before it gets dark.” I took one last long look and reached down to pick up just one more. Rocks are so addictive.

Some of the Graptolites we collected.

“Besides, we might see some of the burros or bighorn sheep if we head out now,” he said. A spring near here was a known watering hole for herds of bighorn sheep. That did it. Animals trump rocks. For me, anyway. They’re harder to find, so the reward is even sweeter. We jumped into the car and headed back down the hill. And we were off to the spring with a load of fossilized plankton and algae bumping around behind us. We were tired and it was starting to get cold. But the spring was only a mile or so from where we were, and the chance to see Bighorns was calling, so we headed toward the next peak on the map. Our day’s Adventure wasn’t over yet!

Deserts, Plankton, and Bighorn Sheep by Jenn Jedidiah Free and RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

To Sea or Not to Sea

2012-08-12T00:19:00.000-07:00

Cacti Blooming At Mud Mound

We were here. The Beatty Mud Mound. We had been talking about it all week- to customers, to people in town, to each other, and even to friends from Quartzsite who saw our Facebook post about going out to the Mud Mound in a day or two. They had been there before and wanted us to let them know what we found when we went. And so the excitement had been building for several days, while we worked diligently at the shop, waiting for a slow day so that we could close early and go play out in the desert. And so today was the day. At the fork in the gravel road, we chose the right fork, marked by the sign that said Mud Mound, and now we were here.

I headed up the hill after Al. He got about halfway up to an outcropping and stopped. He looked back at me and said, "You know, I just realized I'm not even sure what we're looking for..." "Fossilized algae and stuff", I said. "Well, what does that look like?" "I don't know...algae that looks like rocks? Rocks that look like algae? I guess we'll know when we see it." I said, trying to seem like I was sure of myself- after all I do own a rock shop- but then again, I had never seen fossilized algae before, either. Rocks and traveling are kind of similar- the more you see the more you realize that you haven't seen... and the list always gets bigger, never smaller. I call it the 10 for 1 exchange. Check off one, find out about 5 more, research them, learn about more, and then add 10 to the list. And so, the more fossils, rocks, animals, places, etc. I see in my life, the more I realize I haven't seen and want to see.

We got to the main outcropping- and it looked like a big ancient pile of mud- a Mud Mound. It was gray, with cracks and lines through it, like a clay-mud on the shoreline of a swamp or shallow pond. It looked like a place where we would find fossilized algae and other types of aquatic species. I stood and stared at it for a while. Al said, "What?...what do you see?" And that was it, I was trying to "See"- sometimes it takes some imagination to see what you are looking for. You have to imagine what a place would have been like at that time, and then the pieces of the puzzle will start to fall together and you can "see" what's there. To find gold, you have to read the river, and see what it would have looked like in a flood. Here, we had to see what the desert would have looked like many millions of years ago as a swampy shoreline of a shallow inland sea - a flat plain of quartz-rich sandstone covered with shallow water and layers of silt, clay, and mud. So in my mind, I was looking at this gray hunk of clay-looking rock sticking up out of the desert and trying to "See" the ancient Sea that used to be there. I said to Al, "You know what a muddy shoreline looks like, with mats of algae and mud kind of covering everything? That's what we are looking for."

Geologically speaking, the Beatty Mudmounds are large mounds of calcite mud. Initially they were formed at the beginning of the Paleozoic Era, in shallow water (about 100 feet deep) as deposits created huge underwater sand dunes, well, technically "Mud Dunes". The surfaces of the mounds were covered by thick mats of algae which trapped sediments moved by currents. Layers of algae and trapped sediments bound together, and layer by layer the Mounds grew into monstrous algae mats which supported enormous quantities of animal life in this ancient underwater environment. Eventually the seas deepened, reefs formed and larger forms of aquatic life began to take hold, including the ichtyosaurs that are famous in Nevada.

The surface environment eventually went from sea to swamp to jungle and then to woodlands. Volcanoes became prevalent. For hundreds of millions of years our Mud Mounds and their fossils lie buried. Then, about 2 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada Mountains were uplifted and the treasures of our Mud Mounds found their way to the surface of the arid desert lands that would eventually become Nevada. Over time, wind and water eroded away the softer limestone and exposed the ancient Mud Mounds. And so here we were, surrounded by rocks hundreds of millions of years old, waiting to see what they would reveal to us.

Fossilized Algae at Mud Mound

We looked for about 20 minutes, and then finally we saw one: a piece of gray fossilized mud like the Mud Mound, but covered with a several inch thick layer of brown fibrous-looking, ALGAE-LIKE rock- and we could see it in our heads- this ancient clay/mud dune covered with algae and teeming with life. It was like a window in time- and then next thing we knew, we were seeing fossilized algae all around us, in sparsely covered sections of the Mud Mound outcroppings.

Look how cool this is! I exclaimed. This is amazing! We found several nice sections of the fossilized algae a little further up and were looking for some specimens that we could collect. A local woman I had talked to a couple of weeks ago had said that the Mud Mound fossils were getting increasingly hard to find because people had been chipping them off for several years. What was left of the Mud Mound fossils was sparse. Several groups were even petitioning to close the site to the public to protect what was left of the fossils. Even though we had our rock hammers with us, we decided not to remove any of the fossils we found unless they were on the ground already. We found a few nice pieces and put them gently on the floor of the Samurai to take back with us. These rocks, while not particularly fragile, were extremely old. And I don't mean that in the obvious sense. These were old even for fossils.

This area of Nevada abounds in fossilized marine life. After all, many of the mineral mines in this area are Dolomite, Diatomite, Limestone, and Marble- all of which are some form of fossilized sea creatures. Many of the other fossils found in Nevada like ammonites, trilobites, crinoids and other sea creatures, including the state fossil, the ichyosaurus are about 250 million years old. But the Mud Mounds that formed in the very early ancient seas across southern Nevada, were from a time much older than that. These particular fossils were Ordovician- about 480 million years old! We had just picked up rocks containing some of the oldest organisms found on earth!

We were ecstatic! And...there was still one more place to look. We had been told that not far from the Mud Mound was another, less well known site with fossils from the same time period. A less well known site meant more fossils- not as picked over and decimated. We looked out across the desert from our vantage point up on Mud Mound. The wind had picked up, and the temperature started to drop somewhat. The sun was getting lower in the sky. It was time to move on. A few more hours of daylight afforded us enough time to explore another site and see what treasures it held for us.

We bade Mud Mound goodbye, jumped in the Samurai, and headed back down to the gravel road. In a short time, after several twists, turns and traverses up some steep sections, we came to the next chapter in our geologic adventure and our quest for fossils from early "Nevada". The information we had was vague. Once again, we didn't exactly know what we were looking for, or what we would find, but then, that is part of the Adventure.

The Road through the Desert to Mud Mound

To Sea or Not to Sea by Jenn Jedidiah Free & RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://jedidiahfree.blogspot.com.

Ancient Fish and Old Piles of Mud

2012-07-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

The Beatty "Mall"

We had been in Beatty for a couple of weeks already. We opened up at a little swap meet along Hwy95 called The Beatty Mall. The “Mall” was actually a row of vendors with a parking area in front, lining the main road through town. If location is everything, then we definitely had the best spot in the entire desert. If you were heading north from Vegas to Reno, we were the first piece of civilization you saw after driving through 100 miles of nothing but desert. If you were heading south from Reno to Vegas, we were the last bit of civilization you would see for over 100 miles. Either way, the Beatty “Mall” was THE place to stop on the south side of Beatty. On the North side was the casino and the Death Valley Candy Company.

Business was good. There were lots of travelers and snowbirds heading north for the summer, lots of local traffic between Reno and Vegas, and quite a few tourists using Beatty as a jumping-off point to explore Death Valley. It was cooler than Quartzsite, by about 10 or 15 degrees, so being outside all day was more bearable than it had been toward the end of the season in Quartzsite. At night, coyotes howled in the distance, and the wild burros would come out of the mountains to wander around town. Occasionally one would show up during the day, usually to visit the campgrounds and beg for handouts. People food, I’m sure, was much tastier than dusty desert plants. The burros, especially the babies, are very cute, so I’m sure plenty of people were willing to feed them.

And evidently our 35 x 50’ slice of the desert had particularly delicious plants growing on it, because we were visited frequently in the evenings by a herd of burros who took a liking to the ones growing around our trailer at the back end of our booth. Their snorts and grunts as they chomped on grasses and flowers drowned out the frogs that chirped along the banks of the Amargosa River flowing 50 yards behind us.

In Beatty, there was lots more downtime than we ever had in Quartzsite. And for us, downtime meant Playtime. Just 4 miles outside of town to the west was Rhyolite, one of the best preserved ghost towns in the entire desert southwest. Further west still, lie the immense playground called Death Valley. 5 miles outside of town to the east was a desert full of rocks, fossils, old mines, and more. Adventure was calling. We had worked hard all winter. Now it was time to play.

We loaded gear and such into the Samurai and headed out into the desert. The map was full of places with names like “Swiss Cheese” and “The Mud Mound”. We were itching with excitement as the town disappeared behind us and the desert opened up into a wonderland of adventure. A right fork in the gravel road led to fossil sites, springs, and a place frequented by herds of bighorn sheep. A left fork led to abandoned mines, cool rock formations, and a maze of jeep trails. Oh, that life would always be so simple that the most difficult choice we have to make is not which fork to take, but which one to take first. It doesn’t matter, really, Al said. Whatever one we don’t take today, we’ll take tomorrow.

The small hand-made wooden sign at the right fork said Mud Mound. With a name like that, how could we resist? We chose to take the right fork first. We had read that we could find fossils at Mud Mound. In fact, Nevada is full of fossils, but surprisingly, they are fossils of sea creatures. During the Paleozoic era, the vast desert called the Mohave was a warm, shallow, inland sea, and, in fact, Nevada’s state fossil is an ichthyosaurus- loosely translated: “fish-type dinosaur”- which evidently hunted fish and ammonites. So, what fossils would be found in Mud Mounds? All the research we had done mentioned fossilized algae, plants, plankton, and reefs. We had never seen fossilized algae before. We were curious, and getting a little giddy. I could feel the stress and fatigue of the long, monotonous winter season beginning to melt away. Life was beginning to feel exciting again.

On the way to Mud Mound we passed some old mines and some abandoned mining cabins. We stopped to investigate the first couple of them, but decided to wait until the way back to stop at any other ones we happened upon. Storms were coming in from the west and we were out in a remote part of the desert. We wanted to have plenty of time to explore Mud Mound before they arrived. We weren’t quite sure what we were looking for, but we wanted to have time to enjoy it once we found it.

The views of the Desert in front and behind us were expansive. And it was still springtime here. In Quartzsite spring had given way to summer many moons ago, but here, in the mountains around Beatty, the plants had not yet been scorched to a crisp. Cacti were blooming as were Indian Paintbrush, Rabbitbrush and others. Even the mountains were colorful, their varied mineral makeup creating vibrant palettes rising up from the desert floor. We stopped several more times to take advantage of photo opportunities, and then we saw it- The Mud Mound, a large outcrop of wrinkled gray rock jutting up in front of us. We bounded out of the car like little kids. Al was out first and was already heading up the hill. Wait for me, I called. But he was already gone, off exploring. Yes, life was becoming exciting again. I ran up the hill after him, and already I could see it…

The Mud Mound

Ancient Fish and Old Piles of Mud by Jenn Jedidiah Free & RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://jedidiahfree.blogspot.com.

Gem Trails of Nevada. Over 75 sites in Nevada.
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OF DUST STORMS AND PACK ICE

2012-07-22T21:47:00.001-07:00

Greetings to all our loyal followers. I know, I haven’t written in a while. Like my Grandmother used to say when she hadn't heard from me in a while: "What, you died, or something?" My Grandmother was not short on sarcasm- and I'm pretty sure that's where I get mine from.

Well…Sorry. We have been doing what we help all of you do: We have been outside, playing. Alot. And life has just been so incredibly exciting, that there is just too much to report and too little time. But I will try. This planet is an awesome and beautiful place, and it never ceases to amaze me. So I will start where I left off when you last heard from me.

Since we closed up shop in Quartzsite at the end of the winter season, we have been on the road. And it has been one adventure after another. We opened in Beatty, Nevada, for a few weeks, on Highway 95 between Vegas and Reno, and then spent quite a while traveling around the rest of the Silver State. We explored ghost towns and mines, and visited Death Valley for a while. Then it was off to hunt for fossils, meteorites, and lots of other cool rocks and such, before heading north, and then to Alaska, from where we just returned.

We have seen petroglyphs, tufa formations, and caves. We have dug for garnets, panned for gold, hunted for meteorites, and collected beach agates. We have explored mines, climbed glaciers, hiked, paddled, and 4-wheeled. We have been hot and dusty, cold and wet, dirty and muddy, sweaty and smelly…but it sure has been fun. And we have experienced so much of this amazing planet we call home…and so the time has come to share our adventures again, the Adventures of RocksInMyHead. Stay tuned to Adventures With Rocks for the rest of the summer, and we will take you on an incredible journey… So come on! There is so much to explore!!

First stop: Beatty, Nevada.

As of March, we had never even heard of Beatty, NV- but one night in Quartzsite, after I was closed for the evening, two guys pulled up in front of the shop and asked if I was closed- which, obviously, I was. But they were persistent. Al was still open, and they told him they had driven all day to get here and they wanted to buy some Turquoise jewelry for a shop they were opening in Beatty, NV. They convinced him that they were serious, and they flashed the cash just long enough for me to decide to stop cooking dinner and open back up. After a half-hour long transaction through which my entire inventory of turquoise jewelry was now headed for Nevada- they said- hey- do you want to make some money now that the season in Quartzsite is over?

Earlier that day, I had been perusing the show and swap meet lists trying to decide on a route out of Quartzsite- so I was open to suggestions. And there it was- Beatty, NV. Located in the middle of the only route through the vast, open desert between Reno and Vegas. A gateway to Death Valley NP- and 100 miles, at least, in every direction, from anywhere. But, according to these two guys who just paid cash for my entire stock of turquoise jewelry, there was still plenty of business in Beatty.

Later that evening, we googled Beatty, NV and it seemed interesting enough. Ghost towns, rockhounding, meteorites, gold prospecting, and fossils all in one place in the middle of the Nevada desert, plus a swap meet to set up at for a while before heading further north. Sounded like our kind of place. Besides, Pahrump was nearby and so was Death Valley, and I knew both of those places would be good if Beatty didn’t work out. Even if the business wasn't as good as we had been told, there were lots of opportunities to play in the Beatty/Pahrump/Death Valley area...and playing was definately at the top of my list right about then.

And anyway, it didn’t matter, really, as long as we weren’t in Quartzsite anymore. Not that we don’t love Quartzsite, but it was that point in the season where I was over it. It was hot, dry, and we had been battling dust storms since the beginning of March. We were tired and burnt out from a long, busy season. I was cranky. I had been open 7 days a week since the end of October.

It was now the middle of March, and we needed to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. As long as it wasn’t Quartzsite. We needed to close, go somewhere else, and play. I didn’t even care if we opened again before we played, as long as we opened in a different town. I felt a little leap of excitement in my Spirit. In a couple of days, after some phone calls and some research, the decision was made. Beatty it would be.

We closed for the season a few weeks later. We spent several more evenings playing on the dirtbike out in the desert around Quartzsite. We visited petroglyphs at Tyson Wash, some stone cabins, and explored the Dome Rock and Plomosa mountains. Then, after enjoying our last Quartzsite sunset at the ancient Fisherman Intaglio on Plomosa Road, we headed north through the dry, dusty desert toward Beatty. A new adventure had begun.

Of Dust Storms and Pack Ice by Jenn Jedidiah Free & RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://jedidiahfree.blogspot.com.

GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY

2012-03-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year- springtime in the desert. Folks are heading out to play for the last time before heading to their summer destinations. There is so much to do here: rockhounding, gold prospecting, mountain biking, hiking, 4-wheeling, and, yes, even boating on some of the area lakes. There are stone cabins, old mines, ghost towns, petroglyphs, and the beautiful wild parts of the Sonoran desert to see all around Quartzsite.

Our desert certainly is a beautiful place in the springtime. Birds and wildlife abound. Washes explode with the colors and fragrances of desert flowers. Cacti and ocotillos are blooming. Temperatures are still enjoyable in the 70’s and low 80’s. But the desert can be deceptive. This is still a harsh environment, after all. It is important to remember to be prepared when heading out to play, even on a short local trip.

The dryness of the desert can cause dehydration more quickly than expected, even on a cooler, breezy day. Be sure to always pack enough water for everyone in the party. One gallon per person is recommended, just to be on the safe side. And, while we think about heat illness in the summer, it can also be a concern at this time of the year. Anything can happen when out in the desert. Keep a bag or backpack stuffed with food, a first aid kit, and extra clothing- even when heading out for just a few hours. If you get stuck overnight you will be warm and have food and water. Keep your vehicle prepared as well. Extra water, parts, and tires are good basics to have even for short trips. It is always better to be over- prepared than under- prepared.

In addition to being prepared, following the Treasure Hunter’s Code of Ethics ensures that everyone has a pleasant experience and can enjoy our beautiful desert in the future. Conduct yourself in the backcountry with courtesy and consideration for others. Respect the rights and property of others and observe all laws, whether national, state, or local. Never destroy historical or archeological treasures, and leave the land and vegetation as it was. Fill in all holes, and please remove all trash and litter when you leave. Remember, all treasure hunters may be judged by the actions of one, so think about the image and example you are setting.

And remember: no matter what, have fun and enjoy life! And as you bid Quartzsite goodbye for the winter, we want to thank you for allowing us to be a part of your fun here. Thank you for making this season a very successful one for us here at RocksInMyHead at Rice Ranch. We couldn’t do it without you. Travel safely and have a great summer. Wherever you are, we hope you will allow us to serve you over the phone (605-376-8754), by email (Jenn@RocksInMyHead.biz), and on the web at http://RocksInMyHead.biz for all your rock and gold-related desires.

And thanks to you, we will be expanding next year to offer several new product lines as well as some exciting new services and events. Follow us on Facebook at http://Facebook.com/RocksInMyHead or in the Desert Messenger throughout the summer and fall for all the updates. Or go to http://RocksInMyHead.biz and register your email. Please come by our booth at A37 in Rice Ranch and say goodbye before you get on the road. Grab a rock or two to take with you. We are open until the end of March. See ya next year!

Go Outside and Play by Jenn Jedidiah Free & RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://jedidiahfree.blogspot.com.

TALES FROM THE ROCK- Ancient Stories Written In Stone

2012-02-29T22:28:00.000-08:00

grinding holes near tyson wash petroglyphs

As anyone who has spent time out here in the desert knows, the Sonoran desert can be a harsh and unforgiving environment. We, with our modern conveniences and inventions, have managed to make life here much more comfortable than it used to be. If we need food, we go to the grocery store. If we need fuel we go to the RV place and fill up our propane tanks. If we need water, we pump it in, or load up our tanks onto our motorized vehicles and drive to a place where we turn on a spigot and clean water flows out. In the harsh cold, we turn on a furnace. In the heat of the day, we turn on our air conditioners.

Many times I have heard people say that they would never be able to live here in the desert if it wasn’t for those modern conveniences. It seems as though we forget that people have lived here for thousands of years without those things. Here in Arizona the Hopi, the Navajo, the Havasupai, the Yavapai, the Yuma peoples, and the ancestral Anasazi, thrived in this harsh, yet beautiful land.

tyson wash petroglyphs

We are fortunate to have many places here in the Quartzsite area where we can contemplate the ancient way of life here in the desert. The two closest ones are Dripping Springs and the site along the east side of Tyson Wash between the La Paz and the Tyson Wash BLM camping areas. Farther away, but well worth the trip, is Grapevine Canyon in Nevada, just north of Laughlin in the Lake Mead Recreation Area. This site is spectacular, with thousands of petroglyphs lining a gorgeous canyon. When visiting these ancient sites I frequently overhear the conversations of other visitors. Quite often, people will walk up to a site, take a few quick photographs, and say, “I wonder what that means.” Or “I wonder why that is here, in the middle of nowhere”. Then they check it off their list and head off to the next thing on their agenda, never giving it a second thought.

At the Tyson Wash site there are two panels of petroglyphs and an area with grinding holes across the wash on a rock outcrop. At the base of the rock with the main petroglyph panel is a water hole that goes deep into the water table at the base of the rock. When there was no other water to be found, there was water here and plenty of it. The other panel, on the south side of the outcropping is located above a small cave. Because of the water at this site, there is an abundance of vegetation and trees, as well as birds, and other wildlife.

petroglyphs at dripping springs

At Dripping Springs, on a 100 degree day, water was flowing out of the rock and accumulating in a small pool. The area was well shaded and full of trees and shrubs. The temperature around the spring was at least 20 degrees cooler than the desert just 50 yards away. In Grapevine Canyon, there is a stream with a waterfall, a small cave, and stands of wild grapes where the glyphs are located.

To best understand these sites when visiting them, find a place to sit for awhile and contemplate the environment. Imagine yourself traveling across this hot, dry, windy, and dusty desert landscape, looking for a place that has what you need to survive…food, water, shelter. Now look carefully at this place. Look around, away from this site, out into the desert and notice the difference. Think about the importance of this place to your survival. There is water here, the sustainer of all life. There is shelter here, in the trees and the rocks. There is food here, because the animals and plants need this water to survive also. During the heat of the day the tall trees provide shade, at night they offer warmth by giving fuel for a fire. There is rest here, and comfortable places to work. Maybe new tools need to be made, or food needs to be prepared. This is a sacred place, a place of survival, a refuge from the harsh and life-threatening desert conditions.

petroglyphs at grapevine canyon

Now look at the glyphs. Use your imagination. What do they say to you? What would they say to another like you, also searching for the same things. Think about traveling a long distance on a highway . You are tired and hungry, it’s getting late, and the fuel gauge is close to empty. You look for a place to find food for your body, gas for your car, and a comfortable and safe place to sleep. There is still a long stretch of road ahead of you. Suddenly, a sign comes into view. Rest Stop. “Food, fuel, lodging, next exit”, it says, and you breathe a sigh of relief.

Look at the petroglyphs again. Now what do they say to you? Be still and contemplate quietly. Imagine yourself here in the desert 1000 years ago. No Pilot Travel Center just off the Interstate, no restaurants or grocery stores. No RV in which to weather the storms. But people thrived here for centuries. The ancient ones who lived off the land called this desert their home long before modern technology made life in the desert leisurely. They passed on their knowledge of how to survive in their desert home by drawing signs, glyphs, on the rocks, saying “Food, fuel, shelter, here”. “This is a good place to live in the desert”.

pottery shards and tools at homolovi

Look for other signs of ancient life here in the desert. What other things have been left behind? Grinding holes where food was ground from seeds and berries into dough? Campfire remnants? Stone tools? What about nature’s treasures, like petrified wood or fossils? What treasures do these ancient sites hold that, we, in our hurry to check them off our list, have missed?

As we live here in the desert, comfortable and secure with our modern conveniences, it is easy to forget that life here was not always so carefree. These ancient sites that we visit and photograph are so much more than simple pictures drawn by primitive people. They are tales from the rocks, stories of ancient generations and their way of life here in the desert. They are stories of hope and survival, success and failure, death and life, love and war, prayers and thanksgiving. Hidden in them are dreams, goals, fears, and desires, reaching through time waiting to speak to future generations. Let the desert, the mountains, and the stories in the rocks speak. They have much to say if we would just sit quietly for awhile, open up our imagination, look and listen.

For more information about petroglyphs visit Rocks In My Head at Space A37 in Rice Ranch, 605-376-8754, or online at www.RocksInMyHead.biz. We have a great selection of artifact points, Anasazi pottery shards, as well as petrified wood in stock.

Tales From the Rock by Jenn Jedidiah Free & RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://jedidiahfree.blogspot.com.

Singing The Blues: Turquoise vs. Chrysacolla

2012-02-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

Turquoise in the host rock at the Sleeping Beauty Mine.

Arizona is famous for its Turquoise. Sleeping Beauty, Kingman, and the famous Bisbee Blue are some of the more familiar names. Another beautiful mineral found here is Chrysacolla, which is often mistaken for Turquoise because of its color. While both Turquoise and Chrysacolla, having similar hardness of 2.2 to 2.8 on the Moh’s scale, are associated with copper and are by-products of copper mining, the similarities stop there.

In technical terms, Chrysacolla is a hydrous copper silicate which occurs in the oxidation zones of copper deposits. Basically, that means it is ore containing copper and silica that has been altered to the mineral Chrysacolla through contact with air and water. Chrysacolla is a rather common mineral here in our copper-rich region of Arizona and is found in association with Azurite, Malachite, and Cuprite. It is a surface mineral, which makes it an important indicator of copper deposits.

Turquoise Mine

Turquoise, on the other hand, is a hydrated copper aluminum phosphate. It is a secondary mineral caused by alteration in arid environments of aluminum bearing rocks rich in Apatite, Chalcopyrite, and Chalcedony. Sulfides are also present in Turquoise deposits here in Arizona. In other words, while Turquoise is associated with copper deposits, it also needs the presence of aluminum and phosphate in order to form. Because of this special recipe, Turquoise is not as common as Chrysacolla. Turquoise is typically formed as fissure fillings underground at a depth of about 60 feet, where it is found as veins or nuggets in the surrounding rock.

Turquoise Vein

Vein Turquoise forms as a solution filling cracks, called fissures, in the host rock. Most vein Turquoise is clear, or free of matrix, however, some vein Turquoise does contain matrix. Nugget Turquoise is formed as the Turquoise collects in small pockets and holes within clay-filled fissures. Commonly, nuggets will have a thin, evenly-spaced “spider-web” type matrix, though occasionally nuggets will be clear of matrix. The color of the matrix is determined by the host rock in which the Turquoise formed. Matrix can be reddish or rust-colored, brown, black, golden colored, or even silvery-gray- for example, brown or reddish matrix is the result of iron oxides in the rock.

The colors of the Turquoise itself also vary greatly and are determined in part by minerals present in the host rock, and can often vary even within the same mine. Excess amounts of copper produce the blue color, while iron produces a Turquoise more in the green range. An excess of aluminum tips the scales toward a green to greenish-white color, and zinc yields a yellow-green. Most Turquoise mined in Arizona is in the blue range because of the abundance of copper here. Nevada produces many fine examples of green and yellow-green Turquoise.

In North America, Turquoise is found in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, and Central Mexico. The California and New Mexico deposits were mined by Native Americans as far back as Pre-Columbian times. Today, Arizona is one of the most important producers of Turquoise, followed by Nevada. While many of the Turquoise mines, like Bisbee, are inactive or depleted, the famous Sleeping Beauty and Kingman mines, as well as a few others, are still active.

For more information about Turquoise, including mines and rockhounding sites, visit Rocks In My Head at Space A37 in Rice Ranch, 605-376-8754, or online at RocksInMyHead. We have Turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Globe, AZ and the Carico Lake Mine in Nevada. We also have Chrysacolla, Azurite and Chrysacolla Silicate cabochons, and really cool copper nuggets. Go to RocksInMyHead website!

Singing the Blues Turquoise Vs. Chrysacolla by Jenn Jedidiah Free & RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://jedidiahfree.blogspot.com.

Turquoise of Arizona

Bisbee Turquoise
The Bisbee mine "the Lavender Pit", near Bisbee, Arizona, is one of the more famous of the American mines because Bisbee turquoise (also known as "Bisbee Blue" registered name) was one of the first put onto the market. The turquoise mine is part of the Bisbee copper mine (The Copper Queen), the main operation of the site. Bisbee turquoise has developed a reputation as a hard, finely webbed or dendrite, high blue stone, known for its "chocolate brown" matrix. Bisbee Turquoise also comes in a beautiful dark green color. Most of this turquoise has already been mined and what is left is in limbo due to circumstances with the copper mining in the open pit, it is one of the most highly collected stones. Most jewelry being made with this stone today is being made via the orders of the current owners of the mine, the rest is found through old "stashes" or collections that have been obtained.

Castle Dome
Most of Arizona’s turquoise mines are actually large open pit copper mines that the turquoise deposits are leased .The company or person with the lease is called in to mine the turquoise when they hit a pocket of it as they are copper mining. This is a mine that was very active back in the 1970’s

Ithaca Peak
The Ithaca Peak mine is located in northwestern Arizona above the Kingman mine. The Ithaca Peak mine is famous for its beautiful blue with pyrite matrix. This material is outstanding. It is owned and operated by the Colbaugh's. It is fairly rare to get good Ithaca Peak as main production is focused on Turquoise Mountain. When you do get good Ithaca Peak it is very pricey!

Kingman
The Kingman mine in northwestern Arizona was one of the largest turquoise mines in North America. The terms "Kingman" or "high blue" refer to the blue color usually displayed in this stone. It has become a color standard in the industry. The mine became famous for its rounded, bright blue nuggets with black matrix. Few turquoise mines produced nuggets, especially of this quality. Old natural Kingman Turquoise is rare. The Colbaugh's own this mine and the Turquoise Mountain mine, their company name is Colbough Processing. They have recently gone back into the section of the Kingman mine and are digging and bringing our some new Natural Kingman Turquoise.

Morenci
Morenci Turquoise is mined in southeastern Arizona. It is high to light blue in color. Morenci has an unusual matrix of irregular black pyrite that, when polished, often looks like silver. Morenci turquoise is well known because it was one of the first American turquoises to come on the market. It is very difficult to obtain now because the mine is depleted. It is a collectible turquoise.

Sleeping Beauty
The Sleeping Beauty mine is located near Globe, Arizona. Its turquoise is noted for its solid, light blue color with no matrix. Sleeping Beauty turquoise is the favorite of the Zuni Pueblo silversmiths for use in petit point, needlepoint, and inlay jewelry. This mine is one of the largest in North America and is still operating.

Turquoise Mountain and "Birdseye"
Turquoise Mountain and "Birdseye" turquoise come from the same mine in northwestern Arizona near the Kingman mine. The mine was closed in the 1980s. It is light to high blue, with both webbed and non-webbed matrix. "Birdseye" describes stones from this mine that show areas of light blue circled with dark blue matrix, resembling the eye of a bird. It is a beautiful addition to one's collection.

Beautiful Turquoise from Rocks In My Head


Sterling Silver, Copper, and Turquoise Tie or Lapel Clip by Soaring Eagle Designs $95.00

Kingman Turquoise Cab from RocksInMy Head
$15.00

Kingman Turquoise Cab from RocksInMyHead
with ridge for setting.
$45.00

Turquoise Earrings
$10.00

Treatments for Turquoise

Stabilized Turquoise
Stablized turquoise has been treated with epoxies or acrylic resins. The chemicals are infused into the turquoise by soaking the material for a long period of time, or by subjecting it to pressure. When stabilized turquoise is cut, there is often a plastic smell.

Enhanced Turquoise (Zachary Process)
Enhanced turquoise has been treated with chemicals, then heated. The heating process eliminates any residual chemicals in the turquoise. Therefore, it is difficult to tell the difference between enhanced turquoise and natural, untreated turquoise. Unlike natural turquoise, enhanced turquoise usually does not turn green over time.

Natural Processed Turquoise
The Natural Process is a new and exciting enhancement process for turquoise. Natural Processed turquoise has been treated with completely non-toxic chemicals. This process improves the polish and color of turquoise rough, without any dyes or nasty chemicals. If Natural Process turquiose is soaked in water for 24 hours, it is impossible to detect the difference between it and natural, untreated turquoise. Natural Processed turquoise is therefore the least invasive and highest grade of treatment available for turquiose. Unlike natural turquoise, Natural Processed turquoise will not turn green over time.

Reconstituted Turquoise
Reconstituted turquoise is natural, or previously stabilized material that has been pulverized into a powder, soaked in binders and then pressed back into a solid block. Reconstituted turquoise cuts easier than stabilized material, but has a lower value. Lapis, coral and other semi-precious gems can also be reconstituted.

Block Turquoise
Block turquoise is not turquoise. Instead, it is a simulant made from plastic, ceramic, or other material. Other semi-precious stones, such as malachite, lapis, charoite, etc. are simulated with block materials.

GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT- Arizona Placer Gold Deposits

2012-01-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

Gold Mine off Dome Rock Road

The desert is full of gold. Golden sunsets, gold poppies, gold finches, gold mines, and gold placers. In fact, one of the richest placer deposits in Arizona is here in the mountains surrounding Quartzsite. The Dome Rock Mountains to the West, the Plomosa Mountains to the East, and the Livingston Hills to the South are all full of gold mines and claims.

Situated in between these mountain ranges is the LaPosa Plain crisscrossed with washes that are literally saturated with gold bearing gravel. Between the Dome Rock area and La Paz there are several working mines and numerous claims. The photo is of a trommel at a mine south of Dome Rock Road. But gold isn’t everywhere. As the saying goes, “Gold is where you find it.” So, then, where, and how, do you find it?

To begin with, search areas that are known to be productive. Many times, early prospectors and miners mapped or journaled about the gold bearing areas they discovered. Some old maps and writings contain a wealth of information on productive local gold areas.

Modern geology and science give us additional insights into why gold is found where it is. While some things about gold deposits still baffle geologists today, for the most part we know that gold accumulates in particular areas, under predictable conditions, and for specific reasons. It is in understanding these “wheres” and “whys” that a prospector’s chances of finding gold will increase.

Trommel at Gold Mine in La Paz

The two principal types of gold deposits are Lode (primary) and Placer (secondary). Lode deposits are veins of gold-bearing ores in solid rock. Placer deposits are concentrations of free gold – gold that has been “freed” from its ore body by forces of nature- and deposited in concentrated amounts in specific places. When a gold bearing vein is exposed, natural forces erode the rock and release the gold. Once released, gold is moved by natural forces like gravity and water along a specific and relatively predictable path accumulating in particular areas along the way.

Due to its weight and high specific gravity, gold has a natural tendency to get trapped in crevices and places, like behind a boulder, where the force of movement slows down enough for gold to drop out and accumulate. Because of this, gold deposits are relatively predictable within a known gold bearing area. With study and practice, the prospector can learn how to “read” the terrain and understand where gold deposits would likely occur within a placer area.

From "Fists Full of Gold" by Chris Ralph

Additionally, learning how to “read” the terrain is good, but it is also important to get off the beaten path. Gold is here to be found, but time and effort are required to find it. Sometimes that means working areas that are more remote or hard to get to rather than the easy ones where everyone else has gone. It is worth investing a little extra time and effort to make your prospecting trips more successful. Don't forget to enjoy the desert and the other sites while you are out there. There are petroglyphs, stone cabins, ghost towns and, of course, nature, to enjoy while you are out on your prospecting trip.

While prospecting, please care for the land and fill in your holes. And always remember to plan ahead and be prepared. This is the desert, after all. Happy Prospecting!

Gold Is Where You Find It by Jenn Jedidiah Free & RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://jedidiahfree.blogspot.com.

For information and locations of placer gold deposits in and around Quartzsite come to Rocks In My Head, Space A37, at Rice Ranch. We also have a great selection of gold prospecting books, supplies, and equipment available, as well as information on how to “read” the terrain. We are open 7 days a week, November through March, and online 24-7 at http://rocksinmyhead.biz/

Stone Cabin off Dome Rock Road

For an excellent book on the properties of gold, placer geology, and reading the terrain, try Chris Ralph's book "Fists Full of Gold".

THERE'S COPPER IN THEM THAR HILLS

2012-01-04T21:55:00.000-08:00

Copper: Arizona’s Gold Rush

We can’t live without it. Every person will use approximately 1500 pounds of copper in their lifetime. There are 50 pounds of copper in the average car, and about 400 pounds of copper in a standard house. There is copper in your microwave, refrigerator, computer, and telephone. Copper is used in plumbing, fiber optics, solar and wind power, generators, electronics, and medical technology.

In fact, we, the state of Arizona, wouldn’t even be here without copper. Many prospectors came to Arizona looking for silver and gold, but the majority of them moved on to California and did not settle here. It was the early copper miners who settled and founded the towns, like Ajo, which was founded by a prospector named John Greenway. The towns of Ehrenberg, Poston, and Wickenburg were also originally founded and established as copper mining communities.

Copper has been mined here since the 1500s. The native peoples mined copper to use for tools and weapons. In the late 1700’s missionaries came to Arizona to establish missions and to mine and prospect in this area. Arizona Mining and Trading Company, our state’s first mining company, was established in August 1854.

Large scale production copper mining began in 1872, by the Longfellow Copper Company near Morenci. In 1876, the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad opened the door for Arizona’s copper wealth to be transported to markets all over the world. While in other parts of the country, the railroads brought industry with them, here, the need to transport copper brought railroads to Arizona. Since 1910, Arizona has been the nation’s top producer of copper, producing more than all the other 49 states combined. Copper mining on this scale helped the Arizona territory to achieve statehood in 1912.

Here is a really cool video on how copper ore is mined and turned into usable copper (Note: No whales were harmed in the filming of this video...whales you say?)

Gold, silver, lead, zinc, and molybdenum are important minerals that are by-products of copper mining. Arizona is the 2^nd largest producer of molybdenum in the US. Arizona is also famous for beautiful gemstones like turquoise, chrysacolla, azurite, and malachite which are secondary minerals that form in copper ore bodies.

There are two great day trips that can be taken from Quartzsite to copper mining areas. One is to Planet Ranch and the other is to the ghost town of Swansea. The Planet Ranch area has over 100 copper mines. The area is rich in Chrysacolla, and in several areas the chrysacolla deposits are on the surface, creating beautiful swirls of color in the red/brown rhyolite. We found nice malachite and azurite specimens as well when we were there. Planet Ranch itself has recently been purchased by Freeport McMoran and is no longer open to the public, but there are several mines located on public land outside Planet Ranch boundaries that are accessible.

PLANET RANCH

Inside a Mine Shaft at Planet Ranch.

Planet's post office was established March 28, 1902 and discontinued March 31, 1921. The Planet copper mine, the mainstay of Planet and the second copper mine in Arizona to be worked by Americans, was discovered in 1863. Slowly a town grew around the mine and finally got a post office in 1902. When the mines played out in 1921, Planet succumbed to financial ruin as miners went elsewhere for work.

DIRECTIONS TO PLANET RANCH:

To get to Planet take Osborne Well Road, just before mile 143, before you reach Parker from Quartzsite, or take Swansea Rd from Bouse (on SR72) and drive to Four Corners. Here continue straight on Swansea Rd. and take Planet Ranch Rd on the right. Drive until you reach gate. On the right side are remains of Planet and Planet mine. Not a problem for 2WD, though the road narrows and gets a little rough in places, and at times travels through narrow canyons. Have fun!!

For lots of photos of Planet Ranch, go to my Blog Post "Stop Signs, Canyons, and Pretty Rocks" about my trip to Planet Ranch or click this link Stop Signs, Canyons, and Pretty Rocks

SWANSEA

Smelter at Swansea

Swansea is the site of a former mining town. This ghost town boasts the remains of a railroad depot, a smelter, several mine shafts, two cemeteries, some restored miner’s quarters, many stone foundations, and interesting tailings piles. Swansea is open to the public. Originally this mining camp was known as Signal, the name was changed to Swansea when a smelter was built in approx 1909. The ore was sent to Swansea, South Wales, for smelting. At it's peak, in approx 1911, Swansea is said to have had a population of over 700 people. The town was settled and the post office was established in 1909. It served as a mining town as well as a location for processing and smelting the copper ore taken from the nearby mines.

Ruins of buildings at Swansea

Prospecting and mining in the area first began around 1862, but the remote location and lack of transportation kept activity to a minimum. By 1904, the railroad was coming to nearby Parker, and local miners Newton Evans and Thomas Jefferson Carrigan saw an opportunity to develop the area. Within a few years, the two miners had built a 350 ton furnace, a water pipeline to the Bill Williams River, and hoists for five mine shafts. They called the new town Signal (not to be confused with the other Arizona ghost town of Signal). By 1908, the claims in the area had been consolidated by the Clara Gold and Copper Mining Company, which setup its headquarters in the mining camp that would become Swansea. That same year, what was to become the Arizona and Swansea Railroad connected Signal to Bouse some 25 miles (40 km) away. These two factors spurred the growth of the town, and its population quickly grew to about 300 residents.

Smelter and ruins

When mining operations first began, the lack of smelting facilities meant that the copper ore had to be sent away for smelting. The destination for most of the ore was Swansea, South Wales, United Kingdom and it was sent by way of railroad to the Colorado River, and was then shipped from the Gulf of California around Cape Horn to the United Kingdom. Once a smelter was constructed in 1909, Signal took its new name from the previous location of the smelter they had used in Wales. As such, the destination of the ore sent for smelting remained the same. When the post office was established on March 25, 1909, it was under the name of Swansea.

Smelter

Restored miners cabins

At its peak, Swansea boasted an electric light company, an auto dealer, a lumber company, two cemeteries, a saloon, theaters, restaurants, barbershops, an insurance agent, a physician, and of course the local mining and smelting facilities.

DIRECTIONS TO SWANSEA:

From Bouse, take Plomosa Road. Plomosa Road will turn into a dirt road and eventually will become Swansea Rd. Continue on Swansea Rd. You will cross the Central Arizona Project Canal Continue on Swansea Road, passing the ghost town of Midway, BLM camping areas, and a fork in the road that goes to Planet Ranch.

Swansea ruins

There's Copper In Them Thar Hills by Jenn Jedidiah Free & RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://jedidiahfree.blogspot.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://DesertMessenger.com.

Visit Rocks In My Head at Space A37 in Rice Ranch, 605-376-8754, or go toRocks In My Head website We have a great selection of Chrysacolla in Rhyolite from Planet Ranch, azurite and chrysacolla silicate cabochons, turquoise, and really cool copper nuggets.

Beautiful Azurite/Gem Silica Cabochon from Rocks In My Head
Buy It Now

QUARTZSITE: THE ROCK CAPITOL OF THE WORLD- Well America Anyway

2011-12-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

Hope you're planning on heading to Quartzsite this winter! And while you're here, come see us at RocksInMyHead, Rice Ranch, Space A37, in Quartzsite. We are on Keuhn on the east side of Hwy 95.

We have rough. We have cabs. We have dirty. We have sparkly. We have old. We have new. We have big and we have small.

We have lapidary and prospecting stuff. We have gold and silver. We have copper. We have rocks. We have fossils. We have core samples and artifacts. We have mammoth ivory and shark's teeth.

We have fire agate and turquoise, chrysacolla and malachite, gem silica and petrified wood.

We have rocks, minerals, and fossils from Alaska, California, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, North and South Carolina, and Florida. We even have stuff from Australia and Morocco!

We even have jewelry!

We have EVERYTHING. We are the World's Greatest Rock, Prospecting, and Outdoor Adventure Company!! And we are in Quartzsite!! And best of all, we're not just here for the Gem and Mineral Show- we're here for the entire season!!

Visit us at Rice Ranch, A37. Email us, "Like" our Facebook page, subscribe to our blog and our YouTube channel, follow us on twitter- whatever, just stay in touch. There's lots of great stuff going on here at RocksInMyHeadTM. You don't want to miss anything. Even if you're not coming to Quartzsite this winter.

FIRE IN THE DESERT- ARIZONA FIRE AGATES

2011-12-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

Arizona is known for its beautiful turquoise, as well as copper and copper-oxide minerals like chrysacolla, malachite, and azurite. But also found here in Arizona, not far from Quartzsite, is another beautiful gemstone: Fire Agate.

There are only two known Fire Agate deposits in the entire world. One covers an area between the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountain Ranges in Mexico about 100 miles north of Mexico City. The other is the Sonoran Desert region in Arizona and California. The closest sites to Quartzsite are the Opal Hill Mine, in Palo Verde, California, the Little Horn Mountains about 35 miles east of Quartzsite, and Oatman, AZ. The Arizona and California Fire Agates have more brilliance, fire, and color than ones from Mexico.

Fire Agate is a Chalcedony that was formed during the Tertiary Period, 24 to 36 MYA. It is a cryptocrystalline silica with a hardness of 7, and is created when hot water saturated with colloidal silica and iron oxides is forced by volcanic activity up into cavities in the host rock. The Chalcedony cools in botryoidal (bubble) forms. The “Fire” is created when alternating layers of iron oxides and silica cover the mounds of Chalcedony, and then another layer of Chalcedony forms over top of these layers. The iron oxide and silica layers refract light in a process called interference. This causes the “Fire” we see in Fire Agates.

Fire Agate is sometimes considered to be an opal, but it’s not. Fire Agate is a crystalline form of silica, not a hydrous one like opal, so it will not crack, craze, or fade. It is a much more durable gemstone than opal, and very well suited for jewelry. For the lapidarist, however, Fire Agate presents unusual challenges. First of all, it is difficult to tell if a piece of rough contains fire or not, because the fire layers are hidden under layers of Chalcedony. If it does, getting to the fire requires skill and exactness. Layers of chalcedony must be ground away to expose the layers of fire, and it is very easy to remove too many layers, cut into the fire layers, and lose the fire altogether.

Arizona Fire Agates are typically a brown to reddish brown color, with fire ranging from reds and yellows to blues and purples. Some stones have fire containing all the colors of the rainbow. Typically, Fire Agates are cut in freeform cabs to best enhance the natural shapes and patterns of fire within the stone.

Arizona Fire Agates are available from Rocks In My Head, Space A37 in Rice Ranch, 605-376-8754, www.RocksInMyHead.biz. We have cabs and rough, information on the local Fire Agate dig sites, and much, much more.

OPAL HILL FIRE AGATE MINE

The Opal Hill Fire Agate Mine is the only Fire Agate mine in the world that is open to the public. In addition to Fee Mining, the Opal Hill Mine offers full day and overnight tours to teach about the Fire Agates, show how to find them and what techniques work best for digging and collecting. The fee for mining is $25.00 per person. The prices for the tours vary.

The Opal Hill Mine is located 20 miles south of Blythe, CA. To get there from Quartzsite take I-10 west into California. Take the Wiley’s Well Road exit and head South for about 11.5 miles, at that point you will see signs for the Opal Hill Mine.

The mining at this site is hard rock mining. To be properly prepared and enjoy your time at the Opal Hill Mine, bring plenty of water, food, sunscreen, and a hat- this is typical desert environment and there are no amenities. You may also want to bring kneepads, safety glasses and work gloves to make your mining experience a little more comfortable. The tools you will need are: Rock Pick, Rock Hammer, Sledge Hammer, Chisel, and a Hand Broom. Don’t forget to bring buckets or a backpack of some sort to carry out your treasures. Be sure that the tools you bring are comfortable to use- you will be using them a lot. You may even want to bring some sort of cushion to sit/lean/kneel on because the alternative is to sit/kneel/lean on rock.

If you want to stay overnight, there are plenty of places in Blythe. There is also a BLM camping area not too far from the mine.

BLACK HILLS ROCKHOUND AREA

This is not a fee mining area. This area is located on the north side of AZ route 191, between Safford and Clifton, about 18 miles north of Safford. This is a BLM site, and the road beyond the registry sign is not maintained. Travel trailers and passenger cars are not recommended. There is no water, food, or gas available. Pack in and pack out everything you need. Just like the Opal Hill Mine, this is a hard rock mining area, and it is a harsh desert environment with no amenities. As this is a BLM site, please care for the land so that this site will remain open for digging. Please pack out all trash and garbage, fill in holes, and be careful with fire if you camp there. Please be sure to leave this area beautiful for others and future generations to enjoy.

We have Arizona Fire Agates for sale in the store at RocksInMyHead, Rice Ranch A37, Quartzsite, AZ- and also for sale on our website http://rocksinmyhead.biz/Gemstones_c209.htm. We have rough from the Opal Hill Mine, and also pre-forms and cabochons.

Fire In The Desert- Arizona Fire Agates by Jenn Jedidiah Free & RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://jedidiahfree.blogspot.com.

Here is a video about the Opal Hill Mine. For more videos about rockhounding, prospecting, rock cutting and polishing, and other cool stuff visit our YouTube Channel! http://www.youtube.com/user/RocksInMyHead1

Also here is a RockHounding Book that has the Opal Hill Mine in it:

BUY IT NOW: Rockhounding California

and another recommended read for Fire Agate and other RockHounding sites in the Southwest:

BUY IT NOW: Southwest Treasure Hunters Mineral Guide

and a Great all-around Rockhounding Book:

BUY IT NOW: The Rockhound's Handbook

Rocks, Coffee Tables, and Percolators

2011-12-13T08:03:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I went to a produce store to look for a bathtub. The shelves were full of plump, brightly colored, delicious looking fruits and vegetables. "If there's anything I can help you with, let me know", the pleasant lady behind the counter said with a cheerful smile. "OK", I answered. It smelled wonderful in there, and I found myself feeling somewhat hungry. But, after wandering around for about 15 minutes, I noticed, to my surprise, although the produce stand was chock full of produce, there were no bathtubs for sale in the entire place. "You don't have any bathtubs?" I asked. The pleasant lady behind the counter stared at me in disbelief. "Uh, well, no. This is a produce store."

Seriously. No bathtubs in the produce store? Go figure. Well, anyway, I really did not go to a produce store to look for a bathtub. But it amazes me how many people it seems that would. I encounter them every day. And a few days ago I encountered two. Two in the same day. Imagine that.

I had been open for about an hour so far that day. It started off slow in the morning, relatively speaking, and I had time to clean cases, straighten up my tables, dust, and do various other "shop-beautification" type tasks. I was busy doing those kinds of things when a lady walked in and started looking at some of the jewelry in the cases. My store is a rock and prospecting shop, but I have an entire section devoted to handmade jewelry featuring set stones and rocks in some form or another, wire-wrapped, bezel set, cabbed, etc. I looked up from what I was doing and said, "If there is anything I can help you with, let me know." I don't try to hard-sell people in my store. I like to let them browse in peace.

She picked up several different necklaces and looked at them, and then put them back down. I walked over to the jewelry cases, and said, " Is there anything particular you are looking for today?" She put put down the necklace she had in her hand, looked at me, and said, "A percolator." Now, not much surprises me these days, but I have to admit, that answer caught me off guard. "A what?" I asked. "A Percolator", she replied. "You mean for coffee?" "Yes, to make coffee", she said, as if I was the idiot who didn't know what a percolator was. After pausing to let the brain to mouth filter kick in before I said anything, I finally replied, "This is a rock shop, maam." She looked around and said, "Yeah, I noticed all the rocks. No percolators, though, huh?" "Uh, no".

She turned to leave, as if aggravated with me- for not having a percolator for sale in a rock shop, I guess. Trying to save some repoire with her- this is a small town after all- I joked, "Hey, have you heard about Coffee Pot Rock in Sedona?" She was not amused. I gave up. I pointed to the vendor booth next to mine and said, "Try next door. He has everything."

A little later, I was working on placing some orders, and an older gentleman walked in. He wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes, then stopped to look at some rockhounding books. I greeted him and told him that if he didn't see what he was looking for to let me know, because I could probably order it for him. He turned and smiled. "Really?" he said. "Well I am looking for a coffee table." Hmm. A coffee table. In a rock shop. I thought about something a friend had told me- don't ever say I can't- say I will try. So I took a different approach with him than with my earlier customer. I smiled and said, "A coffee table, huh? Well I've been to Table Rock in South Carolina- does that count? There's also a Table Rock in North Carolina, one in Oregon, and one in Missouri. Which one of those will work for you?" He laughed.

Then I said, "So, anyway, what kind of coffee table?" His face lit up and he started telling me all about this coffee table he wanted- the style, the color of the wood, the length, the height, and all the reasons why he wanted that particular coffee table. I just listened to him describe his perfect coffee table, and then, when he was through, I said, "Well, while I don't have any coffee tables for sale right now, let me get your name and number. I'll put it in The 'I'm Looking For...' Book and if I hear of one somewhere or someone brings one here, I'll call you. OK?" "Sure", he said. "Thanks".

I wrote down his name and number in the back of a notebook- it was official-looking enough that it could have been an "I'm Looking For..." book. He smiled and then went on his way wandering aimlessly into other vendors booths. I snickered. I didn't have an "I'm Looking For..." Book before he walked into my booth. But that day I created one. And I made a man happy because I told him I would call him if I happened to come across a coffee table one of these days. Hmmm. And now, a few days later, that book has three pages full of people's names and what they are looking for, regardless of whether it has anything to do with rocks.

Yesterday I said to a lady in my booth, "Anything you are looking for, just let me know." She snickered and said, "Anything?" "Yes, maam," I said. "Anything." "I'll put you in The "I'm Looking For..." Book." She seemed curious. "The What Book?" she asked. I picked up the Book and showed it to her. I opened it to the first page...the one with the man looking for the coffee table. Everyone in this book is looking for something. She looked at the page. "A coffee table?" she mused. "You don't have coffee tables. You are a rock shop." "Yep, but someday I might hear about one, and if I do, I know someone who is looking for one." She smiled, asked me for a business card. She never did tell me what she was looking for, but I'm sure she will someday.

And so, while at the moment, I don't have any percolators or coffee tables in stock, I do have lots of other cool stuff. Two beautiful specimens of petrified wood came in, one from Nevada and one from Wyoming, and some awesome ammonite fossils. I have lots of beautiful Chrysacolla in Ryholite, and some cool pieces of malachite from here in the desert in Arizona. There is a case full of fossils: Petoskey stone, fossilized coral, petrified palm wood, and trilobites. There are shells from Florida, copper nuggets from Michigan, chalcedony from California, and Wonderstone from Utah. There is a table full of elk hides and leather. There is Turquoise from Sleeping Beauty Mountain and Agate from the Fairburn Agate Beds. We have silver and copper. We have gold and gold-in-quartz.

We have books and maps about gold and rocks. We have magazines and DVDs about gold and rocks. We have gold pans, gold wheels, drywashers and metal detectors. We have polishing wheels, lapidary machines, rock tumblers, and rock saws. We have tools, supplies, and parts.

There is a table full of beads, bead books, bead looms, and patterns. There are even some pre-loved jewelry displays looking for new homes.

For those of you who would rather just wear some rocks- there are four cases full of beautiful stone and bead creations from my friends Sandie and Marie. A young local guy fills another case with his fire agate cabs- calibrated and ready to be put into a setting. And of course there are four or five pieces of my own jewelry, and a few of my cabs. I wish I had more of those, but, alas, I have a business to run. Lately I haven't had much time to cut and polish rocks, which is ironic since that is why I decided to open a rock shop in the first place.

So, the moral of the story is don't ever say I can't. Say I'll try.
And remember, whatever it is you're looking for, let us know, even if it has nothing to do with rocks. I'll put you in "The Book". Come by the shop, or call, or email, or visit us online. "Like" our Facebook page. Follow us on Twitter. Leave us your email so we can send you all the latest info. Stuff comes in and goes out all the time. You never know what we might have or be able to get, so let us hear from you. Besides, lots of things go well with rocks. In addition to Table Rock in South Carolina, or Coffee Pot Rock in Sedona, AZ, if you need a Chimney, there's Chimney Rock in Nebraska. If you are looking for the Courthouse or the Jail, there is Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock, also in Nebraska. If you are looking for needles, there are lots of those in the Black Hills of South Dakota- including one with a huge eye (for using really thick thread). There are also some in California. True story. Oh, and if you ever happen to run into someone selling a coffee table, tell me. I know a guy who's looking for one.

Stop Signs, Canyons, and Pretty Rocks

2011-12-02T20:27:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day out in the desert. We, my friend Sandie and I, were driving through the desert on a gravel road. It was a fun drive- flying along at 50mph over hills, rocks, and bumps. I had been on this road before. In some places you can go airborne if you hit a hill just right. You can tell for miles ahead of you if anyone is coming from the other direction, because you see their dust cloud. On this day, we saw only two other vehicles over the course of two hours, one coming toward us and one heading the same direction ahead of us. They were just putzing along, so we passed them and left them in a cloud of dust. Today was a play day- and we were anxious to get out to enjoy the desert before the season kicked in and there was no more play time for several months.

We were heading to Planet Ranch to collect a beautiful combination of Chrysacolla in Rhyolite. I saw some pieces from this site last year- someone I had met at Desert Gardens in Quartzsite had shown it to me. The Rhyolite is dense, not crumbly like most of the rhyolite in Arizona. It sparkles with galena and is crisscrossed with veins of chrysacolla. A really pretty rock. It also slabs well on the saw, and will probably make some gorgeous cabs, although so far I have not had time to work it.

Up ahead we saw it- the landmark. A stop sign at a dirt road crossroads in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the desert. Go figure- a stop sign planted smack in the middle of the desert. Granted, there was a four way intersection there, though it was an intersection of two dirt roads in the middle of a desert wilderness, 25 miles from anywhere in all directions. But it was an intersection, nonetheless. I guess Arizona has so much excess cash in their treasury that they feel the need to drive around in the desert looking for 4-wheel drive road intersections to plant stop signs at. It really is kind of funny- a stop sign rising up out of the desert floor at a crossroads that probably has never seen two vehicles simultaneously in its lifetime. But here it was - that lone stop sign in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the desert. And on the pole, just under the stop sign, was another small sign that said "Planet Ranch"- with an arrow pointing to the right fork. That was our turn.

The road narrowed as we headed into the Buckskin Mountains and down into some canyons. After another half hour or so, we came to Planet Ranch. We headed off-road into a wash and up into the mouth of a canyon, where we parked. Sandie had been here before, but this was a new place for me. I love exploring the desert here in Arizona - it is full of beautiful hidden treasures way off the beaten path: Ghost Towns, old mines, cabins, ruins, petroglyphs, canyons, caves, and arches. And while I was excited to be here and collect Chrysacolla in Rhyolite, I wondered what other treasures lie waiting for me here in this canyon.

We hiked up canyon. The first stop yielded our goal- the prized Chrysacolla in Rhyolite. We gathered as much as we could carry and hiked back to the SUV. "What next?", I asked. I knew we hadn't driven all the way out here just to spend a half hour collecting Chrysacolla, no matter how choice the specimens were. Sandie smiled and said, "Just wait. You'll see." We headed up canyon a little further in the SUV. Then Sandie said, "Here is my special place. Let's go." We parked, grabbed our backpacks and some empty Walmart bags, and headed into the canyon. A flash of green caught my eye and I stopped to pick it up. It was Malachite- another iron-oxide based mineral associated with copper, and a nice specimen. "Wow!" I exclaimed. Sandie giggled and said, "Yeah, just wait, you'll see. Let's head all the way up canyon- then we can take our time on the way back to collect more rocks." Easier said than done, I thought- as I spotted at least 15 more interesting and pretty rocks within the next 10 feet. I stopped to pick up rocks and take pictures. And then, at Sandie's prodding, I stopped looking at the ground, at all the rocks I wanted to pick up, and started hiking. It was easier once I started focusing on the beautiful canyon that was ahead of me.

There were several dry falls, lots of volcanic boulders jutting up, and over 100 old abandoned mines back in this canyon. This area is rich in copper, galena, silver, and copper oxide minerals. The copper oxides form in beautiful colors of turquoise- the chrysacolla we had come for- as well as greens and royal blues. The greens are malachite, and the blues are azurite. Other colors were abundant, too- deep orangey-yellows and deep reddish browns. There was even some purple to be found- though I am still trying to find out what the purple is. It was an amazing place. The ground was just littered with red, orange and brown that sparkled with galena- the lead that is associated with copper, silver, and gold. There were some quartz veins running through the purplish volcanic outcrops. Many of the boulders were covered with beautiful bubbly formations of malachite and chrysacolla. I found a few choice pieces that had azurite mixed in- a much rarer find than the more common malachite and chrysacolla. I was in heaven.

We spent our afternoon happily exploring some of the mines and picking up several bags of rocks to bring back. I was glad Sandie convinced me to hike first and collect later- otherwise we would not have made it to the end of the canyon. We would have missed one of the most beautiful parts of the desert here in Arizona that I have been to yet, at least as far as rocks go. To see boulders covered with malachite just sitting there in their natural home in the middle of this gorgeous canyon was a rare treat. Standing inside a mine shaft that swirled with all the colors of the rainbow, and sparkled with galena, was an amazing experience. I have been in many caves and mines in my lifetime- none were as colorful as these.

The sun was getting low, and we were 50 miles out in the desert. It was time to head out of this beautiful canyon and back to civilization. We hiked out slowly, admiring the beauty and collecting treasures along the way. Some would go out in the booth for sale and display when I got back, and some would be special treasures that would go into my own personal collection- a couple of choice malachite pieces, and a gorgeous piece of malachite with azurite crystals growing on it- and a really sparkly piece of galena with a unique crystalline formation. This was a desert excursion I would remember forever.

We headed out onto the road. We drove more slowly now, savoring the beauty of the desert in the amber glow of the late afternoon sun. Sandie told me of how Planet Ranch had been purchased by Freeport-McMoran and that they were going to start mining there again. That doesn't surprise me. That area is rich in mineral wealth and water from the Bill Williams River. Several government agencies have been fighting over that land for years because of the water rights and the mineral rights. Water is a precious resource here in the desert. The value of copper is heading skyward thanks to developing industrial nations like China and India, as well as the growing alternative energy industry. Copper is essential in the manufacture of wind turbines, solar panels, and electric/hybrid cars. Now Planet Ranch will be owned by Freeport McMoran. We may never get to see that gorgeous canyon again. I am glad I got to see it before it was too late. The time spent savoring and photographing it, and bringing back some of its beautiful specimens was well worth it.

For more photos of the Planet Ranch canyon and mines, go to www.facebook.com/RocksInMyHead

FOR MORE ABOUT COPPER MINING IN ARIZONA, HERE ARE TWO GREAT BOOKS:

Copper Mining in the United States, Including Michigan and Arizona

Arizona Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, A Travel History