Digforcrystals
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 351
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Post by Digforcrystals on May 28, 2011 21:54:38 GMT -5
Here's how I do it :
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Post by mohs on May 29, 2011 13:54:51 GMT -5
that's a fine video and great pocket of purple ! dug pretty deep what clues are there that amethyst is in that area? thanks ! Ed
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Digforcrystals
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 351
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Post by Digforcrystals on May 29, 2011 14:16:29 GMT -5
The jackson's crossroads area of Wilkes County,Georgia is famous for the amethyst crystals that occur in that area. It's pretty easy to find once you learn to spot it.
I have a 200 acre lease on one tract and I just walk over it and look for crystals that have washed up. Once I see that I bring the backhoe around and then dig in the immediate area working my way up hill. Quite often I can find the source and hit pockets of crystals.
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Post by mohs on May 29, 2011 14:29:00 GMT -5
I've seen pictures of the Four Peak Amethyst Mine in AZ Those crystals are dug out of a side of huge mountain yours looks like its in soft soil geologically speaking that pretty amazing thanks agrin Dig !
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,709
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Post by Fossilman on May 29, 2011 14:52:59 GMT -5
Thats so awesome!!!
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Digforcrystals
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 351
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Post by Digforcrystals on May 29, 2011 14:53:30 GMT -5
When i first started making waves selling these crystals in Tucson, the owner of the Four Peaks Mine ( who lives in New York ) made arrangements to visit the mine that I owned at Jackson's Crossroads. He flew out and pulled up and at the time I had a huge excavator and a work crew and we were just filling containers with crystals.
Of course, the four peaks owner had just driven right up to the site. He looked kinda sick. He had just invested several hundred thousand dollars on an underground mine that takes a helicopter to get the material flown off the mountain. The crystals are then taken to a cement factory so that they could tumble the crystals in a huge cement mixer so as to knock off the iron coating so that they could tell if the crystal was facetable. And here I was just gathering up and washing them in a bucket of water and they were ready to go and were good as specimens if they werent facetable. To complicate things, the guys that were working for him were stealling and selling the crystals all over Tucson. I should mention that while the four peaks guy kinda made me nervous about his visit to my operation ( as a competitor) , he turned out to be a pretty nice guy.
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Post by mohs on May 29, 2011 16:00:33 GMT -5
Wow! That is an amazing story Dig! 4 Peaks is a bit of a mystery around these parts I think its been in operation since early 1900's So owner changes have happened. Its such an inaccessible area. Hikers tell tales of it being all marked off & unfriendly. With the Lost Dutchman Mine in close proximity it makes for treasure hunters wonders.
You have any desire to return the visit? Thanks Ed
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Digforcrystals
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 351
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Post by Digforcrystals on May 29, 2011 17:14:29 GMT -5
The owner actually said I could visit the mine, just let him know and he would arrange it. It is an underground mine so he would have to have a trained person familiar with the mine let me in . I am not really keen on the whole underground thing , and most of the crystals dont make pretty specimens. I am more interested in specimens than facet grade, although the mine does yeild a lot of facet grade. I have a fair quantity of specimens, facet rough and cut stones from the four peaks mine, but it would mean more to me to have some self-collected material. The four peaks mine produces an amethyst crystal with a "c-face" which is nearly unheard of . You will almost never encounter a quartz or amethyst crystal with a c-face, that is , a flat termination instead of a peaked point. The only example other than four peaks that comes to mind is some of the ametrine that came out for a period from the anahi mine when it first started producing volumes in the mid 80's. I actually have considered making the 4pks mine my next project for my annual trip to Arizona. I am still debating it because it is a long hike and in a pitch black underground mine.
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Post by mohs on May 29, 2011 23:02:44 GMT -5
that’s really interesting Dig! I looked up the Anahi mine. Crystal termination. Wow!
Yep the 4 Peaks holds its mysteries. I can understand. Long hike, underground spelunking. Need to have lots of information for that journey But if you do -I and my pals in Phoenix-- are real interested in what you learn Good luck in all your digs. really cool
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carloscinco
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,639
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Post by carloscinco on Jun 25, 2011 17:08:38 GMT -5
Thanks for the video, looks like a lot of fun. Hard to beat have hydraulics on your side.
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Digforcrystals
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 351
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Post by Digforcrystals on Jun 26, 2011 21:57:10 GMT -5
here is the video I shot today when I hit a huge pocket right at quiting time: flic.kr/p/9X9Lcr
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