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Field CollectingBancroft and Area Field Report
23rd Jun 2014 13:31 UTCturtledove thrushe
The first place I visited yesterday was Faraday Hill Roadcut. First thing I noticed there was that there was alot of Black Flies. Once I finally went to collect I noticed that chipping at the walls is extremely difficult and while it is calcite it takes an enormous amount of force to break up the material. I did not have my Geiger Counter with my yet so I couldn't really look for Uraninite cubes. The best material I found was by digging and also by looking at the broken up material. There is a section with Tremolite blades however it is very hard to obtain those (I had to look for a raised section of a blade) as it is in the calcite. This would be on the left hand side at around roughly the middle. I did also see what looked like weathered Pyrite however it was at a height that made it difficult to obtain.
All together I probably spent 2+ hours at this site and received very little in return. I did get some alright minerals (which I will need to identify besides Tremolite) but no Uraninite that I had noticed and I checked both sides of the roadcut very well.
The next site I visited was the CN Rock Pile. I did not do extensive digging on this location but noticed the predominant material was Mica and Albite. More Mica was observed than Albite in my opinion and it appeared to be Biotite mica. There was some holes around the rock pile where you can see there was some digging activity by previous collectors. I did collect some nice Biotite Mica samples and some Albite but that's all I really observed there. This pile was collected extensively.
After this I visited the Ireland Property which is also known as the 'Price Chopper/Foodland Occurence'. There was alot of decomposed and iron stained rocks here and seems to have been picked over extensively as well. I did find an interesting crystal which I will have to identify (probably is a piece of Augite) but other than that it seems to be not abundant in material.
The final site I visited was the MacDonald mine which coincidentally was not what I planned to visit. I was trying to visit the Quirk Lake occurrence but since the directions in the Bancroft Mineral Collecting Guide/Handbook are vague at times I ended up missing this occurence and instead heading to MacDonald mine. MacDonald mine was the only locality/site I saw another collector at and they were disappointed with their finds (Feldspar/Quartz). I also primarily saw Feldspar/Quartz at this site. However I did also find some Smoky Quartz but not in as big of a quantity compared to the translucent Quartz and Feldspar that litters the surface material. The mine is rehabilitated and covered up and the only real collecting can be done by either digging or just looking at the ground for littered/missed material.
I didn't mention the Saranac Mine or Titanite Hill in this report because due to vague directions (particularly for Titanite Hill) and also for Saranac Mine I did not visit or collect their fully. The roads in Titanite Hill are of very poor quality and there is now lots of Private Property signs there as well. Luckily I happened to visit when the weather allowed the roads to be driveable. If you have a low-height vehicle I strongly recommend against going further on Titanite Hill as the road becomes gravel, bedrock, and undriveable at times.
Overall I was somewhat disappointed in these collecting localities. I did find some material but not what I was hoping for. In the case of Faraday Hill the Black Flies didn't help and the lack of material was another issue. Probably the most productive sites were the CN Rock Pile (for Mica/Albite) and MacDonald Mine (for Quartz/Feldspar). Now I may have made a mistake in trying to visit too many sites in one day and I was exhausted at the end of the day but it seems the majority of locations were collected exhaustively for material that isn't so common to encounter. The nature and scenery was great overall but I was expecting to find more having last visited the Bancroft area nearly 7 or 8 years ago.
23rd Jun 2014 16:18 UTCAllen Steinburg
23rd Jun 2014 18:13 UTCReiner Mielke Expert
23rd Jun 2014 19:06 UTCPhil M. Belley Expert
Here are some examples of finds stats:
When I collected at the Highway 5 (in construction from 2008-2014), I found decent or great specimens 1 trip out of 3.
At Highway 50 (2007-2012), decent or great specimens 1 trip out of 5.
And these are thousands of tons of rock exposed every week.
Mine dumps are good places to look for minerals. You are bound to get something good if you keep looking.
I have been to old mine sites that had been heavily picked over. However, once you dug 3 feet deep in the dumps, many interesting minerals could be found, and in large sizes. Luck and hard work.
23rd Jun 2014 23:28 UTCVitya
Allen Steinburg: I understand that some of those sites may have been more extensively collected than others however please keep in mind that I visited several sites and arrived around 8-9AM in the area and only left finally in the late evening. I agree that Bancroft and the surrounding area has been extensively over-collected but if that is the case then perhaps more sites should be updated or even informed that they have been exhausted. Over the years in Bancroft there were more and more sites being discovered but now as I look at it in retrospective there are less sites being discovered and less discoveries being made ie more sites have closed (due to many reasons) than opened.
The prices for Beryl Pit is also quite outrageous. The distance from Bancroft to Quadville is 1 hour alone from my calculations and the price for an adult is $7 and $6 for a student. Considering that the rock is only blasted perhaps once a season and is one of the highest pay-per-collect fee sites it simply doesn't make any sense. The majority of quality Beryl is also worked out from what I have seen and the rock wall is hard to chip at.
Reiner Mielke: The trip to Bancroft takes a few if not more hours depending on the collecting site. As you can imagine a trip north of Bancroft and back would be double that time. For an area that claims to be 'The Mineral Capital of Canada' I sure did not see that happening when I collected there. I had more success when I went there back around '06/'07 even with and without tools including the Faraday Hill Roadcut. If you look at the total amount of material I collected in a small box it maybe totals a few untrimmed specimens and small miniature pieces of Mica with cabinet sizes of Feldspar/Quartz. All together the total collection was maybe 1Kg roughly for all those sites. That's not including the amount of mosquitoes/black-flies/brush I had to deal with or the vague/general directions (Bancroft Chamber of Commerce needs better maps/directions). I probably would have had more success at the Mont-rose Occurrence than the localities/sites I visited.
Phil M. Belley: Phil please read the above. It is a several hours drive to collecting localities north of Bancroft one-way. It is a several hours drive from those localities back so two-way it is double the time. Compounded by the fact that I can only make this trip perhaps less than a few times a year due to the distance. As you can probably understand the cost of gasoline is not exactly cheap nor the amount of time and labor involved was quite heavy for little result. At the end of the day I was exhausted and I spent several hours per site as well returning back only around late evening.
You mentioned collecting at highways but as far as I am aware of collecting on the highway or at roadcuts along the highway is illegal and not allowed along with collecting at Provincial parks according to what the Bancroft Chamber of Commerce has written in their literature. I am not exactly sure whether it applies to collecting along highways either.
I am not exactly a beginner or a novice collector in my opinion. I have done a good deal of collecting prior to my break from this hobby due to a multitude of reasons both in Parry Sound/Sudbury and some in Bancroft and Southern Ontario. While this happened many years ago roughly up to '06/'07 it was easier to obtain material and samples back then as it is today. It seems greed and improper rock hound etiquette is more prevalent right now which has led to less sites being available along with other reasons. This post may sound like a rant and in someways it is. I was excited to head off to Bancroft and the surrounding area and I was well prepared with gear and equipment. The only gear I had to make-do was with a backpack that wasn't that well suited but it didn't influence my findings or samples.
Let me try and summarize my collected mineral samples:
Faraday Hill Roadcut - Mica , Tremolite , Actinolite , Uraninite cube (small 1-2cm)?
CN Rockpile - More Mica , Albite. Mica was more predominant although Albite is abundant in quantities.
Ireland Property - Still have to identify this and a few other samples. probably not much at all
MacDonald Mine - Quartz (var Translucent and Smoky) and Feldspar. Both are abundant and litter the road and the path. Even other collectors in MacDonald were disappointed and came back with Quartz/Feldspar.
I apologize for the lengthy read and the content in parts that may sound like a rant but I felt I would like to honestly express my thoughts for the trip to Bancroft and area.
24th Jun 2014 00:22 UTCRock Currier Expert
You need to find out who the most experienced field collectors are in the area you want to collect and then and go visit them and look at what they have collected and discuss with them where you might best spend your time. You need to get to know some of the old timers and make friends with them. It is this personal contact that will best get you to where you want to go in so far as productive collecting. If you can find the time go up to Nova Scotia and spend some time talking to Rod Tyson. You can spend your time thrashing around on rock piles, but no one leaves five and ten dollar pills laying around on the ground. It is rare that someone will tell you in a public forum where the really honey holes are. Even then, to get something good you are going to have to work like hell.
24th Jun 2014 00:46 UTCMaggie Wilson Expert
24th Jun 2014 00:49 UTCMatt Neuzil Expert
24th Jun 2014 01:07 UTCVitya
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gotta say that a 1 -2 cm uraninite cube is pretty
> darn fine!
I hope I still have it. I was somewhat careless when storing the samples as I put even the small thumbnail pieces in a side pocket of the backpack and several times when I bent over to pick up tools or even big rocks the backpack would be off-balance. Unfortunately this was the only frame-backpack I had available at the time (I have a larger rucksack Military on order). I will have to check the box where the specimens are still lying and sort through them as I dumped everything into it even the small specimens. I know this may have been careless or something I overlooked on my part but in the absence of a proper rucksack I didn't have much choice as it didn't have much space or storage in the rucksack.
Rock Currier Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Vitya,
> You need to find out who the most experienced
> field collectors are in the area you want to
> collect and then and go visit them and look at
> what they have collected and discuss with them
> where you might best spend your time. You need to
> get to know some of the old timers and make
> friends with them. It is this personal contact
> that will best get you to where you want to go in
> so far as productive collecting. If you can find
> the time go up to Nova Scotia and spend some time
> talking to Rod Tyson. You can spend your time
> thrashing around on rock piles, but no one leaves
> five and ten dollar pills laying around on the
> ground. It is rare that someone will tell you in a
> public forum where the really honey holes are.
> Even then, to get something good you are going to
> have to work like hell.
I have actually contacted Michael Adamowicz about doing some collecting and I have actually met up with him on a pre-trip briefing/discussion. He was very friendly , informative and very helpful. I asked alot of questions and he provided me with clear and detailed answers and also let me take a look at his Sabina's Bancroft collecting handbook (I used to take this out from the library when I was younger and absolutely loved the series.
Matt Neuzil Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've honestly not like beryl pit recently. They
> have blasted the floors of the quarry. Before I
> could hammer out slabs where beryl and euxenite
> were found. Crystals would at times neatly pop out
> or remain nicely frozen in feldspar. If persons
> wanted to dig in dumps they turned those over a
> few times. I don't really understand why they
> blasted now it's much more like one big dump and
> little heavy hammering :( well we can't please
> everyone and on this one those that don't mind
> hammering have been left out
Matt I agree to a certain point. Some of my best finds came from sifting and digging through material yesterday at Bancroft particularly with Faraday Hill. Since the material there is extremely rough and tough sifting and digging is the most effective. I tried hammering there and wouldn't recommend it. Even my Estwing 4lb Crack hammer was having a hard time breaking the boulders or through the calcite with/without a chisel. Matt if you have recently been to Beryl Pit would you advise for or against visiting there? By recently I am referring to 2014 as I might make a trip up there in August.
24th Jun 2014 01:39 UTCAnonymous User
I find if you go there, just start digging down in the blasted bits. Most folks seem to only grab what they can see easily but once you dig a bit down you can find beryls, fluorite, black tourmaline, quartz, amazonite and occasionally some pyrite and mica. There is possibly a ton more but I am not back up to speed on identification yet. I was lucky last summer to meet a fair group of knowledgeable rockhounds who helped me identify most of what I was finding so I enjoy returning even if I only fill a pocket of small things to eventually photograph. Last summer I was poking at a larger rock that split open to show off a ton of dendrites on feldspar and that seemed to be what I was finding all day that day. Interesting and neat but I am a pure novice for the most part again.
I was at the Princess Sodalite Mine (I think that is the name) and while it was a bit more interesting with a huge variety of samples, most not native to the area, it was not as fun as everywhere you reached you found something. I hope to get out more this year, and usually drag my camera along, as long as I remember to take photos I will try and get them up and experiences as well. If the area in general has been scraped clean for the most part it would be a shame.
24th Jun 2014 02:04 UTCBob Harman
I have collected Indiana locations for 20+ years now and many folks have private messaged me here on Mindat wanting to know more of my hi quality geode finds. Most of them have been very disappointed after hunting Indiana geodes and come away virtually empty handed or finding just a few very lo end examples. This is about as expected; to find better quality examples, it almost always takes long term knowledge of the best sites and, as several previous posters have noted, persistence persistence persistence! CHEERS…….BOB
24th Jun 2014 13:28 UTCturtledove thrushe
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was at the Beryl pit less than a month ago. I
> had luck that day for the most part. I stumbled
> on some nice beryls, but nothing extremely large.
> I took a friend and we had fun non the less, once
> we resupplied on bug dope. For the most part we
> stuck to the older pits, as the main pit has been
> blasted and picked over like mad. I was lucky as
> my friend seems to have an eye for finding stuff,
> so once I showed her what we were looking for she
> would reach down and pick things up in seconds.
>
> I find if you go there, just start digging down in
> the blasted bits. Most folks seem to only grab
> what they can see easily but once you dig a bit
> down you can find beryls, fluorite, black
> tourmaline, quartz, amazonite and occasionally
> some pyrite and mica. There is possibly a ton
> more but I am not back up to speed on
> identification yet. I was lucky last summer to
> meet a fair group of knowledgeable rockhounds who
> helped me identify most of what I was finding so I
> enjoy returning even if I only fill a pocket of
> small things to eventually photograph. Last
> summer I was poking at a larger rock that split
> open to show off a ton of dendrites on feldspar
> and that seemed to be what I was finding all day
> that day. Interesting and neat but I am a pure
> novice for the most part again.
>
> I was at the Princess Sodalite Mine (I think that
> is the name) and while it was a bit more
> interesting with a huge variety of samples, most
> not native to the area, it was not as fun as
> everywhere you reached you found something. I
> hope to get out more this year, and usually drag
> my camera along, as long as I remember to take
> photos I will try and get them up and experiences
> as well. If the area in general has been scraped
> clean for the most part it would be a shame.
Hi Glen. Thanks for taking the time to post about Beryl Pit. Your experience sounds very interesting as it is very recent. How deep did you have to dig down to find the cache of hidden crystals and minerals.
I was not too far from the Princess Sodalite Mine (the Ireland Property area) but from what I have seen the Princess Sodalite Dumps are quite extensive and large so it appears to be more about luck.Of course if you have someone accompanying you then it is easier. When I went I also had a family member with me to help me with the search and I felt that even though they were novice at collecting they were able to find some material I had missed once they knew what to look for.
BOB HARMAN Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have never been to the Bancroft area and know
> absolutely nothing of the specific locales and
> finds from there, but from long time field
> collecting, I can safely say that for newbies and
> casual collectors good finds from most localities
> everywhere are few and far between.
> I have collected Indiana locations for 20+
> years now and many folks have private messaged me
> here on Mindat wanting to know more of my hi
> quality geode finds. Most of them have been very
> disappointed after hunting Indiana geodes and come
> away virtually empty handed or finding just a few
> very lo end examples. This is about as expected;
> to find better quality examples, it almost always
> takes long term knowledge of the best sites and,
> as several previous posters have noted,
> persistence persistence persistence!
> CHEERS…….BOB
Bob I have seen some of your finds for Indiana Geodes and they are quite impressive. I hope I can stumble upon a few in my collecting days similar to your finds. However I am not sure if persistence applies to collecting in the Bancroft area (more correctly Haliburton/Hastings Co) as the area has been 'rockhounded' thoroughly. I think its a matter of luck no matter the experience level or how familiar one is with the area.
Is there any suggestions as to what kind of a meal should be prepared when field collecting as this kind of activity uses alot of calories and strength. I was looking at a quick MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) but was wondering if there was any cheaper alternative.
24th Jun 2014 16:28 UTCKenO James
24th Jun 2014 18:34 UTCDavid K. Joyce Expert
1) If you don't like black fFlies and mosquitoes, don't collect in the spring or early summer, wait until the late summer and fall to collect. They are a fact of life in the spring and early summer, in the Bancroft area.
2) If someone says that a locality is "worked out" or "finished", that is a place that I will often visit. There are always good specimens left. you need to get to know the locality, use creative thinking, geological interpretation and work hard.
3) some of the best specimens that I've found in the area have been found in the last 10 years or so.
4) Some of the best specimens that I've seen from various localities were collected in the last 10 years or so by others. People worked hard for them.
5) You need the right tools for the particular location. One tool does not fit all.
6) Persistence certainly applies
7) Some luck certainly applies
8) Did I mention you need to work hard?
I was out one month ago (during the one-two week time period where the frost is out of the ground, before the blackflies hatch) and found the best molybdenite crystal, in matrix, that I have personally collected in the Bancroft area. It is good enough to put in my collection.
If you are passing this way again, plan to drop by for a visit. I'll show you specimens that I have collected or traded and will offer collecting suggestions.
Best,
David K. Joyce
24th Jun 2014 19:49 UTCJohannes Swarts
Interesting discussion, especially the parts about finding so little of interest...
Not get off-subject, but I used to collect at Mont Ste-Hilaire, focusing solely on micro minerals.
I figure I visited the quarry about 35 times over 20 years, each time bringing home maybe 300 lbs or more of material (5 to 8 or more 5-gallon buckets, full). I currently have maybe 20 lbs of trimmed/mounted micros from these trips.
Do the math:
35 x 300 = 10500 lbs. Divide 20 lbs/10500 lbs = 0.002 = 0.2%
So, 0.2% (by weight) was kept in the collection; everything else was tossed. And this was a locality where people would say in a bored tone "...oh, it's just gaidonnayite...".
So yeah, even in one-of-a-kind localities like MSH, one has to work very hard to find things of interest.
I still have between 1 and 2 tons of material to go through...
Hans
24th Jun 2014 21:14 UTCVitya
-------------------------------------------------------
> Heres my 2 cents. You must remember the amount
> of tourists attracted to Bancroft and have
> previously been to these collecting sites over the
> years. Huge numbers immediately make an easy find
> almost impossible. Thats why Bancroft has tried
> to open a few new sites and in the previous year
> have did work at the Bear Lake Diggings exposing
> some calcite veins. I do agree that more is needed
> to support the "Mineral Capital" name but it is a
> start. Since the easy colecting is gone, it will
> only be with hard work to find those treasures.
> Digging to a depth where those have not ventured
> or digging in the extremely overgrown sides of a
> dump where noone wants to go are good ways to
> thinks. Being a novice collector, I have found
> that first visits rarely produce great specimens.
> The 2nd visit allows me time to ponder over what
> info I obtained from the first visit and then I
> better prepare for the next visits. Other tricks
> involve waiting for a rainy day, making it easier
> to spot surface colours or find a new spot where
> few or zero collectors have been. Search nearest
> localities on Mindat also provides info for an
> efficient trip, allowing you to hit more
> localities with less travel time. Join a club
> also provides great resources. As for your trip,
> go up top of the Faraday road cut or dig down at
> the bottom of it and listen for hollow sounds. I
> found a few vugs there this way. At the CN Dump,
> look for a slight green tint and this will usually
> host zircons and very small apatite. As for the
> meal, take good ole peanut butter and jam
> sandwich. The jams sugar provides quick energy
> and peanut butter gives slow releasing energy
> throughout the day. Drink lots of water too. I
> hope this might help some as I`m still learning so
> I don't have much to offer.
I appreciate your opinion and your thoughts. Now to cover the Faraday Hill Roadcut what did you find in the Vugs as I noticed there was alot of empty holes in the rock or small caves under overhangs that did not have good material or samples. I checked all around the roadcut from both sides and from top to bottom and spent quite a few hours at this roadcut alone. CN Rockpile and MacDonald probably yielded the most amount of material. The rest were disappointing and there was even several sites that had poor instructions or were extremely difficult to get to compounded with mosquito/blackflies. I also had plenty of mosquito repellant and long-sleeved/long-legged gear minimizing skin exposure to those insects.
Your suggestion on the CN Rockpile seems to be very interesting and I will take a look next time. However I used a similar technique and didn't find anything of interest besides Albite/Mica which is abundant. There is so much Mica I stopped collecting it after I had more than a few samples as my backpack couldn't handle much weight and wasn't properly suited or designed for this (it was an old Japanese style frame backpack which was temporary until my US Military Rucksack arrives )
There are no clubs unfortunately close to me and commuting downtown for the Walker Mineral club is not an option. I would like to join their club but getting to downtown is not as simple as it looks especially commuting. I've looked and looked for clubs in the area and there are none closeby. The closest is Walker and that's all the way downtown.
Concerning nutrition that was one area where I lacked during that trip. I had a sandwich (balogna) and some water bottles and some banana's. I will be revising that for future trips perhaps adding in MRE's or Trail Mixes or high caloric foods with plenty of fiber. MRE is definitely one option but it is expensive for a crate of 12 without a heating pouch (around $85USD).
David K. Joyce Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've been collecting in the Bancroft area for over
> 40 years.
> 1) If you don't like black fFlies and mosquitoes,
> don't collect in the spring or early summer, wait
> until the late summer and fall to collect. They
> are a fact of life in the spring and early summer,
> in the Bancroft area.
> 2) If someone says that a locality is "worked out"
> or "finished", that is a place that I will often
> visit. There are always good specimens left. you
> need to get to know the locality, use creative
> thinking, geological interpretation and work
> hard.
> 3) some of the best specimens that I've found in
> the area have been found in the last 10 years or
> so.
> 4) Some of the best specimens that I've seen from
> various localities were collected in the last 10
> years or so by others. People worked hard for
> them.
> 5) You need the right tools for the particular
> location. One tool does not fit all.
> 6) Persistence certainly applies
> 7) Some luck certainly applies
> 8) Did I mention you need to work hard?
>
> I was out one month ago (during the one-two week
> time period where the frost is out of the ground,
> before the blackflies hatch) and found the best
> molybdenite crystal, in matrix, that I have
> personally collected in the Bancroft area. It is
> good enough to put in my collection.
>
> If you are passing this way again, plan to drop by
> for a visit. I'll show you specimens that I have
> collected or traded and will offer collecting
> suggestions.
>
> Best,
> David K. Joyce
It's good to hear from you David about your experience from Bancroft. I will try and address your individual points as best as I can.
1. I had long sleeving pants and shirts so Black Flies and Mosquitoes were not much of a problem the only issue is that when it becomes hot and humid I had to change into shorter sleeved clothing due to sweating. Mosquito Repellant was also applied. I have some more trips planned for July and August including some joint collecting with Michael Adamowicz.
2. If a locality is worked out or exhausted then it is exhausted or worked out to a large part of it. Take for example Faraday Hill. The only good crystals that were left I saw were Tremolite on the left side of the outcrop in very hard to obtain calcite (I broke some crystals trying to obtain it). I also saw some Pyrite in a hard to reach portion of an outcrop (overhang). MacDonald mine was worked out and other collectors confirmed it. I am not trying to deny some material can still be found but it would take much more effort than what is required and the material may not be of good quality for the effort/time expended. I am not sure how creative thinking factors in obtaining good samples.
3. From reading some of the material on your website you mentioned some of the best material you obtained was in the 1960's and onwards and not the past ten years as you mention in your post here.
4. Same point as #3.
5. Tools and equipment is not an issue. I have 95% of the most essential tools and equipment for the job. Here is a list of some of it:
Ziplock Bags
Walter Schumann Field Guide
Bancroft Mineral Collecting Locality Guide
Military Kneepads/Elbowpads
Military Boonie Hat
Estwing Chisels (all 4 of them)
Estwing Prybar
Estwing 3lb/4lb Crack Hammer
Estwing 24oz Rock Pick
Long Screwdriver (x2)
Loupe (x10/x20/x30)
Safety Goggles (CSA Approved) (x2)
I have some additional equipment and tools on-order such as Geiger Counter (Victoreen CDV700 Model 6b Rebuilt/Calibrated) , Military Rucksack , Estwing Geopick/Paleontological , Estwing 30oz Leather Special Edition Rock Pick, and finally Camelbak Thermobak Hydration Carrier (to replace the need to carry water bottles) along with other equipment ...
So I don't believe equipment is an issue. I did not expect to have equipment that is universal in all aspects which is why I acquired various chisels and crack hammer/rock picks.
6. Persistence is great but if the locality is not producing anything within a few hours then it simply might not be worth exploring further especially depending on the distance from the vehicle to the site and the season/time of day it is.
7. I think luck applies alot more now than simply looking for veins/cavities/vugs. Take for example the MacDonald mine which is now one big surface dump. How do you chose a spot and hope to get a nice specimen if it were not for luck providing most of the find. There is no way to cover the dump effectively as it is simply too large for even two people. I talked to a pair of collectors that same day and they found Quartz/Feldspar similar to my findings and they were likely there for a while.
8. Working hard is not an issue there as well. I worked hard at each site but the Ireland Property was one of the worst sites to visit as it didn't have much and was picked to almost barren condition. Compounded with the heat and humidity and the lack of shade the only reason I visited this site was because it was on the way to Quirk Lake/MacDonald Mine.
I appreciate your offer. When I go collecting again to Bancroft in July and August while I am disappointed as to my findings I hope perhaps I will be able to find some better finds and hopefully so more worthwhile mineral samples than the common material. I would love to get some Corundum/Aapatite/Zircon and even Betafite/Uraninite from the area. If you will be collecting at Bancroft I would love to meet up with you at some sites so you can share your experience and your knowledge of the area. I am still disappointed compared to my previous visits to the area years ago but I hope my luck will change once I visit with some experienced rockhounds who know the area well and can help remove some of my rust in terms of identification and also in spotting.
24th Jun 2014 22:02 UTCAnonymous User
At the Beryl pit I only usually had to pull the top layer of rubble off, shift some old leaves around and could find something that I put to the side. I really had to fight the urge to wish all the old leaves would burn away as I found those more hampering to finding stuff than the rubble. There are a few big chunks still around and digging under them, keeping an eye for snakes etc, can be fruitful. That said, if you are looking for something amazing or such, you might not find it. What I enjoy or get excited over are based around a few ideas/plans I have had about tumbling and doing macro photography with. I walk out with items the size of a penny up to fist sized chunks of Amazonite I plan to break down for tumbling, once I finish building mine.
I am not killing myself to hunt. If I find something inside a larger piece I will chip at it, or sometimes crack a stone to peek inside. As for breaking a saw out to drag through the bush and such, it would have to be very impressive for me to do that. I would be more apt to break the camera out, photograph it and leave it for somebody else to see/find.
I am pretty different on the food and hydration aspect, but spent a number of years wearing green and playing silly bugger to know enough about how I am in different scenarios of heat and work etc. I eat big meals before I go out and usually have some drink in the car or on hand, remembering I have it is the biggest issue. I have my hat, that I always have on in the woods, and bug dope. It depends on the spot though If I was going someplace there was the potential for open pits or such, I would adapt my gear as needed with rope etc. It never hurts to be ready for stupid accidents. I would advise a pair of good gloves, I have pretty rugged hands and they still occasionally get cut a bit as I go digging. I would also advise, if a bit off the beaten path a good basic kit (knife, matches, etc) You never know when something could happen and better to be ready with a few extra lbs of things you only need once, than to never have it.
I do not recommend MREs usually for short trips. They tend to be loaded with sodium and rich in everything you need for long term energy, night sweats and a freaky ability to not go to the washroom. Those were the Canuck ones the American ones, which you usually find copied in stores, from memory make those look great. For a long term trip, they are ok mostly due to weight, but in short 1 day trips, you can get better bang for your buck just simply with a cooler bag and a few sandwiches bars etc. The added bonus is you are not dumping a chemical mix that can really play fun games with your system or suffering the mind twisting thought of salmon fillets in lemon sauce boiled in a bag, or the evil that is ham omelet.
Glen
24th Jun 2014 23:07 UTCVitya
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Sodalite dumps are not half as big as the
> beryl pit and all the old tailing piles. They are
> though mostly full of something to catch your eye
> if you look close.
>
> At the Beryl pit I only usually had to pull the
> top layer of rubble off, shift some old leaves
> around and could find something that I put to the
> side. I really had to fight the urge to wish all
> the old leaves would burn away as I found those
> more hampering to finding stuff than the rubble.
> There are a few big chunks still around and
> digging under them, keeping an eye for snakes etc,
> can be fruitful. That said, if you are looking
> for something amazing or such, you might not find
> it. What I enjoy or get excited over are based
> around a few ideas/plans I have had about tumbling
> and doing macro photography with. I walk out with
> items the size of a penny up to fist sized chunks
> of Amazonite I plan to break down for tumbling,
> once I finish building mine.
>
> I am not killing myself to hunt. If I find
> something inside a larger piece I will chip at it,
> or sometimes crack a stone to peek inside. As for
> breaking a saw out to drag through the bush and
> such, it would have to be very impressive for me
> to do that. I would be more apt to break the
> camera out, photograph it and leave it for
> somebody else to see/find.
>
> I am pretty different on the food and hydration
> aspect, but spent a number of years wearing green
> and playing silly bugger to know enough about how
> I am in different scenarios of heat and work etc.
> I eat big meals before I go out and usually have
> some drink in the car or on hand, remembering I
> have it is the biggest issue. I have my hat, that
> I always have on in the woods, and bug dope. It
> depends on the spot though If I was going
> someplace there was the potential for open pits or
> such, I would adapt my gear as needed with rope
> etc. It never hurts to be ready for stupid
> accidents. I would advise a pair of good gloves,
> I have pretty rugged hands and they still
> occasionally get cut a bit as I go digging. I
> would also advise, if a bit off the beaten path a
> good basic kit (knife, matches, etc) You never
> know when something could happen and better to be
> ready with a few extra lbs of things you only need
> once, than to never have it.
>
> I do not recommend MREs usually for short
> trips. They tend to be loaded with sodium and
> rich in everything you need for long term energy,
> night sweats and a freaky ability to not go to the
> washroom. Those were the Canuck ones the American
> ones, which you usually find copied in stores,
> from memory make those look great. For a long
> term trip, they are ok mostly due to weight, but
> in short 1 day trips, you can get better bang for
> your buck just simply with a cooler bag and a few
> sandwiches bars etc. The added bonus is you are
> not dumping a chemical mix that can really play
> fun games with your system or suffering the mind
> twisting thought of salmon fillets in lemon sauce
> boiled in a bag, or the evil that is ham omelet.
>
> Glen
Glen thanks again for your advice and comment. Is the Princess Sodalite mine dumps free to work at. If so I might make a detour or a stop along the way. However I do not know exactly when the next trip may be after July. Hopefully there is still some material for me sift through and work with. As you can understand the problem is the amount of time it takes to reach the Bancroft area even one way and back is double the time so that means I can only make the trip a couple of times a year in a best case scenario.
What is your experience with Beryl Pit and the amount of material versus the amount of collectors present. I have read that at times there is line-ups or even the Beryl Pit being crowded to work with. Can you comment on when is the best time to visit or. Thanks for your suggestions on working the Beryl Pit. From the pictures I have seen and from my experience there a long time ago the material was very hard to chip at from what I can recall. The Amazonite is something that has peaked my interest particularly in the Beryl Pit as that is something I can definitely add more to my collection. However I would prefer to do some collecting in Colorado for an Crystal Peak Amazonite Cluser with Smoky Quartz (one can only dream of owning such a cabinet specimen).
Sorry I forgot to mention gloves in my equipment list along with a U-Dig-It folding shovel (made in USA). The Gloves are Cattlehide/Leather gloves and so far have worked well in the environment that I used them in. I haven't had to use the folding shovel yet heavily.
Speaking of rockhounding techniques I was just watching a video detailing collecting Amazonite and noticed an effective technique of sifting through dirt and soil for samples (video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guf3HiqAp2U) so my Estwing Geo/Paleo pick should be used in a familar fashion at those digging sites in the Bancroft area.
Thanks for the recommendation on the food and water. Water will be provided via a portable hydration pack (3l Camelbak Thermobak) and food will likely be an cheaper alternative than an MRE (a case of about 12 is about $86 USD). I was looking at this list:
http://blackwoodspress.com/blog/5521/10-ultralight-backpacking-foods/
The Peanut Butter and Jelly appears to be an appealing option along with the Trail Mix as I would need lots of energy to be sustained. To be honest the sandwich and banana's that were packed were insufficient. I was plenty hungry when I arrived back. Compound this with the hot and humid weather particularly in Cardiff. The reason I was asking about the MRE was based on my personal experience with them years ago. I personally enjoyed them when I was issued it but I preferred to choose the flavour. Do you have any other recommendations on food or nutrition as food and nutrition is paramount/critical for having the strength to collect. To be honest by the end of the day I was exhausted and part of it may have been due to a bad diet of a sandwich/banana's.
25th Jun 2014 14:15 UTCDavid K. Joyce Expert
You seem to have the answers! I look forward to seeing your finds.
For the benefit of all following this thread and contemplating collecting in the Bancroft area, I did forget to mention something important. To collect in the Bancroft area, you pretty well have to enjoy just being out in the woods searching, since that is often what you do without finding anything. The successful collectors will tell you that they often have spent days prospecting or digging/working at a locality before they found something worth collecting. Personally, I prefer going to an active quarry where fresh rock has been blasted and it is relatively easy to collect something nice in a day or half day. It simply doesn't work that way around Bancroft. Enjoying the chase is pretty important. Collectors like Michal Adamowicz impress the hell out of me with the amount of time they spend looking, digging and thinking about a certain locality and not finding anything much. Then eventually, they DO find a nice specimen. Then they move on to the next spot. This type of learning curve, leading to a find, is not for everyone.
The "easy" specimens were found years ago. That doesn't mean that there is nothing left at many of the sites. The crystals are just a little deeper or harder to get at, much of the time. There is always something. I stand by my statement that many of my best finds have been in the past ten years or so. I'll show you and tell you how they were collected, if you'd like.
Anyway, I look forward to your visit, if you have time, sometime!
David K. Joyce
7th Jul 2014 03:44 UTCturtledove thrushe
Initially I did find some hot-spots on the roadcut but it appeared that it was coming from within the calcite. It was somewhat labour intensive and also time consuming to walk around both sides of the roadcut with the Geiger counter but I eventually found two potential spots where I could dig and prospect further. I happened to stumble upon a small Uraninite crystal fragment (2-3mm) which was quite 'hot'. I then tried to track down the source of this and eventually found an area which produced for me lots of Uraninite crystals and their fragments. The biggest Uraninite I found today was around 2cm (length was measured by quick glance of an eye) with more common fragments and crystals being a few mm to a 1cm. Uraninite in matrix samples are even more difficult to obtain but I managed to obtain about 3-6+? such samples with them being moderately hot to hot for the small matrix samples. All together for Uraninite I managed to obtain several small zip-lock bags and a good sufficient quantity of Uraninite of various sizes and quality. I would also like to note that the Uraninite was not present in Tremolite for the samples I acquired but I have seen pictures that show Uraninite being in Tremolite from this roadcut as well.
Uraninite wasn't the only mineral I was interested in. Molbydenite also happened to occur to me at several locations at the roadcut. I got a few good samples but they easily crumble and perhaps the biggest size was from 5mm-1cm as these are microcrystals. Please keep in mind that both Molbydenite and Uraninite are rare and in 'minor amounts'. I also managed to get two fluoroapatite samples (one in matrix , the other a blue fragment) and some Tremolite with perhaps other minerals. I was unsuccessful in extracting a small few mm fragment of Pyrite however.
Overall today I would say I am quite happy with my finds from F
7th Jul 2014 03:44 UTCturtledove thrushe
Initially I did find some hot-spots on the roadcut but it appeared that it was coming from within the calcite. It was somewhat labour intensive and also time consuming to walk around both sides of the roadcut with the Geiger counter but I eventually found two potential spots where I could dig and prospect further. I happened to stumble upon a small Uraninite crystal fragment (2-3mm) which was quite 'hot'. I then tried to track down the source of this and eventually found an area which produced for me lots of Uraninite crystals and their fragments. The biggest Uraninite I found today was around 2cm (length was measured by quick glance of an eye) with more common fragments and crystals being a few mm to a 1cm. Uraninite in matrix samples are even more difficult to obtain but I managed to obtain about 3-6+? such samples with them being moderately hot to hot for the small matrix samples. All together for Uraninite I managed to obtain several small zip-lock bags and a good sufficient quantity of Uraninite of various sizes and quality. I would also like to note that the Uraninite was not present in Tremolite for the samples I acquired but I have seen pictures that show Uraninite being in Tremolite from this roadcut as well.
Uraninite wasn't the only mineral I was interested in. Molbydenite also happened to occur to me at several locations at the roadcut. I got a few good samples but they easily crumble and perhaps the biggest size was from 5mm-1cm as these are microcrystals. Please keep in mind that both Molbydenite and Uraninite are rare and in 'minor amounts'. I also managed to get two fluoroapatite samples (one in matrix , the other a blue fragment) and some Tremolite with perhaps other minerals. I was unsuccessful in extracting a small few mm fragment of Pyrite however.
Overall today I would say I am quite happy with my finds from Faraday Hill Roadcut and I will be returning to prospect it further.
7th Jul 2014 14:09 UTCSusan Robinson
Do any of your uraninite fragments/crystals have a light-colored coating on them? If so, it may be worth checking out.
George Robinson
7th Jul 2014 16:02 UTCMaggie Wilson Expert
11th Jul 2014 20:55 UTCScott Rondeau
12th Jul 2014 22:50 UTCScott Rondeau
On the way home, I stopped to do some panning along Hyland Creek. There are a couple of nice white water areas near the bridge with nice bends for panning. Nice place for a swim too. Only did a few pans, and didn't notice any gold to speak of. Maybe a couple small specks, but there was so much small garnet in there, I couldn't separate it. Tons or red garnet sand.I panned up some very nice small garnets with spectacular color, which I didn't keep since I had a bunch of nice big garnets.
I just hope these garnets will show some color and clarity once I facet them. They are kind of dark right now.
4th Aug 2014 20:45 UTCVitya
The First site we visited was a roadcut along the way to Tripp (Nu-Age mine). It yielded some zircons (very , very small) and there was also some apatite on one side of the roadcut. On the other side of roadcut there was what appeared to be Pegmatite and some coarse minerals in the roadcut which I couldn't identify properly. I did manage to get a nice piece of Biotite which is a small cabinet specimen (approx 6-8cm) just by physically removing it off the wall with my hand (it was hanging there). We didn't spend too much time at that site and I am still trying to recall the exact coordinates of that roadcut. If Michael could post that or the approximate location it would be really helpful as I might explore it further perhaps sometime again he can also private message me as I believe there is potential for further discovery at the roadcut besides Zircon and Amphibole/Apatite?
We then proceeded to Tripp (Nu-Age) mine but since the area was heavily mosquito infested and overgrown we weren't able to find the main outcrop or trench/diggings for the Uraninite. We did find the Allanite occurence and I did test it with the CDV-700 and found it was mild-medium radioactive. If anyone has any more detailed directions or specifics for where the dump with the Uraninite is that would be extremely helpful as I would like to check out the Tripp (Nu-Age) mine and area in more detail.
Proceeding on we moved to Kemp Prospect. The road was in bad condition and we were worried several times about whether we could proceed but eventually we arrived at the site. We checked out the lower trenches and found nothing of particular use or anything good. I did find with Michael's help a big boulder that was somewhat radioactive but upon destroying it didn't find any Thorite's in there. Perhaps the Thorite had decayed into Uranothorite as the boulder did yield black spots in the host rock that were slightly radioactive. The boulder was simply too massive to fully destroy or even crack so I chipped at a few times and then moved on to higher ground. Michael found a great trench containing lots of Thorite and I checked out a few other trenches unsucessfully. I did find one Trench which had a hotspot in what appeared to be Granite but it would have been extremely difficult to remove anything from the hotspot. In the end I took a few leftover Thorite crystals (which were quite massive) and some Pyroxene/Diopside.
Ireland Property/Pricechopper Occurence only yielded a drusy quartz cavity on matrix with calcite. There was alot of rockhound activity at this site around the afternoon with several collectors there. This was probably due to the close proximity to Bancroft and also due to the Rockhound Gemboree. We didn't spend too much time at the site before moving on again.
Moving through Bancroft we also visited the CN Rock Dump. This one also had quite a fair share of rockhound traffic with several other vehicles. Thanks to Michael's help we found some Zircon , Sodalite , and even a Uraninite crystal (1-2mm and verified with CDV-700 Model 6b). Michael found several Molybdenite in a rock sample and I was also surprised there as well. I will have to trim the Zircons or I may keep it in the matrix.
Lastly we visited Faraday Hill roadcut and I showed Michael several hotspots I had noticed from my previous visit. Michael showed me some tips and tricks and some areas where I can further explore which is helpful and I will check this site out in further detail again. Faraday Hill has so far yielded a good haul from my previous visit with Uraninite and Apatite/Tremolite.
Mosquitoes and Black flies were a major issue at several of the sites. Ireland Property/Price Chopper Occurence and CN Rock Dump didn't have this issue but all the other sites we visited that day did have that issue. I am now trying to avoid any kind of collecting except either during early spring (April/May) or during fall (September/October) when the visibility is better and there is no mosquitoes or flies/bugs that constantly pester.
Since this was the last day of the Bancroft Gemboree we also managed to visit the show and meet a few fellow dealers including David K. Joyce and a few others. It was a pleasure meeting them and chatting with them. I also managed to pick up a few local specimens for a great deal of only a few dollars for a couple of specimens. Michael also managed to get a great Red River floodway Selenite/Gypsum crystal with great faces and crystals sticking out of it. The dealers inside (on the top of the hill for the civic center) didn't interest me as much as those on the outside however on the bottom of the hill the inside dealers also had some interesting material including cabinet sized Hematite (Boitrodial) from Morrocco. I kind of wished I could pick up some Madawaska Uranophane and some Sperrylite but unfortunately those were out of my budget but I will definitely be on the lookout for similar specimens. I will definitely check out the next Bancroft Gemboree as this Gemboree was the most recent one I visited (the last one I visited was in around 2005-2007?). I look forward to seeing any other mindat.org members at the next Gemboree and hopefully I will have a bit more cash or money to spend there. To be honest I went in not expecting to spend anything and left extremely satisfied with a Beryl (Beryl Pit) , Corundum (Gutz Farm) , and a Titanite (Quebec) all for very little and because I managed to negotiate/haggle with the dealer who was very friendly and helpful. This Gemboree visit has also helped to kindle an even bigger interest in local or Canadian minerals such as Apatite and others and to try and expand my collection with self-collected/acquired examples.
I definitely appreciate Michael taking the time to arrange a collecting trip with myself. His knowledge and experience was invaluable and it was a fun trip overall. I was exhausted at the end of the day and might have not had enough sleep but this was definitely an enjoyable trip. I will look into ways to reduce dehydration and exhaustion as I did encounter that on the trip near the end of the day (about 4-5PM) which is unfortunate as it reduced my collecting at Faraday Hill roadcut and also for Ireland Property/CN Rock Dump. It's strange though as I drank nearly 3 litres of water that day and I still suffered some symptoms from it. Perhaps I may have not been drinking it fast enough or in time enough and due to the weight of the equipment and the humidity i was probably expending water faster than my intake. The frame backpack I was using helped immensely with carrying the load as it can handle up to 60lbs and while it was heavy with all the equipment it was still comfortable.
I hope this field report was interesting and helpful for those reading it again. I cannot thank Michael Adamowicz for him showing me these sites and for arranging a collecting trip and for helping me out here. If there is anything I am missing here I apologize as I am doing this off my memory.
4th Aug 2014 21:13 UTCRob Woodside 🌟 Manager
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Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: April 25, 2024 06:01:02