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Field CollectingNeed Recommendation On Best Pegmatite Collection Methods

10th Oct 2015 01:06 UTCKell Hymer

Hi All, I just recently got into the rockhounding hobby and need some help. I recently went to the Rock Corral Recreation area at the base of the West side of the Mineral Mountains between Beaver and Mitford Utah where there is supposed to be abundant smokey quartz. I didn't have much luck so I started researching rockhounding, and geology. I will be returning there soon. The area has large igneous granite domes everywhere. Here are my questions.

1) most videos I see online show people finding pegmatites and crystals in relatively loose gravel. However, I also read that it is good to break open rocks. Should I dig at the base of the granite/pegmatites or should I try to directly break open the granite outcrops?

2) I keep reading about vugs/pockets. Sometimes there are small holes in the granite domes that might be large enough to stick a finger in. Should I hammer away at the side of the dome to expose the hole? The more I hack away, the deeper into the layer of the pegmatite/granite I'll expose and the mineral crystals should get larger, potentially exposing a vug or pocket right?

3) some of the domes have 1" thick quartz veins running along them. Should I hack away at the vein in the hard granite?

I guess I'm trying to determine if I'm better off expending energy using a hammer and chisel directly on the massive rocks or if I should be digging in the dirt on the ground next to the granite and where veins meet the ground instead.

10th Oct 2015 18:05 UTCGary Weinstein

Kell,

Never an easy answer as there are as many possibilities as months in the year. For question #2 the answers are -YES. Find and follow veins and cracks till they meet or open up and work that area. Massive rocks require a sledge. Loose dirt is sometimes good to find weathered out crystals. If you find goodies at the base of a formation, work your way up to find where they came from. Join a collecting club and go out with the older members and learn from their experience. Glad you are enjoying a great hobby and welcome to mindat. Now if you want to buy out a rock shop....

Best,

Gary

10th Oct 2015 18:52 UTCDana Morong

When I first started out I saw a book in a shop and bought it, and I was actually reading it in the car at a famous pegmatite, it was so fascinating! This was one of John Sinkankas' how-to-collect books, and at the time it was titled Prospecting for Gemstones and Minerals (1970) (which was a second printing of an earlier title, which was Gemstones and Minerals: How and Where to Find Them), and the most recent title of the same book is "Field Collecting Gemstones and Minerals" (1988). I would suggest you get a copy of this book. This is not a locality guidebook, nor is it a text to identify them (Sinkankas also wrote a wonderful book on that, now called "Mineralogy" or "Mineralogy for Amateurs"), but this "Field Collecting Gemstones and Minerals" is a how-to book, about actual prospecting, collecting, tools to use and how to use them in different environments and conditions. Get a copy and enjoy it! There are very few how-to books on this subject that are better than this (actually I don't know of any better on this topic).

10th Oct 2015 22:59 UTCDoug Daniels

If you are referring to veins and "holes" in a very large, solid, unfractured mass of granite, I would say you are wasting your time using hand tools (even sledges). That kind of rock is tough, and you might do more damage to any crystals in the vugs by trying to extract them. (I once tried to remove an interesting amazonite out of the middle of a large boulder using just a large chisel and small sledge. The crystal went bye-bye, and the rest of the boulder did nothing) You would likely need power tools and/or explosives (good luck on that idea) to expose a section that couold be worked with hand tools. So, better to look at the materials weathered out of the interesting areas; they should be right next to or a bit downslope of the exposure.

11th Oct 2015 06:14 UTCKell Hymer

Thanks for the awesome answers! It sounds to me like breaking open granite boulders with hand tools might yield results if I am willing to break my back! Dana, I will take a look at that book. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on. With no experience and a Collecting site book I was able to find miniscule, yet fully formed, quartz crystals while on vacation in Montana. I had no idea that something like that comes from the ground! Since then I have become hooked but have had little luck. There is something about the thrill of a treasure hunt that makes rockhounding fun... And addictive!

12th Oct 2015 18:48 UTCDana Morong

You may also want to know that not all collecting site books (or locality guidebooks, which are supposed to guide one to sites) - not all of them are accurate (in fact some are so vague or even inaccurate or that they waste incredible amounts of time and travel in the field, without ever even getting close to the sites, yet those seem to keep being published), so ask around and check up on any that you are not certain about. I think we need an article on how to evaluate locality guidebooks, with hints for those who don't have the experience with them.

12th Oct 2015 20:09 UTCKell Hymer

Dana Morong Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> You may also want to know that not all collecting

> site books (or locality guidebooks, which are

> supposed to guide one to sites) - not all of them

> are accurate (in fact some are so vague or even

> inaccurate or that they waste incredible amounts

> of time and travel in the field, without ever even

> getting close to the sites, yet those seem to keep

> being published), so ask around and check up on

> any that you are not certain about. I think we

> need an article on how to evaluate locality

> guidebooks, with hints for those who don't have

> the experience with them.

Hi Dana,

I agree! On my first trip to the Mineral Mountains I spent so much time following vague references in my guide book and from the web that by the time I got to an area that was promising, I was completely exhausted. I will only have one day to collect on this next trip so I will try to make the most of it. I ordered the book you mentioned and I have been researching tons on identifying pegmatites and mineral rich areas. Hopefully I will come back with some good quartz specimens and even some tourmaline or beryl if I am lucky.

16th Oct 2015 00:07 UTCDana Morong

One way to check up on a guide book is to try to follow the directions on maps, see if the distances and direction match up. This is not foolproof, but can expose the worst guidebooks at least. This is also a good way to check (even with excellent guidebooks) directions and such before the trip, so that one has a better idea. And have a Plan B ready in case Plan A doesn't work out. One of the most difficult things with guidebooks (almost impossible) is keeping up with the access status, and who to contact (preferably ahead of time as well). Don't push yourself too much and allow time to get back to base camp. And don't drive anywhere you are not sure of - inspect it first (I used to take risks years ago and it is a wonder I didn't get stuck more often). Hope you have a good time!

17th Jan 2016 00:12 UTCTim Jokela Jr

Study the rock carefully. Vugs are a very, very good indicator, assuming the place is known to have vugs that actually have crystals. Tap the rock with a crack hammer. If it sounds kind of dull and punky, it's do-able. If the hammer springs back with lots of energy and a different sound, it's mighty solid rock.

The more rock you move, the more likelihood of success. Hard work with the correct gear will invariably move rock, eventually.

Look at how they move rock at the quartz mines of Herkimer, NY. All you need is a crack, and you can even make your own cracks, by hand-drilling holes.

Get out there with the biggest sledge you can swing, and have fun!

18th Mar 2016 17:05 UTCCory

Field collecting Gemstones and Minerals by John Sikankas. Its an old book but the information pertaining to pegmatites how to locate them. How to locate the core of the pegmatite that leads to pockets and his methods for cleaning out pockets is the best I have come across and its an easy read. You can get it used on Amazon for 11 bucks. It has become my bible.

18th Mar 2016 20:40 UTCDaniel Bennett

one technique I have had success with in known productive areas is to walk around being inquisitive and the secret is to look for places normal people don't want to go. even when your tired (mentally). steep areas especially.one step at a time. of coarse know your limits. if you just walk around on trails or easy access areas your following where 95 percent of other collectors already have been. the good thing about this is if you do locate a pocket you can probly take all the time you need to dig without someone else discovering your workings. and the most obvious thing is to consider gravity and follow float up from where it lay. also the float may not be that special down below. others may have picked up easy pieces and moved on without finding the source leaving only scraps.

one more tip. if you are in a very collected area look for bigger holes that have been filled in by someone. chances are they filled it back to discourage others from digging back in and not because its the right thing to do. my best pocket at a crystal claim in mpntana was located that way.so much fun. good luck

18th Mar 2016 20:48 UTCDaniel Bennett

also I hate breaking rocks with a hammer. not very satisfying to me. I would only do that if I had a real good reason.

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