Best Of California Minerals

Nice Ribbon Agate, Jay!

Yeah, I remember trying to legally gain access while Homestake was running the mine in the late 80's and again in the eraly 90's, but found them to have absolutely no interest in allowing any kind of access by the public, interested individuals, or mineral collectors. Bascially, the response was "No way! Are you kidding?" As a California reference collector it was and is very frustrating that these specimens were accessible somehow, but have nevere really been available. Would love to add some of the McLaughlin Mine material to my collection, if I could find some for sale or if I could gain access to the abandoned and the partially reclaimed site.

There are alllegedly small Agryrodites at the base of some Stibnites from there, but I have not seen them. The Miargyrites are few and far between, but were supposed to have been plentiful during mining. The Lemon Opal, Myrickite, Banded Agate and Pink Agate are tough to get samples of as well.

Please PM me if you have any leads on possible sources.

Cheers from NorCal, John

"God gave me the stubbornness of a mule and a fairly keen scent." - Einstein

Jay, those are pretty funky fungi! Psychedelic shroooooms !!!

Very cool.

regards,
stephanie

Magnesite, Near Foresthill, Placer Co., California. The set of slabs measure 14 x 13 cm. This was a favorite local collecting site back in the 1950's/60's for the lapidary folks.

Another stibnite from the Mclaughlin Mine. 8.7 x 6.4 cm.

© A&M

Thank you for the wikipedia link jay... I am in the process of going through what I've collected so far ti see if I have any phantom crystals now. I just went over to my Dad's last weekend and I got some more cool crystals and I would love to post them as long as people are interested in seeing them... I love having this opportunity in the backyard! I know that I am really lucky!

I have found what looks like tree bark that may be petrified, .it is white in color,vwith a few dark stripes.very hard, when I used muratic acid on it it developed some orange areas on it.
I found this in San Bernardino County, California. Does anyone have a clue as to what this could be?
Tricia

Frog's Skin Serpentine, Near San Andreas, Calaveras Co., California. I have seen a really neat hand size carving of a frog that a local old timer made from this material.

Another plate of quartz included with chlorite. Shingle Springs, El Dorado Co. 9.6 x 8 cm.

© A&M

Haven't seen any of this jasper posted yet, self collected.

Stoney Creek Jasper, Stoneyford, Glenn County, CA

One of my new specimens is from California so I thought I would share it here.

Fluorellestadite in blue calcite, Crestmore quarries, Riverside Co, California

A plate of quartz crystals from the Champion Mine, White Mountain, Mono Co., California. 7.8 x 5.2 cm.

© A&M

© A&M

Quartz included with chlorite. White Mountains, Inyo Co., California. 6.5 x 7.5 cm.

© A&M

A couple of anatase specimens picked up at the 2012 Tucson Show...


Regards
Steve

...and here's another, with rutile...


Regards
Steve

A memento of the past. These "Spruce Street Thunder Eggs" weathered from the Northbrae rhyolite and were collected in a part of Berkeley that's now a built-up neighborhood. The angular surfaces suggest filling of chalcedony in voids around calcite crystals. This is about 3 inches across.




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2012 02:27PM by Kelly Nash.

Steve Sorrell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A couple of anatase specimens picked up at the
> 2012 Tucson Show...
>
> Anatase, White Mountains
> Anatase, White Mountains
>
> Regards
> Steve


Were these collected by Chris Lehmann?

As far as I know Bob. I got them from Chris.

Regards
Steve

These crystals came from a basketball size pocket that we broke into back in the mid 1990's on the lowest bench of the west pit of the Carson Hill Gold Mine. We broke into the very bottom of the pocket and about a quart jars worth of these tiny crystals rained out like a slot machine paying off! I caught what I could with my helmet as they rained out. About half of these are doubly terminated with the largest ones being about 7mm long.

They appear to be quartz crystals?

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.