Exploring the Saranac Mine, Ontario
An account of my exploration of the Zircon & Pegmatite showings

By: Michal Adamowicz, rockhound

If Zircons are what you are looking for the Saranac Mine has a large supply of them, so I have been told. This is one of those more interesting sites near Tory Hill as it is located behind a garbage dump. Before we go any further I will tell you the directions to the Zircon & Pegmatite showings.

To the Zircon showing, the showing consists of a secondary & primary area. Best zircon collecting is at the Primary Area. :

From Bancroft head south on highway 28. Travel along highway 28 for 13.1 kilometers until you encounter the intersection with highway 118. Turn right onto highway 118 & follow it for 22.7 kilometers until you reach a T intersection. You will have a choice of going right onto highway 648 (the loop) or you will got left onto 118 toward Tory Hill, you will go left toward Tory Hill. You will follow this section of highway 118 for about 1.3 kilometers until you see the Maynooth Garbage Dump on the left, there will be a gate to enter. You can park on the shoulder outside of the dump gate or drive into the dump and park on the left right after the gate, its your choice, just make sure if you park in the dump you are aware of the closing times or you might have a problem leaving. From the garbage dump you must keep to the left and head to the back of the dump, there will be an open area to the back of the dump & you should see a trail to the left continuing into the woods. Follow the trail, it should turn to the right & you should find yourself in a valley like area, it is about 60 meters to the valley area from trail beginning. This is the secondary Zircon zone. The area is an open cut & its about 46 meters long. Look for crystals along this section, but collecting is sparse here. The primary Zircon zone is further down the trail, about 350 meters from the start of trail. At the end of the trail you will come to a three way trail intersection. Take the middle trial, to reach the main Zircon area. Its safest to simply stay on the main trail & keep going straight until you encounter the intersection. From the intersection you should be able to see rock rubble along the middle trial in the distance, you are here. From the intersection to the primary area its about 20 feet, you should be able to see the rubble from the intersection. Keep your eyes open for Black Bears though, as they do roam the area. I encountered two at the dump but they were more interested in the garbage rather then in people. If you want to avoid them try collecting in the fall.

To the Pegmatite showing:

From Bancroft head south on highway 28. Travel along highway 28 for 13.1 kilometers until you encounter the intersection with highway 118. Turn right onto highway 118 & follow it for 22.7 kilometers until you reach a T intersection. You will have a choice of going right onto highway 648 (the loop) or you will got left onto 118 toward Tory Hill, you will go left toward Tory Hill. You will drive just 0.5 kilometer from this intersection since the road you must turn into is close by, this is Hadington Road. Turn left onto Hadington Road & follow it for about 2.45 until you reach an area of the road that is slightly bend to the left. There will be some markers on the trees but they were hard to see in the early spring & might me impossible to see when more foliage grows. Probably the best way is to use your cars odometer. There will be some space on the curb that might help you located the area, it is also where you park. The road to the showing will be slightly overgrown but visible. From the road it will lead in straight for a few feet and turn sharply to the left going up a slight slope, them it will turn right & you will be at the trench. The distance from the road to the trench is about 100 meters. There will be a swamp over the slope so mosquitoes might be a small problem.


Here are Images from the secondary Zircon Showing which you encounter first on your way to the primary zircon area.


Here is the back of the dump. The trail to the Zircon showing starts here on the left.


Here is the trail. It turns right with the open cut behind the trees.


Here is a close-up to the open cut area.


Here is part of the open cut with the trail continuing on.


Here is a Black Bear that I encountered at the Dump.


Here are images from the primary Zircon Area.

Here is the actual Primary Zircon showing. It is at the end of the trail that leads from the dump, past the secondary Zircon showing.


Here is a closeup to some of the rock that contains Zircons, look for this rock when you look for zircons.



Here are images from the Pegmatite showing


Here is the road leading to the Pegmatite showing. You should park where the car is. The photo was taken looking north (toward highway 118). The arrow marks the trail. Note the amount of space on the shoulder, it is a good indicator of the area.


Here is part of the Pegmatite looking away from Hadington Road.


Here is a shot of the Pegmatite looking toward Hadington Road. The red arrow indicates a radioactive zone.


Here is the radiation reading I am getting from the radioactive zone. It reads 1.5 microsvierts an hour.


Here is picture seen from the top of the Pegmatite looking down, near the bottom the swamp can be faintly seen between the trees.


Here is a close-up of the Pegmatite trench wall.


Here is a little bit about the geology of these two areas.

At the Zircon showing the area is made up of granite pegmatite which intrudes crystalline limestone. At most sections of the pegmatite it appears rotten due to radioactive exposure from radioactive crystals. This rotten appearance has made the granite weak & easier to chip into.

At the Pegmatite showing the area is mostly made up of granite pegmatite. Unlike the Zircon area, the granite is mostly tough & is very difficult to break into even due to exposure to radioactive minerals in some areas.


Here is a list of mineral that are found at the Zircon showing (primary & secondary):

zircon, thorite, allanite, pyroxene, titanite, scapolite, tourmaline, calcite, hematite, chlorite, goethite, graphite, and serpentine occur in the pegmatite. The crystalline limestone which was intruded by the pegmatite contains vesuvianite, fluorite, pyroxene, plagioclase and k-spar, smoky quartz, pyrite, goethite, pyrrhotite, and molybdenite

Here are the mineral that occur at the Pegmatite showing:

zircon, allanite, uranothorite, uranophane, titanite, pyrite, and hornblende

So you have now some idea what you can find at these two sites, so how do you collect now.

Zircon Showing, Secondary & Primary

First let me talk about the Secondary Zircon showing, the one you first encounter along the trail.
Well the Secondary Zircon showing is an easy site to collect at as most of the rock is rotten, or grainy & easy to break up. Of course the main reason to search here is for Zircons but it is not as easy as you might believe. Most people look for Zircons by chopping into the rotting rock. I have tried this but all I found was one small Zircon, so there must be more to this. You must really know in what rock the Zircons occur but at the site it looks like all the same rock so it can be difficult to find the right type. There are a number of small white Calcite veins that go through the area & it might be a good idea to try looking around the contact zone. There is not much to it in terms of collecting here, you just chip the rock & look for Zircons. Most of the Zircons occur in Quartz, so look for Quartz zones. Beside Zircons you can also find flaxes of Molbdenite, Biotite, Quartz both Smoky & clear, & Calcite of course.
When you collect at this showing you might have to deal with deerflies & horseflies but this all depends when you go. When I was here in July deerflies were quite brutal but in August there was hardly a one. It fluctuates. Beside flies you should be careful where you sit at the showing. There are a large number of large red ants that can bite quite fiercely so look where you sit. They usually are near the bottom of the cut & don’t climb it much.

Primary Zircon Zone

At this showing the Zircons are plentifully. You can find a decent amount of them just lying around on the crushed rock or you can dig at the rock wall. Its also a good idea to dig in the rock rubble to look for Zircons that have been buried with the rubble of rotten rock.
Most of the Zircons that you will encounter will be about 3 millimeters in length. A decent amount can be found in the 1 cm range. I consider anything longer then 1 cm to be a good find as there becoming hard to find, in the rubble materiel at least. Most of the smaller zircons in the 1 cm range & smaller are usually found intact but the larger crystals will usually show some kind of damage. The crystals are usually black or brown in color, & are usually double terminated. Some reddish & pick can be found but they are rare.
Collecting here is very easy as you can chip into the rotten rock at the rock wall on the left side of the showing, or you can dig in the rock debris looking for crystal that have fallen out from collectors rock trimming. When you first arrive here its easier to search the ground & maybe do a bit of digging & then attack the rock wall.

One last thing, the Bear issue. As I mentioned I have see two Black Bears foraging in the dump as I went into the showing. They just looked at me & went back to their foraging. I been told by the sanitation workers that the bears are not a problem, just shout or whistle & they will usually bolt. That said you should always keep your eyes & ears open for bears when you search at the showing. Also collecting at night or early morning is not encouraged as more bears tend to be around at this time. One last thing, bears are attracted to strange noises so bringing a radio while you chip the rock is not the best option. Truly, I have collected here with bears not far away & there was no problem so I doubt you will have any, just keep your guard up.

When I was here in early November bears & insects were no longer an issue so this might be not a bad time to come to do some collecting if you are in the area. I must say that it was cool in the morning, as the temperature was -3 Celsius, & did not climb much during the day. Its your choice, but just consider a late or early visit an option, not just summer. All seasons have their plus & minuses.

Pegmatite Showing

Well at the Pegmatite showing truthfully there was not as much collecting potential as I expected. The majority of the area was covered by solid rock & samples where spotty. There were small fragments of Quartz, hornblende, feldspar, & biotite. The majority of the rock was large, & chipping it might be difficult. One area to note was a small radioactive zone; people had dug it up a bit in search of radioactive crystals but due to the amount of radiation emanating from it there are probably still some there. I gave this area a relatively quick scan so I might have missed something, but not much I think. A lot of the rock samples are good lawn ornamental pieces but not much else I think, but give it a look you might find something after all. Despite of the swamp being right beside the pegmatite, mosquito attacks were very minimal. This might be due to the fact the pegmatite is relatively exposed to wind & the elements. As with the Zircon showing, collecting here is based on chipping the rock & shifting through samples.

Here are some mineral samples from the Secondary Zircon Showing:

Calcite with Molybdenite. (5.7x3.9cm)


Zircon in Quartz


Here is a close-up of the Zircon


Here is some Molybdenite in crystalline limestone with Mica flaxes


Here are some Zircons from the Primary Zircon Showing:

Zircons (3 mm - 1.2 cm).


Zircon on matrix (3 - 5 mm).


Here is my summary of the Zircon & Pegmatite areas:

Zircon Area (mainly primary showing):

Advantages:
1.) Decent Zircon amounts at the Primary Showing, average size is about 5 millimetres.
2.) Easy to get too from car. But a few minute walk required.
3.) Easy to find the garbage dump.
4.) Presence of radioactive minerals.
5.) Limited bug exposure
6.) Rock is brittle & easy to chip
7.) Multiple minerals can be found
8.) Located near other sites, such as Bear Lake Diggings.
9.) Can find zircons by just shifting through material.

Disadvantages:
1.) Bugs are not much of a threat because they very with season, wear bug spray always though.
2.) It’s a hit & miss when you search for Zircons at the secondary zone, you might get lucky or not. (disadvantage only for the secondary showing)
3.) Can be hard to work the valley wall when wet. (disadvantage only for the secondary showing)
4.) Bears are in area, they are a limited danger but avoid from making strange sounds like playing the radio while you chip the rock wall.
5.) The easy path through the dump may be inaccessible when the dump closes daily, you have to go around the dump fence in the bush.
6.) It’s a bit of a walk to the Primary Zircon showing from the dump.

Pegmatite Area:

Advantages:
1.) Easy to get from road.
2.) Area is exposed, limiting insects.
3.) Large fragments are present.
4.) A radioactive some is easily located.
5.) Located near other sites, such as Bear Lake Diggings.

Disadvantages:
1.) Most samples are either large or very small.
2.) You can miss the site easily along Hadington road.
3.) The trench wall is solid rock, samples collecting is hard & limited.
4.) There is a swamp present beside the area which way pose a mosquito problem during summer months.

Overall I think the primary Zircon showing is worth visiting simply because of the potential to find impressive zircons not to mention that it is on the way if you are going to the Bear Lake Diggings area. I don’t think bears are a large threat here as I was there with a few bears around me & they never showed too much interest. This area is exposed so insect replant defiantly should be used. I like this site, its easy top get to & not a long walk.

The pegmatite site did not give me too much luck but I think I didn’t give it a through enough search. It is still worth seeing since its on the way to the Zircon showing anyway. Its mostly tough solid rock though so collecting will be spotty. I will say that there was not much to see, but you never know.

Well here is my bit on Saranac Mine, I hope it generated some interest about this site to some of you. Thanks for Reading.

Rockhound safe & with determination.

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