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Post by snowdog on Jul 22, 2009 23:56:03 GMT -5
Has anyone been to the copper mines in the U.P. of michigan ? was thinking of going up that way for a long weekend and seeing if there are any lake superior's or copper left ---------
any info would help
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Post by Woodyrock on Jul 23, 2009 2:01:06 GMT -5
Snowdog:
There was an article in Rock & Gem a while back about hounding for native copper. As, I recall, there was a fee mine that was worth going to.
Woody
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Jul 28, 2009 15:48:58 GMT -5
Lots of copper up there if you're willing to do the work. There's a huge week-long collecting/conference type deal run every summer, dunno if it's past, but would be a good intro to the area. Think the Seaman Museum runs it. Definitely worth a trip, especially if you're close by, just to see the museum's collection... real jaw-dropping specimens. One underground mine is open for specimen collecting, worth it if you've never been underground before. It's a classic old mining area, producer of the finest crystallized copper and silver in the world.
Now having said all that, before you get too excited... what you're going to find on the dumps is basically copper, brown lumps of it, thumbnail to hand sized if you're lucky. Not really attractive stuff, and cleaning and preserving the shine is a whole 'nother ball game. Forget about crystals, though micro xls are possible. Silver is a possiblility. Some interesting micro minerals in the area, plus datolite and some other stuff. A metal detector is a big help. If you live close, and are willing to put in the time, and deal with hard rock, heat, and crazy bugs deep in the bush, the collecting potential is huge... maybe you'll hit a lode of gem datolite nodules, or a vein of crystallized copper, or a float copper nugget a couple feet across... collect every weekend of the season and you'll eventually come across some nifty things.
Rocks and Minerals magazine has run a dozen long articles on the area, and Min Rec has a lovely special issue.
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jero
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2009
Posts: 11
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Post by jero on Sept 19, 2009 22:42:06 GMT -5
My family went to the UP last year. Spent a week looking for agates... Nada. I highly suggest you get the book "Is This an Agate?" by Susan Robinson, BEFORE you start looking. (I bought a copy the last day we were there.) It illustrates most of the rocks you'll find on the beaches and has maps or directions to good places to look (some require 4WD to get to.).
We paid to 'dig' at the Caledonia Copper Mine, which was worth it. You get about 4 hours to pick through your own pile brought out from the mine. A metal detector is pretty much a requirement, as are tools. You can rent both at the mine. There were 3 of us digging on a 'small' pile and barely got to the bottom in the allowed time.
They also offer a 4 hour collecting 'tour' of mine dumps they own. You're pretty much on your own though. You follow them to the parking lot of a dump and look pretty much anywhere you want to. Again, a metal detector and tools are pretty much a requirement. This was my first time at a mine dump and don't think it was worth the $$$.
I hope that helps.
Later,
jero
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