10thumbs
spending too much on rocks
I want to be reincarnated as a dog.
Member since March 2009
Posts: 480
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Post by 10thumbs on Mar 19, 2009 19:35:18 GMT -5
When you Southwestern rock vendors list the mines of origin next to the rocks you're offering are these active mines you visit to buy the rocks? Are they active BYOH (Bring Your Own Hardhat) mines where you can show up and mine on your own? Inactive mines where the gold and silver ran out and the closed down so you're just ducking under the caution tape and scrounging for "semi-precious" minerals? I'm in metropolitan Detroit so I can't quite image how that works.
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Post by Woodyrock on Mar 20, 2009 2:11:16 GMT -5
Some mines we collect at are defunct, and limited to searching the tailings, some are active small claim mines where one digs on a fee basis that may be by the day, or pound, or a combination of both. There are a very few large mines that allow rockhounds in to fossick the tailings during non work days. For the inexperienced entry into closed or abandoned mines is not safe PERIOD. Tailings are usually ones best bet given that even today, ALL rock that is NOT ore is junk, and goes to the tailings. Usually the the tailings have been well picked over, but not heavely dug, so digging can still turn up very nice material.
BTW, you have many abandoned or closed copper mine on Upper Penisular worth investigating. In the Western deserts, old tailings are quite distinctive, and easy to spot. However, in Michigan where trees grow back the tailings will be harder to find. Have a look at some old photographs of mining so you will be able to recognize a tailing pile, and you should be able to find some near you.
Woody
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10thumbs
spending too much on rocks
I want to be reincarnated as a dog.
Member since March 2009
Posts: 480
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Post by 10thumbs on Mar 20, 2009 11:07:51 GMT -5
Okay, that makes a lot of sense. The mines are mainly regular old ore mines. The rockhounds are sifting through the piles of stuff that the mine company doesn't want. Interesting. But some folks do poke around in abandon mines though, huh? Scary. There has to be some good stories there.
What about the minerals from Africa, India, Afghanistan, Madagascar, etc? How is that stuff getting here? I assume that some big outfits are ordering it up the ton? That doesn't explain how the odd chunks are up for bid on Ebay.
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Post by akansan on Mar 20, 2009 13:17:11 GMT -5
Materials that come from overseas are generally ordered by SOMEONE by the ton. There are wholesale rock places, where rock suppliers can buy at wholesale prices. Then there's the big shows - Tucson, Quartzite, etc. - where the rock suppliers flock to look at what the overseas people are bringing to show off themselves.
Odd chunks on ebay by well known vendors are generally purchased just this way. Additionally, old collections come up for sale now and then that then get parceled out on ebay, or giant rocks get chunked into smaller rocks and sold individually. (I saw a 53 lb. boulder of OJ that looked outstanding last year - sold for less than $170. This was not on ebay, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's babies ended up on ebay...)
Some of the vendors on ebay literally have tons of material on their property - 1 ton of this, 1 ton of that... Just because they're only listing one piece at a time doesn't mean it's their only piece of that...
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10thumbs
spending too much on rocks
I want to be reincarnated as a dog.
Member since March 2009
Posts: 480
|
Post by 10thumbs on Mar 20, 2009 15:01:17 GMT -5
So when I order my ton of Kambaba Jasper the UPS guy is going to be so pissed.
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Post by akansan on Mar 20, 2009 21:27:50 GMT -5
LOL - I know one of our members on here who hasn't posted in a while had a couple tons of African material delivered to her house. I don't believe UPS handled that shipment.  |
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Post by johnjsgems on Mar 20, 2009 22:05:38 GMT -5
We have many old mines around here. Silver was mined until the early 1900's. Most of the abandoned claims were filled in by BLM. The active mines are generally posted as off limits. Most of the specimen collecting is done in tailings piles which was the none ore material around what they were after. We had an interesting situation above Calico Ghost Town (a now government owned tourist location. A non-working mine had the tunnel still open. A guy started walking down the tunnel using the daylight from the opening for light. Just past the reach of the sunlight there is a long drop. You guessed it, down he went. He was riding quads with his very young son and had old him if ever something happen ride to the nearest house with bikes/toys in the yard and ask for help. Th 7 year old did that but dad was dead when help got there. The next weekend a firefighter on vacation did the same drop and ended crippled for life. The mine is owned by a Canadian company and when asked why they had not sealed up the opening they said they wanted to but couldn't because it is bat habitat and the environmentalists wouldn't allow it. Some of the mine rescue volunteers went back (illegally) and blocked the opening with rock. Apparently a trail from the Calico cemetery went right to the mine opening. Some of the old barite mines in the area have warning signs about extensive tunneling near the surface that can cave in if walked over. You have to be careful. Mostly tailings piles are safe piles of mine debris cleared out during mining.
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10thumbs
spending too much on rocks
I want to be reincarnated as a dog.
Member since March 2009
Posts: 480
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Post by 10thumbs on Mar 21, 2009 0:46:49 GMT -5
Okay that's not a good story. More sad and tragic all the way around.
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Post by Michael John on Mar 23, 2009 5:34:26 GMT -5
Various rocks and minerals are found in different situations. Most vendors are selling materials they either picked-up off the ground or removed from a formation. Actual tunneling is usually only done by companies, usually in search of something more valuable (or plentiful) than common gemstone. There are plenty of exceptions, though. For the money made on gemstone (per pound), if it's too much work, it's just not worth it. For instance, The Blue Mule is at the peak of a mountain. I keep mining it because it's pretty and unique ... definately not for the money LMAO. It's a somewhat difficult and dangerous climb, so if I don't do it, I doubt that anyone else will be "stupid" enough to do it ... then this unique material would cease to be available. At this point, it's more a "labor of love", or a responsibility, or something like that. I'll be working it quite a bit for the next few months, mostly out of curiosity. I'm going to attempt to uncover the entire section of the vein that bisects the peak of the mountain.
You're welcome to come out here for a visit if you'd like. I'd be more than happy to show you what I do. Steve (northshorerocks) drove from Minnesota to come out here and hound, and we had a blast. He might even come back out here in the fall.
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