Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities? After each set of pictures there should be some descriptive text. If none appears it means that we need someone to tell us about the specimens from that locality and something about the geology of the occurrence.
Quartz
SiO2 trigonal
Of all the quartz localities in the United States, certainly the best know are the various localities in Arkansas. They have been producing quartz crystals for more than 100 years and were even used occasionally by the Indians to make arrowheads. They are seen in collections all over the world and production continues today. There are many different varieties of quartz, perhaps amethyst, agate, opal and petrified wood are among the best known. We will try and include them all here. What localities produce the best specimens of quartz and quartz family minerals? Well, certainly the Quartz from Arkansas would have to rank high on the list. Good amethyst specimens are always in demand by collectors, and those from Georgia can sometimes be spectacular, and those from Montana can also be quite nice. Not all varieties of Quartz need to be form in crystals to be highly valuable. Specimens of "gem silica" (agate colored blue by Chrysocolla) from Arizona can bring thousands of dollars per specimen. Though not quartz in a technical sense, we are including opal here because it is chemically very similar to quartz. Fire opal limb casts from Idaho can also bring high prices. Big, meter plus, slabs of fine petrified wood from Arizona can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Specimens of quartz showing well formed examples of Japan Law twinned quartz are always popular with collectors and in this section of Quartz, Alabama to Montana fine examples from Arkansas and California may be best. Often times the quartz crystals from various localities are nice but not outstanding, but when they occur growing together with other minerals, those specimens can be worth many times what specimens of just the quartz would bring. A prime example of this are the smoky quartz crystals from Colorado that are sometimes found growing with beautiful blue amazonite crystals.
Of all the common minerals, quartz is probably the most durable. On mindat, the most often hit upon mineral is quartz, and on Mindat's Message Board in the Mineral Cleaning and Preparation forum the most commonly asked questions are about hot to clean quartz specimens. You can scrub up your quartz specimens to your hearts content and even subject them to most strong acids without fear of damaging them. You can even cook them in crock pots with out worry. If you want to clean your quartz specimens, here is a link to an article that will tell you all about cleaning your quartz specimens and what you can do and should not do. [
www.mindat.org].
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Alabama, Elmore Co.
Quartz
USA
Alabama, Jefferson Co., Pinson, Upper Turkey Creek Tributary
Quartz
USA
Alaska, Prince of Wales Island, Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Borough
The specimens pictured above are most likely from one of the Prince of Wales Island localities listed below, but I thought they were interesting enough to include them here even thought they have "lost" their exact localities. The Prince of Wales Island locality is much better know its fine stout black Epidotes than the few quartz specimens it produces. The good Japan Law quartz twin pictured below left may be the best one ever found at the locality and it may be ten times better than the next best one. The locality is remote, and to reach it you have to mount a major expedition or more commonly you hire an airplane that will land you a lake up in the mountains near the mine, camp in a little forest service cabin and each day hike up the mountain to the steep area where the epidote is found and then spend the day, often in the rain working with hand tools to remove the vegetation from the face of the mountain to see if you can expose any pockets of epidote and quartz crystals. The production of specimens from this locality will never be great, and if you have any good ones from there, you should cherish them.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Alaska, Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Borough, Prince of Wales Island, Green Monster Mountain
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Apache Co., Carrizo Mts (Carrizo Range), Chinle District, Chinle area
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Cochise Co., Huachuca Mts, Hartford District (Huachuca Mountains District), Ash Canyon, Huachuca placers (Old Timer placers)
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Cochise Co., Mule Mts, Warren District, Bisbee
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Gila Co., Dripping Spring Mts, Banner District, Hayden area, Chilito, Keystone Gulch, Kullman-McCool group), Lee Reagan prospects; Lee Reagan property; Reagan claims (Regan/Reagan Camp prospects; Finch Mine (Barking Spider Mine)
Technically speaking the specimens pictured above are really more Wulfenite specimens than quartz specimens and appear here only because the Wulfenite crystals from this locality are commonly coated with drusy quartz. These are rather rare creatures and in spite of having lived and collected in California and Arizona most of my life, I have never managed to get a good one.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Gila Co., Globe-Miami District
The piece of gem chrysocolla pictured on the left above would not look quite like that when the miner collected it. The high spots on the specimen have been polished up a bit and that is what makes them shine. If you look down in the valleys between the high spots you can see what was the natural luster of the specimen when it was collected. "Gem Chrysocolla" is almost entirely the chalcedony variety of quartz with just enough Chrysocolla in it to give it a pleasing blue color. Pure Chrysocolla is a pretty blue color, but on exposure it tends to crack and fall apart, but "gem chrysocolla" on the other hand is almost pure chalcedony, quite hard and takes a beautiful polish and is therefore ideal for making cabochons. When just the right amount of Chrysocolla and perhaps other copper minerals are present in the chalcedony, to give it just the right amount of blue color and the right amount of translucency, the price of finished stones for jewelry can be more than $100 per carat. So if you can get a piece of good gem chrysocolla that weighs a kilogram it has the potential of cutting perhaps 1000 carats of finished stones which could sell for $100,000. Thats not bad for a small rock that a miner might bend over and pick out of a blast pile in a large open pit copper mine. At the right time you could probably fill us the back end of a pick up truck in an hour or two and drive off into the sunset and never work another day the rest of your life.
[Rock Currier, 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Gila Co., Globe-Miami District, Globe Hills District, Globe Hills, Globe
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Gila Co., Globe-Miami District, Miami-Inspiration District, Inspiration, Miami-Inspiration deposit, Inspiration Mine, Live Oak pit (Keystone; Joe Bush; Ox Hide; Thornton; Red Hill; Cyprus Miami)
Drusy quartz growing on Chrysocolla and chalcedony colored blue by chrysocolla has been found at number of copper mines, but perhaps the most impressive locality for this kind of item is Inspiration mine in the Globe-Miami District. The color alone makes many collectors drool uncontrollably and when you add to this the gem value of good quality "gem chrysocolla" and you can come up with some very expensive specimens/cutting rough. Often these specimens are also associate with Malachite ond sometimes other Back on the 1950's the good grade gem Chrysocolla from the Live Oak pit was going for about $100 per pound. Today it can bring several thousand dollars a pound for specimens with just the right color and translucency. Good grade cabochons of "gem chris", can bring prices of $100 per carat. The Taiwanese Chinese are particularly attracted to this material. I have a number of good specimens of this material in my collection, including drusy specimens, but have thus far resisted the temptation of selling them for fear that their fate is most likely the cutters wheel.
[Rock Currier, 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Gila Co., Payson District (Green Valley District), Payson, Payson area
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Graham Co., Aravaipa District, Santa Teresa Mts.
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Graham Co., Aravaipa District, Santa Teresa Mts, Klondyke, en Strike Mine (Tenstrike Mine; Ten Strike group; Stone and Dempsey; Klondyke Mining Co.; Lone Pine Lead; Cassidy and Rubal)
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Graham Co., San Carlos Indian Reservation, Santa Teresa Mts, Stanley District, Quartzite Mountain Garnets), Quartzite Mountain, (Stanley Butte [nearby]
The location of Stanley Buttes has been know to collectors for generations and and is much better know for its good specimens of yellow/brown/green specimens of Andradite garnet specimens. In the early days field collectors collected there pretty much as they pleased but as time passed the reservation Indians started started patrolling the borders of their reservation and kicking field collectors out. Today it is considered off limits to field collectors. Thought specimens of andradite garnets predominate at the locality, some few good specimens of quartz and quartz associated with andradite are produced. The combination specimens of quartz and andradite are really much nicer and more sought after than just the specimens of andradite without associated quartz crystals.
[Rock Currier, 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Greenlee Co., Shannon Mts, Copper Mountain District (Clifton-Morenci District), Clifton, San Francisco River area
The cleaning process in a case like this is fairly straight forward. High pressure water to clean off as much dirt as possible and then immersing the specimen in a solution of "iron out" or oxalic acid will remove any remaining "iron" staining. For a more complete understanding of how to clean quartz and quartz family specimens see [
www.mindat.org]
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arizona, La Paz Co., Colorado River Indian Reservation, Dome Rock Mts, La Paz District (Weaver District), Goodman vein, Goodman Mine group, Gold Belt Mine
Quartz
USA
Arizona, La Paz Co., Dome Rock Mts, Middle Camp-Oro Fino District, Crystal Caverns claim; Big Bertha Extension Mine), Veta Grande claim; Big Bertha Mine (Veta Grande Mine
This locality is almost with in a stones throw of the little desert community of Quartzite. During most of the year the place is nearly abandoned and the few locals that live there survive on the few cars that pull off the interstate to get gas or perhaps some hamburgers. In February, the snow birds descend on the area and the populations swells to tens of thousands with camp trailers and mobile homes creating a traffic jam on the single little main street that runs through the little town. They also carpet the desert for miles around to enjoy the giant out door swap meet and Rockhound pow wow. I don't think this tiny mine has produced a good specimen of quartz and hematite in the last 50 years. It has been beaten to death by field collectors for generations. About 50 years ago you could go there and break up quartz boulders on the dump, and if you were lucky you might find a small specimen of bladed hematite and quartz but you had to be real lucky, and even then I never was able to get one as good at the one pictured here nor did I know anyone who ever found anything that good. Some of the old field collectors in Arizona and southern California might have a nice specimen from there that they collected generations ago, but few of them had any as good at the one pictured. The mine also produced specimens of micro Zunyite crystals frozen in matrix.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arizona, La Paz Co., Plomosa Mts, Plomosa District, Bouse
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Maricopa Co., Mazatzal Mts, Four Peaks, Four Peaks Amethyst Mine (Arizona Amethyst Mine)
This locality is better know for its faceting grade amethyst than the quartz specimens it produces. If the cost of mining were not so high this locality might be a better know amethyst and quartz producing locality than it is.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Maricopa Co., Saddle Mountain
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Maricopa Co., Verde Mts, Cave Creek District
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Navajo Co., Holbrook
There is a region near Holbrook, Arizona that is world famous for its petrified wood. In 1906 a portion of this area was set aside as a National Monument and upgraded to a national park in 1962. It is destination that every mineral collector and rockbound should visit. Big colorfully long and chunks of petrified wood litter the surface in many places and though you might not want to put one in your collection you can't help but be impressed. The petrified wood from this locality can vary in color, but is is famous for its red color with occasional spots of pale green and blue. Some of the logs are huge and can reach two meters in diameter. On some of the ranches that surround the park also have abundant deposits of petrified wood on them but over the years the more easily accessible material has been collected and sold. The most highly desired pieces of wood show the original round shape of the tree trunk or limb and when cut and polished have minimal defects in terms of cracks or holes.The more colorful the better. Some logs have produced beautiful "rounds" of more than a meter in diameter and have been sold for more than $10,000 each. I have been told that some of the logs on the privately owned ranches are so big that they can't be moved and that to be cut, they would have to have a big wire saw built on the sight to cut them down into manageable sizes. Some wonderful tables and desk tops have been made from some of these.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Navajo Co., Holbrook District, Joseph City
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Navajo Co., Woodruff
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Pinal Co., Mineral Creek District (Ray District), Hot Tamale Peak, Ray, Ray Mine
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Pinal Co., Galiuro Mts, Bunker Hill District (Copper Creek District), Copper Creek (Copper Creek Canyon), Copper Creek
A few Japan law quartz twins were collected here, but they never looked like very much. The one pictured here with its probably oriented twins may the the champion of all the specimens collected at the locality.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Pinal Co., Mineral Mountain District, Mineral Mountain area
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Santa Cruz Co., Patagonia Mts, Patagonia District, Duquesne (Washington Camp)
Washington Camp is now a ghost down in southern Arizona and in 1920, probably its high point, had a population of about 5000 people with their economy bases on mining in the area. Since the early 50s the locality has been know to collectors for the broad array of quartz specimens that it produced, many of them from underground. It is probably best know for specimens of Quartz Japan law twins found there, some of them with "ears" as much as 20 cm and perhaps even more. In the early days the locals did know know about Japan law twinning in quartz and all the specimens were more or less equal. Dick Bideaux of Tucson told the story that once when he and his father were visiting the camp, they went into the one little general store where the owner/operator George Gerard was selling quartz specimens from the mine for $2 per pound. Even as a young age, Dick knew what Japan law twins were and they gleefully went thorough his inventory of quartz specimens and picked out all the good ones with Japan law twins. Later George Gerard closed his little general store, moved to Yuma Arizona and became a wholesale mineral dealer, mostly selling flats of cheap tourist rocks to rock shops. Some of the Quartz Japan law twins show quartz crystals twinned multiple times and make for very interesting specimens.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Santa Cruz Co., Scepter Hill
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Yavapai Co.
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Yavapai Co., Bradshaw Mts (Bradshaw Range), Piedmont Mine (Congress West Mine; West Congress Mine; Copper Creek Mine; Copper Queen claims; Bloody Basin Mineral Development Co. property)
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Yavapai Co., Bradshaw Mts (Bradshaw Range), Pine Grove District, Crown King, Lane Mountain, Fat Jack Mine
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Yavapai Co., Date Creek Mts, Date Creek quartz crystal locality
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Yavapai Co., Eureka District, Bagdad
Quartz
USA
Arizona, Yavapai Co., New River Station area, Agua Fria River
Quartz
Arkansas
Most of the quartz specimens from Arkansas are found in the Ouachita Mountains some of which extend into Oklahoma and some good quartz specimens are found in Oklahoma, but they are not nearly as well known as those from Arkansas. Though the quartz crystals from these localities have been known for more than 100 years it was not till the advent of World War II and the need for quartz radio oscillator plates of untwinned quartz for the control of radio frequencies that the area was heavily investigated for untwinned quartz crystals. Some were produced but the main source of this type of quartz was found in Brazil and hundreds of tons of Brazilian quartz were imported for this purpose and also used to build the US national strategic stock pile of quartz. This stock pile has recently been sold off because suitable quartz can now be grown in large stainless steel autoclaves more economically. The Arkansas deposits occur throughout the thick, deformed Paleozoic shales, sandstones, and cherts exposed along the central belt of the Ouachita Mountains. Steeply dipping fractures closely related to the major folds control the deposition of most quartz. Most of the crystals are transparent only at their tips and grade into translucent to white quartz near their bases. There are also localities for quartz crystals in Hot Spring, Pike, Pope, Pulaski, Sevier and, Yell counties. In Mount Ida (Montgomery County), Ocus Stanley began the modern mining of quartz in 1930 and this is generally considered to be the heart of the quartz country. Ocus Stanely was sort of considered to be the grandfather of quartz specimen dealers in Arkansas.
Most of the quartz crystals found in Arkansas are rather simple hexagonal prismatic quartz with few associated minerals. Sometimes the quartz crystals from there have green inclusions of chlorite group minerals that can produce "green" quartz and quartz crystals with striking green phantoms. Some calcite has been found as well as specimens with little rough crystals of Ankerite. Some quartz specimens can reach more than a meter in diameter and the maximum crystals size may approach a meter in length, but the best specimens are usually much smaller. A few striding specimens exhibiting Japan law twinning have been found and one spectacular specimen recently on display at Tucson may have sold in the six figure range. Probably the finest quartz from Arkansas have been found at the McEarl mine.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Garland Co.
The specimen of smoky quartz above is not a natural specimen. It has been exposed to gamma rays and turned a dark smoky black. A certain small percentage of Arkansas quartz specimens is sent to companies that sterilize food by the use of cobalt 60 generated gamma rays to turn the quartz from white to almost a black. Most of the time not very good specimens of quartz is used for this purpose, because collectors frown on treated and "enhanced" specimens and the better grade specimens will bring more in their natural state. A small amount of aluminium in the structure of the quartz that sometimes replaces a small percentage of silicon in the structure allow the radiation to create the smoky color in quartz. The radiation treatment can be controlled to give any degree of smoky color desired but this is rarely done, and the quartz that is treated just gets "blasted" and turned almost black in color.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Garland Co., Blue Springs, McEarl Mine
In the 1990s a find of quartz at this locality produced some specimens that many consider to be the worlds best specimen quartz. The crystals were long and prismatic, transparent and exceptionally shiny. Often the striations on the prism faces were spaced just so that they seem to act as diffraction gratings and create subtle rainbow colors along the length of the prisms. Crystals up to about 30 cm were found and brought thousands of dollars each. Collectors as well as the new age people went nuts over these things. I hope some day we may be able to show good pictures of some of these specimens rather tan the nice but comparatively rather sad little specimens shown here.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Garland Co., Blue Springs, Miller Mountain Mine (New Coleman Mine; Jimmy Coleman Mine)
I have visited some of these mines, but really don't know enough about them to do justice describing them and the specimens that come from them. I hope that some real Arkansas quartz guy will step up and help with the descriptions of the various Arkansas quartz localities that we talk about here.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Garland Co., Crystal Mountain, Monte Cristo Mines
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Garland Co., Jessieville, East Coleman Mine (Ron Coleman Mine; Old Coleman Mine; West Chance; Dierks No. 4; Blocker Lead; Geomex)
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Garland Co., Crystal Springs
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Hot Spring Co.
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Montgomery Co., Mt Ida
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Montgomery Co., Mt Ida, Blue Phantom Mine
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Montgomery Co., Mt Ida, Collier Creek Mine
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| © Rob Lavinsky |
Few quartz localities in Arkansas produce specimens as distinctive as those from the Jeffrey Quarry. They are very distinctive clusters of tiny long prismatic crystals that were always popular with collectors. The locality has been inactive for many years now.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
Arkansas, Saline Co., Paron
Quartz
USA
California, Alameda Co., Berkeley, Spruce Street Thunder Egg Locality
Quartz
USA
California, Butte Co., Paradise
Quartz
USA
California, Calaveras Co., New Melones Dam
Quartz
USA
California, El Dorado Co., Georgetown District
Quartz
USA
California, El Dorado Co., Shingle Springs Mine (Docs Mine)
Quartz
USA
California, Fresno Co., Dinkey Creek Mine
Quartz
USA
California, Inyo Co., Bishop, Mount Morgan, Pine Creek Mine
Quartz
USA
California, Inyo Co., Deep Spring Valley Area, Crystal Hill
Quartz
USA
California, Inyo Co., Saline Valley
There are two quartz localities in the Saline valley. The one that produces the Japan law twins is really not down in the valley, but located high up in the the north end of Nelson range of mountains that bracket the Saline valley on its south end. They were found in a little copper prospect by Robert Bartsch of Pasadena California and with the help of Dr. Gary Novak the bulk of the fine specimens were collected. The locality was a skarn deposit that also produces some not very remarkable epidote and garnet specimens. The locality was very steep and down off the crest of the mountain. A wooden platform had to be built so that a few holes for explosives could be drilled. One of the better specimens had two in echelon six inch twins was destroyed during the cleaning process. Fewer than 50 good specimens were collected. The other Saline valley quartz locality produces nice smoky quartz crystals, though mostly as single crystals. This locality is located toward the north end of the valley a bit west of the road. Many of the crystals exhibit good left and right handedness and were abundant enough that several hundred pair were collected and sold to a mineral of the month club. The largest crystal from the find was about 20 cm, but as usual, the better specimens were substantially smaller.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
California, Lassen Co., Petersen Mountain (Hallelujah Junction), Crystal Tips No. 2 pit
Petersen Mountain actually straddles the state line between California and Nevada and specimens have been found in both states. In the Quartz, USA article that includes Nevada, more pictures are shown. The locality has been dug by generations of collectors and recently in a more organized manner by claim holders. The locality is often called Hallelujah Junction after a wide spot in the road that used to be the location of a small general store. The locality is famous for the fine quartz scepters that are found at the locality, some of which are smoky and some of which are of amethyst.
[Rock Currier, 2009]
Quartz
USA
California, Mariposa Co., Hornitos
Quartz
USA
California, Mariposa Co., Whitlock District, Colorado, Colorado Mine (Colorado Quartz Mine)
Quartz
USA
California, Napa Co., Knoxville
Myrickite is a variety of chalcedony that contains Cinnabar which give it a red color. Some of this material can be cut into cabochons that are very pretty. The piece shown here is not exceptional to any degree. The name comes from Myrick Spring, in San Bernardino Co., California where it was first found.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
California, Nevada Co., California Placer
Quartz
USA
California, Plumas Co.
Quartz
USA
California, Riverside Co., Cahuilla District
Quartz
USA
California, Riverside Co., Cahuilla District, Bautista Canyon, Crown Jewel Mine
Quartz
USA
California, Riverside Co., Cahuilla District, Cahuilla Mountain (Coahuila), Fano Mine (Fano-Simmons; Simmons; Little Blue; Big Pink)
Quartz
USA
California, Riverside Co., Cahuilla District, Little Cahuilla Mountain, Audrey Lynn Mine
Quartz
USA
California, Riverside Co., USG Wollastonite Mine
Quartz
USA
California, San Bernardino Co., Calico District
This type of desert rose is found in a number of localities across the south west. Frequently they are white to pink in color after cleaning and frequently fluoresce a nice green color under UV light.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
California, San Bernardino Co., Kingston District, Beck Deposits (Kingston Iron Deposit; Kingston Range; Iron Gossam; Beck Mine)
Quartz
USA
California, San Bernardino Co., Kingston Range, Purple Heart Mine
These specimens look pretty good, but these are exceptional for the locality and most of the specimens the locality has produced are not nearly this good and you usually have to work very hard for what you get. Compared to the tons of better amethyst specimens that are produced annually from the basalts of Roi Grande do Sul, these specimens represent a good recreational outing with lots of hard work for the people who collected them. The localities are represented by some shallow surface workings and probably not be dignified with the name of Mine.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Jacumba District, Mt. Tule, Pack Rat Mine
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Mesa Grande District, Gem Hill, Himalaya Mine (Himalaya pegmatite; Himalaya dikes)
The Himalaya Pegmatite is well known to collectors for the fine pink and green doubly terminated tourmaline crystals that is produces. Good matrix specimens are rare and they almost always consist of tourmaline crystals growing on quartz. The pegmatite is not known for its quartz crystals, but it has produced some good specimens. The specimens pictured here are not particularly outstanding.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Chief Mountain, Elizabeth R. Mine
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Chief Mountain, Pala Chief Mine (MS 6452)
The Pala Chief mine is better know for its specimens of kunzite but it has produced some pretty good quartz specimens and the ones shown here are quite fine. They are not abundant and probably fewer than fifty of this quality have been found.
[Rock Currier 209]
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Hiriart Mountain (Heriart; Heriot; Hiriat Hill), Dawson Prospect
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Hiriart Mountain (Heriart; Heriot; Hiriat Hill), Katerina Mine (Katrina; Catherin; Caterina)
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Hiriart Mountain (Heriart; Heriot; Hiriat Hill), White Queen Mine
This mine has produced a good quantity of large quartz crystals, most of which have inclusions of pink Montmorillonite. Their virtue is perhaps best displayed when these crystals are cut open and polished. Norm Dawson who operated the mine for many years had a yard full of the crystals. He found that cutting them in half and polishing them provided more financially rewarding than just selling the natural crystals. The mine is much better know for the wonderful morganite Beryl specimens that it produces.
[Rock Currier, 2009]
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Tourmaline Queen Mountain (Pala; Queen), Stewart Mine (MS 6162; Stewart Lithia)
The pegmatite is better know for its pink tourmalines and massive lepidolite shot through with tiny pink tourmaline than it is for its quartz specimens. It did produce a few pleasant specimens like this one but most of the pockets encountered in the mine especially the ones that produced pink tourmaline were pretty badly churned and crushed and good terminated specimens were rather rare.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Tourmaline Queen Mountain (Pala; Queen), Tourmaline King Mine (MS 4500; MS 4926; Gem)
The Tourmaline King mine produce a few specimen early in the 20th Century but after an initial find near the surface extensive mining on deeper levels produce nothing but blank granite. Specimens of any kind from this locality are rare.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Pala District, Tourmaline Queen Mountain (Pala; Queen), Tourmaline Queen Mine (MS 6458; Tourmaline Queen No. 3)
The Tourmaline Queen mine has a long history of producing good specimens of tourmaline. In the 1972 a wonderful find of "blue cap" tourmalines were found, some of them growing with quartz crystals. Though not particularly know for its quartz specimens it did produce some respectable specimens.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Ramona District, Hercules Mine (Hercules Prospect; Hercules Group; Beryl Claim)
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Ramona District, Little Three Mine (Little 3)
The little three mine like all of the pegmatites in San Diego County, did produce some quartz crystals. Some of them are quite nice if not spectacular. The mine is better know for its specimens of Spessartine garnets.
[Rock Currier2009]
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Warner Springs District, Carmelita Mine (MS 6130; Blue Gem; French Pete; Elinor; Crest Gem)
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Warner Springs District, Chihuahua Valley, Blue Lady Mine (Blue Tourmaline Claim; San Diego Group; Blue Bell Deposit)
Quartz
USA
California, San Diego Co., Warner Springs District, Cryo-Genie Mine (Cindy B-Cryogenie; Lost Valley Truck Trail Prospect)
A pegmatite that has been worked on and off for years. In its most recent incarnation Bart Cannon of Seattle, Washington put a claim on it and eventually the claim fell into the hands of the Gochenour family and they worked the mine for several years and found a fine pocket of pink torumaline at least one of which is proudly displayed in the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History. It did produce some few good quartz specimens, but nothing that would make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2009 12:20AM by Rock Currier.
